I need to know about processors!

[diypc]

I have some questions about processors since I will be buying one for my soyo sy-6ba+IV motherboard. I learned that the biggest one I can use is a 600 mhz pentium III but there seems to be so many different ones. When I go on pricewatch.com there are all of these words and numbers I dont understand.

What is a flip chip? Is there a difference between a slot 1 processor and a socket 370? Is there an advantage of a 512k cache over a 256k?

Basically I dont know which processor to get for my board because there seems to be so many different versions of the same chip.

Can anyone help me or point me to a good resource on the web? I would really appreciate it.

[iisbob]

certainly; go here-

PCGuide (http://www.pcguide.com)

Charles explains all about the different CPU architectures and their respective uses.



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iisbob
""I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know."
Mark Twain

[diypc]

I just got done looking through the pc guide to make sure i didnt miss the information i am looking for. What a maze! To be frank it wasnt much help. It seemed to be written quite awhile ago and doesnt mention pentium III processors. To make this easier I pasted some descriptions found on pricewatch.com of possible cpu's. Can someone please decipher these for me figure out which one is the proper one?
I hope im not too much trouble. Thanks

PENTIUM III 600E FCPGA SOCKET 370 COPPERMINE 100MHZ BUS

Pentium® III 600E, 100MHZ BUS, FCPGA, 256K cache, FLIP CHIP

Pentium® III 600E, FCPGA, Socket 370 100MHz Bus,256KB L2 cache,Flip

ChipPentium® III 600E 256KB cache 100MHz bus Coppermine slot1 SECC2

Pentium® III 600E SLOT 1, 100MHZ Bus 256K cache - SECC 2.18 Micron Coppermine

[diypc]

I just got done looking through the pc guide to make sure i didnt miss the information i am looking for. What a maze! To be frank it wasnt much help. It seemed to be written quite awhile ago and doesnt mention pentium III processors. To make this easier I pasted some descriptions found on pricewatch.com of possible cpu's. Can someone please decipher these for me figure out which one is the proper one?
I hope im not too much trouble. Thanks

PENTIUM III 600E FCPGA SOCKET 370 COPPERMINE 100MHZ BUS

Pentium® III 600E, 100MHZ BUS, FCPGA, 256K cache, FLIP CHIP

Pentium® III 600E, FCPGA, Socket 370 100MHz Bus,256KB L2 cache,Flip

ChipPentium® III 600E 256KB cache 100MHz bus Coppermine slot1 SECC2

Pentium® III 600E SLOT 1, 100MHZ Bus 256K cache - SECC 2.18 Micron Coppermine

[Reid]

This SOYO (http://www.soyousa.com/sy6bap4.html) link says your board takes a SLOT 1 processor. It looks to me like the last two processors you list are the same SLOT 1 CPU. I have read that the 512K L2 Cache is half-speed and the 256K L2 Cache runs at full-speed, so I think the 256 may be preferable. Someone more knowlegeable of Pentiums may be able to answer that with more certainty.

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Friends don't let friends install Windows ME

[diypc]

someone must know what flip chip and socket 370 means. I am wondering if these are just other ways to call it slot 1 compatable?

[iisbob]

socket 370 is akin to the socket A infrastructure that Athlons use-it's a flat square box horizontal to the system board-usually called the " zif " socket for " zero insertion force " because that's all the force necessary to insert the CPU. Different models of CPU's have had different pin counts and you get different socket architecture; ie..Socket 3, socket 5, socket 7, etc..


Slot 1 sockets use cpu's that resemble add-in expansion cards; the thought was that this would provide better cooling and was at the time the only way most chip manufacturers knew how to put the L2 secondary memory cache onto the same die as the cpu. It proved to be awkward and dangerous-if the cpu was not secured properly it could fall into your other peripheral cards and cause damage.

Flip chip is just intel's way of differentuating between various models of PIII cpu's with a smaller internal die size ( .13 micron vs .18 micron ) and the fact that the Pentium uses a heatsink spreader to cover the cpu slug itself which is hidden underneath. Used to be they had to use small wires to bond the cpu slug to the die's pins-now they use small " solder balls" to do this by "flipping " the slug upside down on the die , hence " flip chip " it still uses the socket 370 infrastructure.


They are not compatible. and i agree with the above post to go with the full speed cache-you'll get beter performance.


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iisbob
""I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know."
Mark Twain

[This message has been edited by iisbob (edited 12-11-2001).]

[rond36]

This is a description of socket 370 from Intel's web site
The Intel® Pentium® III processor for the PGA370 socket is the next member of the P6 family, in the Intel® IA-32 processor line and hereafter will be referred to as the Pentium® III processor, or simply the processor. The processor uses the same core and offers the same performance as the Intel® Pentium® III processor for the SC242 connector, but utilizes a package technology called flip-chip pin grid array, or FC-PGA. This package utilizes the same 370-pin zero insertion force socket (PGA370) used by the Intel® Celeron™ processor. Thermal solutions are attached directly to the processor core package for FC-PGA and FC-PGA2
(SC242, SECC 242, and SECC2 are all different names for a Slot 1 processor)

Socket 370, PGA370, flip chip, and FC-PGA are all different names for the same processor type and this processor type is not compatible with your motherboard without an adapter to fit the processor to the motherboard. Your motherboard is an SECC 242 (slot 1) the processor is mounted on a circuit board and installed in a slot similar to a PCI or ISA expansion slot (socket 370 mounts directly on the motherboard) You can get a SECC 242 adapter that you can mount a socket 370 CPU on but in your case it would be best to buy a slot 1 processor
These are the only processors on your list that are compatible with your motherboard without the above mentioned adapter. (both are the same processor Pentium III 600e slot 1)
ChipPentium® III 600E 256KB cache 100MHz bus Coppermine slot1 SECC2

Pentium® III 600E SLOT 1, 100MHZ Bus 256K cache - SECC 2.18 Micron Coppermine


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Alright who messed it up this time!



[This message has been edited by rond36 (edited 12-11-2001).]

[diypc]

wow- thanks guys