There are two major ways that a CPU or processor can be installed on the motherboard: socket design and slot design. The socket design is square and is made for a Pin Grid Array (PGA) or Staggered Pin Grid Array (SPGA) chip package. The socket itself is made up of many tiny holes that correspond to pins on the bottom side of the CPU. This socket is known as a Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket. Socket design is also referred to as flat architecture (see Table 15.1).
Socket or Slot | CPU |
---|---|
Socket 7 | Pentium (75MHz), MMX, X86, Cyrix MLL, AMD K-5, K-6 |
Socket 8 | Pentium Pro |
Socket 370 | Pentium III PGA, Celeron PGA |
Socket 423 | First-generation Pentium 4 (423-pin Willamette) |
Socket 478 | Second-generation Pentium 4 (478-pin Northwood) Celeron Family (478-pin Northwood) |
Socket A | AMD Athlon PGA, AMD Duron, and Athlon XP |
Slot 1 | Pentium II, Pentium III SEC, and Celeron SEP |
Slot A | AMD Athlon SEC |
Slot 2 | Pentium II Xeon, Pentium III Xeon |
Slot technology is implemented when a CPU that is already attached to an Integrated Circuit (IC) board is plugged into a slot on the motherboard. This slot is typically known as Slot 1. Slot technology is pretty much the standard today. There are variations of slot and socket technologies designed to support specific CPUs (see Table 15.2).
Socket or Slot | CPU |
---|---|
Socket 7 | 321 pinholes (19x19), SPGA ZIF socket |
Socket 8 | 387 pinholes (24x26), MSPGA ZIF socket |
Socket A | 453 pinholes (19x19), SPGA ZIF socket |
Slot 1 | 242 leads, SEC slot |
Slot A | 242 leads, SEC slot |
Slot 2 | 330 leads, SEC slot |
Socket 423 | 423 pinholes, PPGA |
Socket 478 | 478 pinholes, PPGA FC-PGA2 |
Note | It is important that you pay close attention to the tables in this chapter. The A+ Core Hardware 2003 Objectives are sure to test your knowledge regarding the newer slots, sockets and CPUs. Know them well. |