AMD slots/sockets what is what?

[honkwomp]

This is probably and easy one.

Okay for AMD there is the slot a and socket a?

Can you all tell me what processor uses what slot?

I had thought that all AMD processors used socket a, but now I am not sure, and how can you tell?

[Imperion1]

A socket processor has pins on it. Like a socket 7, socket 370, socket 478 (whatever this number is).
A slot processor is like a cartridge.

The AMD k6 series are socket processors. Don't remember if they're socket 7 or 370 though.
The AMD Athlon (original) is a slot a processor.
The AMD Athlon Enhanced Processor (Thunderbird) is a socket 478 processor.

[honkwomp]

Originally posted by Imperion1
A socket processor has pins on it. Like a socket 7, socket 370, socket 478 (whatever this number is).
A slot processor is like a cartridge.

The AMD k6 series are socket processors. Don't remember if they're socket 7 or 370 though.
The AMD Athlon (original) is a slot a processor.
The AMD Athlon Enhanced Processor (Thunderbird) is a socket 478 processor.

Okay what about a duron?

thanks When I asked that, I was particularly interested in knowing whether the athlons, the durons and the Tbirds all use the same socket (anything above 1.1 Ghz)

[Imperion1]

Whoops, forgot about the Duron.

The Duron is also a socket cpu, same as the t-bird.

[araaraara]

I think that Imperion1 has his pin counts mixed up. Socket A has 462 pins. The new P4 has 478 pins. No offence Imperion1.

[honkwomp]

Originally posted by Imperion1
Whoops, forgot about the Duron.

The Duron is also a socket cpu, same as the t-bird.

Just so I am clear, at what point speed wise or whatever, do you get to thepoint where they duron and the tbird use the same socket.

As I understand your replies, this means that the same motherboard can take a duron or a t-bird? I guess the t-bird is the 266 FSB and the duron is 200?

[Ammok]

I know the t-birdd is 266 cos I have one.

What socket does the Athlon XP take, would it fit in the same socket as my 1.4 tbird?

[araaraara]

Currently all Durons are 200mhz(100mhz DDR) FSB. The Athlon TBird comes in 200mhz(100mhz DDR) and 266mhz(133mhzDDR) in later versions. The AthlonXP only comes in 266mhz(133mhz DDR). All three chips use the same socket, Socket A (462 pins). Compatability and highest speed depends on your motherboard, although most will take an XP after a bios flash.

[Rugor]

Ok here's a list of AMD chips and intercaces.

K6, K6-2, K6-III = Socket 7, same as the Pentium/Pentium MMX

Athlon Classic (512k off-die L2 cache, running at 1/2, 1/3, or 2/5 of clock speed.) = Slot A, physically a reversed slot 1 but electrically incompatible.

Athlon Thunderbird/XP (256k on-die L2 cache running at full speed) = Socket A (462 pins) very occasionally Slot A (Thunderbird only).

Duron (64k on-die L2 cache running at full speed) = Socket A only.

Classic and Duron 100MHz DDR FSB, Thunderbird 100 and 133MHz DDR FSB, XP 133MHz DDR FSB

[honkwomp]

Thanks, this pretty much clears it up



Originally posted by Rugor
Ok here's a list of AMD chips and intercaces.

K6, K6-2, K6-III = Socket 7, same as the Pentium/Pentium MMX

Athlon Classic (512k off-die L2 cache, running at 1/2, 1/3, or 2/5 of clock speed.) = Slot A, physically a reversed slot 1 but electrically incompatible.

Athlon Thunderbird/XP (256k on-die L2 cache running at full speed) = Socket A (462 pins) very occasionally Slot A (Thunderbird only).

Duron (64k on-die L2 cache running at full speed) = Socket A only.

Classic and Duron 100MHz DDR FSB, Thunderbird 100 and 133MHz DDR FSB, XP 133MHz DDR FSB

[dna_level_c7]

Originally posted by Imperion1
A socket processor has pins on it. Like a socket 7, socket 370, socket 478 (whatever this number is).
A slot processor is like a cartridge.

The AMD k6 series are socket processors. Don't remember if they're socket 7 or 370 though.
The AMD Athlon (original) is a slot a processor.
The AMD Athlon Enhanced Processor (Thunderbird) is a socket 478 processor.


the K6 uses socket 7.....:D

[Imperion1]

No offense taken araaraara. Thanks for setting my numbers straight. I couldn't remember which was what off the top of my head. Too many different types of sockets to really want to remember.;)
How many types of sockets did Intel come up with?

