Socket 478

In computing, Socket 478 is a type of CPU socket used for Intel's Pentium 4 and Celeron series CPUs. Socket 478 was phased out with the launch of LGA775.

Socket 478 has been used for all of the Northwood Pentium 4s and Celerons, the first Prescott Pentium 4s, and some Willamette Celerons and Pentium 4s. Socket 478 also supports newer Prescott Celeron Ds, and early Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors with 2MB of L3 cache and some Core Duos. The socket was launched with the Northwood core to compete with AMD's 462-pin Socket A and their Athlon XP processors. Socket 478, which accommodates high and low-end processors, was also the replacement for Socket 423, a Willamette processor socket which remained in the market for only a short time.

Motherboards that use this socket support DDR, RDRAM, and in some cases SDRAM. However, the majority of boards are DDR based. Initial motherboards only supported RDRAM, however RDRAM is quite expensive, compared to DDR and SDRAM, and consumers demanded an alternative, thus DDR and SDRAM boards were made. Later revisions to chipsets that support Socket 478 added higher FSB speeds, higher DDR speeds, and support for dual channel DDR.

Like the previous Socket 423, Socket 478 is based on Intel's Quad Data Rate technology, with data transferring at four times the clock rate of its Front Side Bus. As such, the 400 MT/s bus was based on a 100 MHz clock signal, but was still able to provide 3.2GB/s of data to the chipset. At its release, no SDRAM product was capable of supporting so high a data rate, so Intel pushed forward RDRAM technology, with two channels of PC800 providing synchronous data capability. Poor consumer acceptance of expensive RDRAM lead Intel to release low-performance PC133-supporting chipsets, and finally DDR chipsets.

Socket 940

Socket 940 is a 940-pin socket for 64-bit AMD server processors. The socket is entirely covered with leads, except for four key pins used to align the processor. AMD Opterons and the older AMD Athlon 64 FX (FX-51) use Socket 940. Being an intended server platform, processors using this socket only accept registered memory, because, in servers, memory errors are less acceptable and cause more damage.

The more common use of Socket 940 is in the Server market. Dual Socket 940 boards use the 200-series Opterons. Four(Common) or Eight(Rare) socketed boards use the 800-series Opterons. The Socket 940 platform is designed for raw power and professional accuracy, not bleeding-edge gaming performance.

There is a new 940-pin socket called AM2. Though the current Socket 940 and the AM2 both share the same number of pins, they are not pin-compatible. That is, a Socket 940 processor will not fit in a AM2 socket. The same is true in reverse; a Socket AM2 processor will not fit in Socket 940. The reason for this is because all 64-bit AMD processors, unlike all current Intel processors, include the memory management functionality not as a discrete chip on the motherboard, but rather on the CPU die itself.

Socket 939

Socket 939 is a CPU socket released by AMD in June 2004 to supersede the previous Socket 754 for Athlon 64 processors. Socket 939 has been succeeded by Socket AM2, although Socket 939 is still popular. It is the second socket designed for AMD's AMD64 range of processors.

Socket 754

Socket 754 is a CPU socket originally developed by AMD to succeed its Athlon XP platform (Socket 462, also referred to as Socket A). Socket 754 was the first socket developed by AMD to support their new consumer version of the 64 bit microprocessor family known as AMD64.

Socket AM2

The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 (to prevent using the same name as Cyrix MII processors), is a CPU socket designed by AMD for desktop processors, including the performance, mainstream and value segments. It was released on May 23, 2006, as a replacement for Socket 939 & Socket 754.

Socket S1

Socket S1 is the CPU socket type used by AMD for their Turion 64, Athlon 64 Mobile and later Sempron processors, which debuted with the dual core Turion 64 X2 CPUs on May 17, 2006. Socket S1 has 638 pins, and replaces the existing Socket 754 for laptops. It has been expected that desktop motherboards will appear using Socket S1, much as boards using the Pentium M's Socket 479 are on the market.

Socket S1 includes support for dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM, dual-core mobile CPUs, and virtualization technology, to compete with the mobile Intel Core 2 processor series.

Socket S1 is a part of AMD's next generation of CPU sockets, along with Socket F (servers) and Socket AM2 (desktop).

Socket 370 - PGA (Pin Grid Array)

Socket 37 is a common format of CPU socket first used by Intel for Pentium III and Celeron processors to replace the older Slot 1 CPU interface on personal computers. The "370" refers to the number of holes in the socket for CPU pins. Modern Socket 370 fittings are usually found on Mini-ITX motherboards and embedded systems.
Socket 370 was originally used for the Intel Celeron, but later became the socket/platform for the Coppermine and Tualatin Pentium III processors, as well as the Via-Cyrix Cyrix III, later renamed the VIA C3. Some motherboards that used Socket 370 support Intel processors in dual CPU configurations. Others allowed the use of a Socket 370 or Slot 1 CPU, although not at the same time.
The weight of a Socket 370 CPU cooler should not exceed 180 gram. Heavier coolers may result in damage to the die when the system is not properly handled.
This platform is not wholly obsolete, but its use is today limited to the above specialty applications, having been superseded by Socket 423/478/775 (for Pentium 4 and Core 2 processors). Via is at present still producing Socket 370 processors but committed to migrating their processor line to ball grid array packages