dang it… I can find this answer anywhere… (been to Intel web site and such…)
Why does the 1 ghz processer require a new motherboard?
(This isn’t for school or anything, I just need to find out, and can’t find the answer anywhere)
Screeme
The newest Intel (I think starting with Pentium III/Celeron and Athlon/Duron chips) have a different set of contacts for communicating with the rest of the system. This means that the new CPU’s don’t fit in the old sockets, and need a new motherboard that is ready for them.
As for why they have different contacts, you might consider the following three possibilities.
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As engineers were designing the chips, it became clear that a different format for the various data paths would be more efficient, or would allow for faster kinds of processing.
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When these chips first came out, a major advantage of their basic design was giving them more cache memory. However, the chip manufacturing technology available right away was not could enough to put that additional cache directly on the chip - so the chips had to have a small processor board that could hold separate memory chips. Since the processor had an associated board - it made more sense to put the whole thing into a “slot” (where the add-in unit slides in vertically) than a “socket” (where the add-in lies horizontally). Although the technological problems have been overcome (the newest PII/Cel./Ath/Dur chips all now are being produced as socket chips), the fact that a new interface was required initially meant that backwards compatibility never became a high priority for the designers.
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CPU makers want you to buy new motherboards.
The last theory, as tempting as it is, probably is not the major part of the story. AMD wants other companies to make motherboards and the BIOS chips for them, so they really don’t get anything out of having you buy a new motherboard. Intel does make the BIOS chipsets, but I don’t think they make much money on an individual chipset, and since the vast bulk of computer upgrades are done by purchasing full systems, I doubt they would care much about the few additional sales that they would make to upgraders.
Some hardware sites online that might be able to fill in more of the story are http://www.anandtech.com , http://www.tomshardware.com , http://www.arstechnica.com and http://www.aceshardware.com The first two probably have more in the way of basic introductory guides - the third has a bit more attitude and amusement value - th fourth is probably a bit more intense. Both ArsTechnica and Aces cater somewhat to the gaming crowd.
I decided my reply would make much more sense in a thread all by itself.
:rolleyes:
Because it needs a faster bus.
In a nutshell:
Pentium II and III (350MHz-600MHz) ran on a 100MHz system bus
Pentium III (533, 600, 667, etc) runs on a 133MHz system bus
The BX chipset, which Intel introduced early in 1998 to support the 350MHz PII is hsowing its age… it “officially” won’t run at more than 100MHz (although overclockers can usually push it to at least 133).
Thus, if you want a supported 133MHz bus, you need one if Intel’s new 815 or 820 chipsets.
Gatsby, all of Intel’s P6-based CPU’s (Pentium Pro, II, III - including the 1GHz, and Celeron) will work on a common chipset; you’re just need to change the pinout. My dad’s PII runs on a FX chipset, which was designed for the Pentium Pro. My PIII is on a BX, but it could run on the FX at a slower 66MHz bus speed, or on an 815 at up to (though not very likely) 133.
P6 core chipsets:
FX: 66Mhz bus limit. (no DIMM slots) Available for PPro and first generation PII.
LX: 66Mhz bus limit. (usally SIMMS & DIMMS) The first AGP boards. First generation PII only.
BX: Best chipset Intel ever made. First 100Mhz Intel Bus. Can easily handle 133Mhz and much higher with the right BIOS and memory.
810: ack! integrated crap! No further comment.
Plus, the entire 800 series is predominantly RAMBUS based. Not how I choose to spend my money.
Show me an FX or LX board that supports 1.65 voltage for your P3. Even if they existed, with multiplier locking you won’t be able to run your cpu at the right speed. Even a lot of late model BX boards won’t support those voltages.
I’m not trying to sound like a pretentious ass (shit, I can’t even find the reply button) you are simplifying a little too much here.
Plus, there are many P3’s available in 100Mhz bus.
“Why does the 1 ghz processer require a new motherboard?”
Becuase none of the present boards support it.