Socket 479

Socket 479
Type PGA-ZIF
Chip form factors Flip-chip pin grid array (FC-PGA2)
Contacts 479 on the socket, 478 on the processor
FSB protocol AGTL+
FSB frequency 400 MT/s, 533 MT/s
Processors Intel Pentium M
Intel Celeron M
VIA C7-M

This article is part of the CPU socket series

Socket 479 (mPGA479M) is the CPU socket for the Intel Pentium M and Celeron M, mobile processors.[1] Normally used in laptops, but has also been used with Tualatin-M Pentium III processors. The official naming by Intel is µFCPGA and µPGA479M.

There existed three electrically incompatible, but physically identical, versions of this socket:[1]

Technical specifications

An Asus CT-479 adapter

Socket 479 has 479 pin holes. Although physically similar, the Socket 479 has a different electrical pin-arrangement from Socket 478, making it impossible to use a Pentium M processor in a normal 478 board even though it fits in a Socket 478. For this reason manufacturers like Asus have made drop-in boards (e.g. CT-479) which let you use Socket 479 processors,[2] despite the fact that the Pentium M Processors for this socket have only 478 pins.

Chipsets which employ this socket for the Pentium M are the Intel 855GM/GME/PM and Intel 915GM/GMS/PM. While the Intel 855GME chipset supports all Pentium M CPU's, the Intel 855GM chipset does not officially support 90 nm 2MB L2 cache (Dothan core) models (even though it works, it only works at 400FSB, some 3rd party/user was able to overclock the FSB on 855GM/GME/PM to support 533FSB Dothan Core).[3] The other difference is the 855GM chipset graphics core runs at 200 MHz while the 855GME runs at 250 MHz. In 2006, Intel released the successor to Socket 479 with a revised pinout for its Core processor, called Socket M. This socket has the placement of one pin changed from the Pentium M version of Socket 479; Socket M processors will physically fit into a Socket 479, but are electrically incompatible with most versions of the socket. Socket M supports a 667 MT/s FSB with the Intel 945PM/945GM chipsets.

See also

References