AMD Zen 4 Raphael's Socket AM5 likely to be compatible with AM4 coolers, at least a 280 mm AIO recommended for Zen 4 170 W SKU

AMD is expected to announce Zen 4 Raphael desktop parts some time in 2022. Zen 4 Raphael will feature a new Socket AM5 and support for DDR5 memory. Zen 4 will also see AMD transitioning to a land grid array (LGA) arrangement from the current pin grid array (PGA) layout. @TtLexington has now published drawings of the AM5 socket and also said that current AM4 cooling solutions may fit the upcoming socket.

This leak is more of a confirmation of previous AM5 socket renders by @ExecuFix, which showed a new locking mechanism that somewhat resembles Intel's HEDT sockets. The LGA1718 AM5 socket looks to use the same two-piece retention frame as the current AM4 socket, which should ensure compatibility with existing coolers.

Speaking of coolers, we had earlier reported that TDPs up to 170 W may be in the offing with Zen 4 Raphael. @TtLexington seems to have obtained a leaked datasheet that further confirms this information. We see TDPs of 45 W, 65 W, 95 W, 105 W, 120 W, and 170 W being listed. TDPs above 105 W are a first for mainstream Ryzen processors with even the current flagship 16-core 32-thread Ryzen 9 5950X rated at a 105 W TDP. 

The leaked datasheets also seem to recommend at least a 280 mm AIO cooler for the 170 W variant and at least a mid-sized air cooler for the 120 W SKU. We expect Zen 4 Raphael mainstream parts to top out at 16 cores just like their Vermeer cousins, so the increased TDP is somewhat intriguing. That being said, AMD is speculated to include integrated RDNA 2 graphics even in the mainstream desktop SKUs, so a relatively powerful iGPU could be the one contributing to increased TDP requirements.

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