I've got a P4 1.5ghz CPU, what mobo does it take?

[Avalon]

I pulled one of those chips out of a dead motherboard at work last week, and was thinking I actually had enough spare parts laying around to make a full backup PC. Only problem is, I haven't used an Intel chip since the Pentium 3, so I'm not sure what motherboard I need for this thing. I don't know the socket type for the chip, but I do know that the board it was in was using SDRAM, the CPU itself has 256kb L2 cache, is on a 400FSB, and operates at a stock 1.75v. I'm assuming this is a willamette. Didn't willamettes run on RDRAM?

Anyway, I just need to find a good motherboard for this chip. I plan on overclocking it a little, and since I am in the OC'ing forum, I figured you guys would remember some decent OC'ing boards you used to use for these. I appreciate any input.

 

[Aenslead]

I am almost certain its a skt423; is it a "big" chip? Does the socket ressemble socket 462 or 370? or is it smaller, more compact?

 

[Avalon]

It's a small, compact chip with an IHS. Looks just like my s754 Sempron/939 Venice.

*Edit*
Looking at the pins in the bottom of the chip, they look to be arranged into a perfect square, except the corner with the arrow pointing to the locking mechanism is missing two pins.

Found a picture of it.
Here.

 

[Lithan]

If it's a 423 just sell it on ebay. It's a Williamette. Those are so slow they aren't worth the effort of building a rig for it. You can get a Dirt cheap Athlon XP + mobo that will demolish that thing for <$75 if you need another rig.

 

[Chode Messiah]

I agree. An XP rig would blow it out of the water.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: Lithan
If it's a 423 just sell it on ebay. It's a Williamette. Those are so slow they aren't worth the effort of building a rig for it. You can get a Dirt cheap Athlon XP + mobo that will demolish that thing for <$75 if you need another rig.

I already have a case, PSU, 256MB SDRAM, video card, HD, DVD-Rom, floppy, and this chip. I just need a motherboard. I'm not going to spend $75 on an AMD CPU/mobo combo, then $30 on some DDR memory. This is not a performance system. It's only meant to browse the net when my own personal computer is down. I don't even need more than a P3 667mhz rig to do this, but I've got something a bit better and want to make use of it.

I'm sure I can find a used mobo for this chip for $30 and be all set, if I can figure out which ones it can take.

 

[Aenslead]

Originally posted by: Avalon
It's a small, compact chip with an IHS. Looks just like my s754 Sempron/939 Venice.

*Edit*
Looking at the pins in the bottom of the chip, they look to be arranged into a perfect square, except the corner with the arrow pointing to the locking mechanism is missing two pins.

Found a picture of it.
Here.

As I told you, you got a skt423 there, pal.

Good luck trying to find a working mobo!

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: Aenslead

Originally posted by: Avalon
It's a small, compact chip with an IHS. Looks just like my s754 Sempron/939 Venice.

*Edit*
Looking at the pins in the bottom of the chip, they look to be arranged into a perfect square, except the corner with the arrow pointing to the locking mechanism is missing two pins.

Found a picture of it.
Here.

As I told you, you got a skt423 there, pal.

Good luck trying to find a working mobo!

Thanks. I'll see what I can scrounge up.


*Edit*
This ought to be fun...

 

[Aenslead]

if you got SDR memory, I beleive the only chipset back then working for skt423 was... VIA P4X400... in its very first incarnation. The only Intel chipset back then for skt423 was the i850, with RAMBUS.

 

[Avalon]

I just counted all the pins, and it's a socket 478 chip.

This is still a willamette, though, right?

 

[Aenslead]

..........
you counted the pins???

Dude, there is NO WAY you can mistake a skt478 with a skt423. The package is ABSOLUTELY different, ang the image you showed at the page IS a skt423.

The skt478 is tiny; the skt423 is BULKY. In other words, skt478 looks a lot like skt 754 for AMD.

 

[Aenslead]

If its a skt478, ANY motherboard with that socket will work.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: Aenslead
..........
you counted the pins???

Dude, there is NO WAY you can mistake a skt478 with a skt423. The package is ABSOLUTELY different, ang the image you showed at the page IS a skt423.

The skt478 is tiny; the skt423 is BULKY. In other words, skt478 looks a lot like skt 754 for AMD.

Well, I was hunting for motherboards, and came across a page with a P4 that had a similar week/production code as mine. It was a 1.8ghz/256kb L2/400FSB/1.75v chip, just like mine(but 300mhz faster), and they said it was a 478 pin chip.

So, I flipped my chip over, and counted the length and width of the pins. It's 26x26, minus the center which lacks any pins. The pin-less center is a 14x14 area. So, you'd take the little square from the larger area, and you get 676 - 196 - 2 (one corner missing two pins) and you get 478.



Oh jeez. I just looked at my original picture I posted for you and realized that the green thing it was sitting on was part of the silicon packaging! Durp. I guess that's how I got us all confused. My apologies. It's a small chip the size of a s754 Sempron and looks like this.

 

[KDKPSJ]

"1.8ghz/256kb L2/400FSB/1.75v" doesn't mean anything, because there are both 423 and 478 with such spec. The best you can try is this Intel Processor Spce Finder. Look at the top of CPU, there should be five digit code, beginning with S, ex. SL6Z5. Put that code in the eSpec number section, then it will tell you which packaging it is.

BTW, since you said you could count the number of pin, I strongly think yours is 423. Pins of 478 placed very tight each other, and diameter of pin is visibly smaller than other sockets. Also, CPU itself is way smaller than the others, only about 1 in. x 1 in.