[Rugor]

Ummmmmmm Intel Sockets

Since the Pentium came out we have:

Socket 5: Early Pentium
Socket 7: Mainstream Pentium
Socket 8: Pentium Pro
(Slot 1): Pentium II/III Celeron
(Slot 2): Pentium II/III Xeon
Socket 370 (1st): Celeron
Socket 370 (2nd): FCPGA for PIII and Celeron
Socket 370 (3rd): Tualatin PIII/Celeron
Socket 423: Willamette P4
Socket 478: Willamette and Northwood P4
Socket 603: P4 Xeon

I think that's a mostly complete list, but I may have missed something, slots were included for completeness.

[araaraara]

They also had the socket 3 for the 486 and socket 4 for the earliest pentiums (60 + 66). Socket 5 were the 75 - 100mhz pentiums and everything after was socket 7 or super socket 7.

[Rugor]

Originally posted by araaraara
They also had the socket 3 for the 486 and socket 4 for the earliest pentiums (60 + 66). Socket 5 were the 75 - 100mhz pentiums and everything after was socket 7 or super socket 7.

Thanks for adding the earlier stuff.

But reading your post there's one thing that looks off, it seems to say that Intel kept on using socket 7 after the Pentium rather than shifting to slot 1 for Pentium II. Also, I don't think Intel ever released a super 7 (100MHz FSB socket 7) processor.

[araaraara]

Well, the Pentium MMX's were basicly Super Socket 7, because they used the split voltage. I guess they were really just "Enhanced" Socket 7. AMD's K6-2 is the chip that really got Super Socket 7 platform going.

[Rugor]

Ok counting the split voltage chips as Super 7 makes sense, I'd just never thought of that as the demarcation. I put all the socket 7 implementations together because it didn't come in mutually incompatible versions like socket 370.

[Imperion1]

Thank you. That is quite a list. Now what has AMD used?
Socket 7
Socket 370
Socket 462
Slot A

Anything else?

[araaraara]

AMD never had a Socket 370 chip - that was strictly Intel.

Socket 7 (all versions)
Slot A
Socket A (the best platform ever!)

That's it. Just 2 different sockets and 1 slot in almost 7 years. Way better than Intel, who's sockets/slot seems to change almost every year.

[aka]

eveybody's gone back to sockets. The slots couldn't hold the weight of the Heatsink & fans for cooling.

Some idiot engineer came up w/ the slots.

All your new chips are sockets.

Bruno

[Rugor]

Actually the reason for using sockets over slots is simple: socketed processors cost less.

A socketed CPU fits directly into the motherboard, while a slot model is permanently installed on a PCB which is then installed on the motherboard like any other expansion card. Needless to say this costs more to implement.

The reason Intel, and later AMD went to slots, and later back to sockets is Level 2 cache. Intel's P6 architecture (introduced on the Pentium Pro and used for all PII, Celeron, and PIII processors to date) is optimized to use high speed L2 cache. The P-Pro used a very large processor package with the L2 cache off-die but still in the CPGA package. This was expensive and difficult to produce. For the Pentium II Intel introduced the Slot 1 packaging. This allowed them to give the CPU L2 cache that ran faster than main memory, but did not require putting multiple chips in the same CPGA package. The L2 cache was simply placed on the same PCB as the CPU which was then connected to the motherboard as a unit.

The Celeron was designed as a cheaper alternative to the PII, and originally had no L2 cache. Unfortunately this crippled performance so the processor was quickly replaced with the Celeron-A. The Celeron-A had 128k of full speed L2 cache on the processor die. This meant that the slot mounting was no longer necessary, and so the Celeron quickly transitioned to Socket 370 which was much cheaper to produce.

The PII remained in the Slot 1 form factor, as did the Klamath PIII because of the use of closely coupled L2 cache rather than on-die L2 cache. As soon as the Coppermine P3 was released Intel started to transition it to a socketed form factor. In fact if there hadn't already been a large installed base of Slot 1 motherboards Intel may never have released the Coppermine in the Slot 1 format.

AMD followed in Intel's path with the Athlon processor. They already knew about the performance advantage of full-speed on die L2 cache from the K6-III, but they couldn't implement it on the original Athlon, so they resorted to a slot-based form factor. Slot A is physically the same connector as Slot 1, just reversed, and AMD used it for the same reasons that Intel earlier had. Once AMD went to the Thunderbird core, with full-speed on die L2 cache they very quickly transitioned to a socketed form factor. The much smaller installed base of Slot A motherboards, and some chipset issues led to a very small number of Slot A Thunderbirds ever being released.

