Socket 940 - Definition and Overview

Socket 940 is a 940-pin socket for 64-bit AMD processors. The socket is completely covered with leads with no hole in the middle. There are four spots on the socket which do not have leads, and are used to align up the processor correctly. AMD Opterons and older AMD Athlon 64 FXs (FX-51 and FX-53) use Socket 940.

Context

AMD's sockets, in chronological order:

Socket A
Socket 940
Socket 754
Socket 939

Socket 940 motherboards are currently available via the following chipsets:

VIA K8T890 (http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets/k8-series/k8t890/)
nVidia nForce3 Ultra (http://www.nvidia.com/page/nf3.html)
nVidia nForce4 (http://www.nvidia.com/page/nforce4_family.html)

Socket 940 motherboards are currently available from the following manufacturers:

ASUSTek International (http://www.asus.com/)
Micro-Star International (http://www.msi.com.tw/)
Gigabyte Taiwan (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/)

Additional Information

AMD Product Information (http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/)
AMD Technical Details for Athlon64 and Athlon FX (http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_739_7203,00.html)
Introduction to DDR RAM (http://www6.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20001030/)