Before 2014, most laptops were still capable of upgrading the CPU, such as Lenovo Tianyi F41, Lenovo K29, and Shenzhou K360E, where the CPU was designed with a socket, regardless of the size or configuration of the machine.
The real shift away from replaceable socket CPUs in the industry was driven by two factors: the push from upstream manufacturers and the trend toward thinner and lighter laptop designs.
The push from upstream manufacturers was simple and direct. Starting with the 5th generation Intel Core processors, Intel eliminated all PGA socket CPUs in its laptop product line, switching to BGA packaging that was soldered directly onto the motherboard. AMD also cut its entire socket-based product line around the same time. With upstream manufacturers no longer offering socketed CPUs, manufacturers could no longer pursue this option.
At this point, only systems from companies like Clevo and MSI, which used desktop processors with LGA/PGA sockets, remained.
Clearly, this approach disrupted the market rhythm established by the two major CPU manufacturers, so neither Intel nor AMD was willing to support these LGA socket-based laptops.
On the other hand, a replaceable design requires a base on the motherboard to install the CPU, which adds thickness to the overall system. This wasn’t much of an issue in the past when the average laptop thickness was around 3 cm, but in the current era, where ultra-thin laptops are under 20 mm and gaming laptops are around 25 mm, every millimeter of thickness is crucial.
Even MSI’s flagship GT series (Titan Ultra) started to advertise the thinnest possible thickness, and many manufacturers promote their laptops with “as thin as xx mm” slogans, showing that thickness has become a key buying decision in the market.
Moreover, CPU sockets change with every few generations. For example, Intel’s latest Core Ultra 200 series uses the new LGA1851 socket, whereas the previous 12th, 13th, and 14th generation CPUs used the LGA1700 socket, making them incompatible with one another.
In conclusion, a combination of various factors led laptop manufacturers to collectively abandon replaceable socket designs, and with hardware updates happening so quickly, many people simply replace everything entirely, making “future upgrades” a false proposition.
Related:
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- Combat Wafer Warpage: Leveling in Photolithography
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