A Closer Look

The Core i5-7640X comes in the premium-looking Core X family retail packaging, which means you get a case badge that's visibly different and more premium-looking than the Core i5 LGA1151 series. Sadly, the case badge and some documentation are the only other things you get inside the box, apart from the processor. You will have to install your own socket LGA2066-compatible cooling solution (which isn't included in the processor's price).


The LGA2066 package is the same size as previous-generation LGA2011(v3) packages, with different key notches. This also means that the LGA2066 socket itself has the same cooler mount-hole spacing as the older socket, and you have plenty of aftermarket coolers to choose from. As its name suggests, this package has a land-grid array (LGA) with a pin-count of 2,066 pins. The 126 mm² "Kaby Lake" die is located dead-center and is much smaller than the "Skylake-X" die found on other Core X family processors, so focusing your cooling on the center with a tiny amount of TIM should do the trick.


As we mentioned earlier, the LGA2066 socket has the same mount-hole spacing as previous-generation LGA2011(v3), and you should, as such, be able to use any compatible cooler.