As the old saying goes: follow the money.

Hope this helps explain it.

[ukulele]

Actually the slot CPU's were an improvement at the time and held up quite well. They were easier to install and could handle two cooling fans. This was insurance for a fan failure for at a reasonably low cost. They cost more to make because of the slot housing and were discontinued because users didn't want to pay the extra few bucks for a short lived product. Ah, well such is the dictation of the times. :rolleyes:

[aka]

actially the slots were a ***** to build. I know, I built thousands of them.

sockets are a breeze, in more ways than one.

[Flipper]

Actually the difference between Socket 7 and Super Socket 7 is the original ran on a 66mhz bus and the Super Socket 7 used a 100mhz bus. With a few exceptions all the K6-2 3D cpu's were 100mhz.

[araaraara]

There are many differences between socket 7 and super socket 7. SS7 added USB, AGP, Ultra ATA (33/66),100mhz bus, higher multipliers and the ATX form factor.

[HOT RODDER]

Well i have this computer runing on a K6II 300 and I am going to up the processor to a 550 k6II and 768 of ram and use it at home and for some of my computer work(i still use this one to fdisc peoples drives and reload windows)
And as for slots having problems OH YES ! I have had somany INTEL Craperons and etc fail,burn up,and just plain wont start up.
I've only had 2 AMD's ever fail to fire up.
I also know from experience and from an old classmate who worked for INTEL and she let me know that celerons are better processors that failed to take L2 cache in the wash and then later figured out that they needed some L2 cache so they decided to trash the on cached chips and junked them and started selling the low cache processors as celerons.
Everyone thinks that they are great and all I had was problems so I called all my customers and reinstalled K6's and K6II's and have had never had any comebacks due to processors.
A computer company who I worked with before starting doing my own workbought all of them off of me for building give away (donation)computers and theyu still have calls to fix those piles of junk.
I just built 4 P4's for a customer and he wants to sue me because of all the problems he is having (1 mobo failure a 2 processor failures) but I wrote on bill of sale 1 yr shop warranty and PRODUCT WARRANTY ONLY,no shop warranty on parts.
I am letting INTELL and whast ever board I was sold warrant the parts I only do the work for free.
Lee

[dna_level_c7]

Originally posted by araaraara
There are many differences between socket 7 and super socket 7. SS7 added USB, AGP, Ultra ATA (33/66),100mhz bus, higher multipliers and the ATX form factor.

I have a pentium 166MMX with usb...I think the biggest difference is the FSB and the AGP port

[Rugor]

K6-2's ran at 66MHz, 95MHz and 100MHz FSB to my knowledge.

We can go on for hours about the exact demarcation between socket 7 and super socket 7, but they all have to do with extending support for the later k6-2 processors, AGP and the 100MHz FSB. Super 7 was the industry attempt to match the performance of the Pentium II, Slot 1 form factor, with something that was backwards compatible to the existing socket 7 infrastructure. Among other things it allowed PII class machines with AT powersupplies. It was an attempt to improve performance following an evolutionary rather than revolutionary model.

[araaraara]

The differences are more based on the chipsets anyways. There isn't really a board-level difference between a socket 7 mobo and a super socket 7 mobo. It's just dependant on what the chipset features.

[Flipper]

Originally posted by araaraara
The differences are more based on the chipsets anyways. There isn't really a board-level difference between a socket 7 mobo and a super socket 7 mobo. It's just dependant on what the chipset features.

The 100mhz FSB is a physical characteristic of a super socket 7 board. There is actually a wider bus (more trace laid) in order to handle the 100 mhz bus speed.

[KOOL.G]

hey rugor.....and imperion you forgot one socket ......and that is the "super socket 7":D

[Rugor]

No I didn't forget super socket 7, I deliberately left it out of the list for the following reasons:

1) Super socket 7 uses the same pinout and 321 pin interface as the standard socket 7. It is physically and electrically compatible with the previous versions, unlike socket 370 where the same socket hid a radically different electrical pinout underneath.

2) Despite the varying definitions of super socket 7 seen in this thread it was primarily used for AMD and some Cyrix processors, not Intel. I was listing socket factors used by Intel. Since Intel's fastest Socket 7 chip was the P233MMX which ran at a 66MHz bus there was no need to include the super 7 format in that list.

And Imperion-- the later Via/Cyrix processors use Socket 370.