Oh goodness Intel. You really have created a mess of things these days with all these different sockets. This has created problems and tough decisions for many consumers. These various sockets all have their ups and downs. Do not worry, we will help you through it.

In terms of performance, I will go ahead and rank them from greatest to least.

1st: Socket 2011 – to be released near December 2011
2nd: Socket 1366 – to begin getting phased out at the end of the year
3rd: Socket 1155 – New
4th: Socket 1156 – just began being phased out
5th: Socket 775 – almost completely phased out

So you might be wondering which product you should buy. So let’s dig in deeper.

Socket 2011 and 1366

Socket 2011 is suppose to be Intel’s latest high-end socket. It essentially is the future replacement for Intel’s 1366 Socket. Think 1366 with Intel’s latest Sandybridge Architecture. When this product comes out in December, expect Socket 1366 to be phased out. One thing is for sure, Socket 2011 will deliver better performance than any of other offering on this list. You just have to decide if you want to wait for it or not. Personally I am kind of impatient.

Both of these sockets are designed for heavy CPU Usage. This socket is most recommended for those of you who do 3D Animation, Video Editing, Audio/Video Encoding or Decoding, Etc. Don’t get me wrong, these two sockets will perform everything just as good, if not better than the other sockets available on this list. The design of the x58 Chipset (Socket 1366) allows for better PCI Express usage as well. You also will not find yourself a 6 core CPU with the 1155 and 1156 sockets.

Pros of Socket 2011:
Should be the fastest socket out there.
Will use proven and tested Sandy Bridge Architecture
Will have hexacore (6 core) options at the very least
Quad-Channel Memory (Rumored)

Cons of Socket 2011:
Will be the most expensive socket available
Won’t be available till Q4 2011

Pros of Socket 1366:
Fastest Available Socket to date
Only Hexacore (6 core) platform
Supports more lanes of PCIe bandwidth / PCIe cards
Tri-Channel Memory

Cons of Socket 1366:
Will be phased out at the end of the year
Expensive price tag that makes this purchase a lot harder to justify with the advent of 1155

~~~View Additional LGA 1366 Processors and Motherboards ~~~

Socket 1366 versus 1155

Intel recently released their new Sandybridge Processors earlier this year. This socket was 1155. These new processors actually store the video card controller in the CPU and give extreme performance/over clock abilities. The new motherboards for this socket have just rolled out, as their was a recall on them several weeks ago.

This socket is targeted towards the mainstream PC users. You will find that it can play games, and will even perform well in rendering, video editing, etc. The performance gap between this socket and 1366 decreases exponentially if you are able to buy a K series 1155 socket processor and overclock it. This socket is the most powerful in terms of efficiency per core. However, the hexacore options for the Socket 1366 will overtake this socket any day when performing most tasks.

Pros of the Socket 1155:
Best price to performance ratio
Integrated graphics option (H Series Chipset)
Most efficient use of cores
New socket that will last for a while
Supports modern video cards and technologies (and will for some time)

Cons of the Socket 1155:
Motherboards are steadily increasing in price ever since the recall
Low Motherboard availability
Overwhelming amount of Chipset Options
No hexacore options
Less PCIe capabilities than the x58 (socket 1366)
Dual Channel Memory

Socket 1155 Versus Socket 1156

It seems like not long ago that Intel just released Socket 1156 to the public. This socket was the prior mainstream socket. With the advent of Socket 1155 (Sandybridge), this socket is now being phased out. This will create lower prices for Socket 1156’s current offerings, but don’t expect any chances of upgrading the CPU on this socket it in the future. You will be at the end of the road.

Pros of Socket 1156
Good performance
Steadily decreasing in price
Good lineup of options

Cons of Socket 1156
Being phased out (already!)
Not many PCIe options
Dual Channel Memory

You will get good performance nonetheless. This socket should only be considered by those of you who limit yourself to tasks such as watching videos on youtube, performing light gaming (or gaming on medium settings). Even if you want to do some photo shop, video editing, 3d animation, etc. you will undoubtedly be able to accomplish this task. You just won’t be able to get the same level of performance as the newer sockets. The same can be said about Socket 775.

The Editor’s opinion:

If you already have socket 1156 and want to upgrade, then wait till Socket 2011 comes out and lowers the price of the other sockets.
If you have socket 775, then you will find a great performance increase when jumping to 1155 or 1366.
Deciding between 1155 and 1366? If you aren’t a 3d Animator or do CAD drawings then go for 1155. The price savings is more than worth it. Especially considering 1366 is a dying socket. Get a K series 1155 CPU and overclock it.

Okay I am done rambling for now.

Good luck with your decision, and feel free to ask any questions.

To find the some of the best deals, shop through Newegg and Amazon. Remember to look at other user reviews as well.