[EDIT]
I just saw you added the line saying your CPU is the size of 754. Then it's definately 423. 478 is much smaller than 754 CPU. (Again, socket 478 CPU is way smaller than SocketA/754/939, and pins are almost uncountable)

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: everydae
"1.8ghz/256kb L2/400FSB/1.75v" doesn't mean anything, because there are both 423 and 478 with such spec. The best you can try is this Intel Processor Spce Finder. Look at the top of CPU, there should be five digit code, beginning with S, ex. SL6Z5. Put that code in the eSpec number section, then it will tell you which packaging it is.

BTW, since you said you could count the number of pin, I strongly think yours is 423. Pins of 478 placed very tight each other, and diameter of pin is visibly smaller than other sockets. Also, CPU itself is way smaller than the others, only about 1 in. x 1 in.

[EDIT]
I just saw you added the line saying your CPU is the size of 754. Then it's definately 423. 478 is much smaller than 754 CPU. (Again, socket 478 CPU is way smaller than SocketA/754/939, and pins are almost uncountable)

Thanks for the link. It helped me confirm that my chip is indeed a s478. Trust me, I can count.





sSpec Number
sl59v

Processor Frequency
1.50 GHz

CPUID String
0F0Ah

Package Type
FC-PGA2 478-pin

Core Voltage
1.75V

Bus Speed
400 MHz

Thermal Guideline
57.9W

Core Stepping
C1

Thermal Spec
73°C

L2 Cache Size
256 KB

Manufacturing Technology
0.18 micron

L2 Cache Speed
1.50 GHz

Bus/Core Ratio
15.0

That'd be my chip.
Also, maybe I should have been clearer. When I was comparing its size to my s754 Sempron, I meant my 90nm Palermo Sempron, not a 130nm chip.

So this means I can use ANY s478 motherboard?
RDRAM, SDRAM, DDR, doesn't matter?

 

[KDKPSJ]

If the spec code says so, then it should be. I'll give you thumb up by counting the pins! But yeah, I also meant Palermo semprons (I doubt Palermo and other 754 semprons have different shape though), which I have in my front of eyes right now. It is clearly bigger than 478 P4s. Well, maybe I have problem with my eye. Anyway, if it is 478, it should work 100% fine with older-845, for example- 478 mobo. With newer 478 mobo, like 865/875, it varies depends on brand/model/BIOS. Some do support Willamette, while some don't. So, you should make sure in advance as well.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: everydae
If the spec code says so, then it should be. I'll give you thumb up by counting the pins! But yeah, I also meant Palermo semprons (I doubt Palermo and other 754 semprons have different shape though), which I have in my front of eyes right now. It is clearly bigger than 478 P4s. Well, maybe I have problem with my eye. Anyway, if it is 478, it should work 100% fine with older-845, for example- 478 mobo. With newer 478 mobo, like 865/875, it varies depends on brand/model/BIOS. Some do support Willamette, while some don't. So, you should make sure in advance as well.

Hmm...maybe the Sempy is a little bigger, and I'm only going from memory here, as I had sold it a month ago. Ah well. At least I've got this ah heck confirmed now and can go hunt for a board for it. I'm finding quite a large selection of s478 i845 boards, so I'm a happy camper.

Any recommendations for a 478 board that might provide a little overclocking on the cheap?


I can score an Asus P4B for $40. How's that?

 

[stevty2889]

Not all socket 478 boards will support a williamette, even some that support 400mhz FSB won't support a williamette. Good luck with overclocking, but williamettes were pretty horrible overclockers, and slower than higher end P3's.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: stevty2889
Not all socket 478 boards will support a williamette, even some that support 400mhz FSB won't support a williamette. Good luck with overclocking, but williamettes were pretty horrible overclockers, and slower than higher end P3's.

Yes, I understand that support must be there, so I'm being careful. I just read anand's review of the P3 1.2 Tualatin, and it certainly wasn't faster than a 1.8 Willamette. It came close in some things, but rarely beat it. I'm sure I can hit 1.8 with this chip. Anyway, I can't get high end P3s for free, so this will do

I guess I'll just hit the FS/FT forums and see how my luck is. Thanks again everyone.

 

[Aenslead]

Only the newest chipsets like 915/925 don't support 400Mhz FSB. All others, from SiS, VIA, and Intel, will support willamete... and generaly speaking, skt 754 is pretty much the same size as the skt478 processors...

 

[stevty2889]

Originally posted by: Aenslead
Only the newest chipsets like 915/925 don't support 400Mhz FSB. All others, from SiS, VIA, and Intel, will support willamete... and generaly speaking, skt 754 is pretty much the same size as the skt478 processors...

That is not accurate, there are socket 478 motherboards that don't support williamette, and there are some that no longer support 400mhz FSB..

 

[stevty2889]

Originally posted by: Avalon

Originally posted by: stevty2889
Not all socket 478 boards will support a williamette, even some that support 400mhz FSB won't support a williamette. Good luck with overclocking, but williamettes were pretty horrible overclockers, and slower than higher end P3's.

Yes, I understand that support must be there, so I'm being careful. I just read anand's review of the P3 1.2 Tualatin, and it certainly wasn't faster than a 1.8 Willamette. It came close in some things, but rarely beat it. I'm sure I can hit 1.8 with this chip. Anyway, I can't get high end P3s for free, so this will do

I guess I'll just hit the FS/FT forums and see how my luck is. Thanks again everyone.

That depends somewhat, some of the motherboards used SDRAM, and severely crippled the williamette, causing it to run slower than a P3s. I had a 1.8ghz williamette with sdram, and my P3 667mhz was more responsive..