slivercr wrote on 2025-05-05, 13:52:
dionb wrote on 2025-05-05, 09:24:
They're functionally and electrically identical, supporting the same CPU types. Only difference is the form factor.
Hmmm no.
- They're not functionally identical, e.g., Slot1 caters mostly to early Celeron, P2 and P3; 370 caters mostly to later Celerons and P3.
The only CPUs that cannot be run on both form factors are the external cache P2/P3 (and cacheless Covington) CPUs, and they *could* run on an So370 if anyone had been crazy enough to design the necessary physical adapter.
Everything else can run on both, and where the CPUs were not released in Slot 1 form factor, they can be run on it with an appropriate slocket.
- They're not electrically identical, i.e., AGTL+ vs AGTL signaling.
That's not the difference between slot and socket but between Coppermine and Tualatin. Coppermines on socket and slot form factor use exactly the same signalling levels.
- They don't support the same CPU types, e.g., there are no Slot1 motherboards with official Tualatin support, there are no s370 motherboards with Pentium2 support.
25 years on official support is irrelevant. The question is: does it work? Tualatin will work on any slot 1 board that can supply enough current at the required voltage (which any board that complies with VRM 8.4 - i.e. with Coppermine support - can supply) unless there is a hard BIOS block, which is exception, not rule. Tualatin is completely tolerant of Coppermine signalling level.
Saying they're equal may lead a user asking for advice (like above) to buy a motherboard that can't support the CPU they have.
And its not even only about the signaling, but also VRM versions in the mobos themselves, e.g., buy an early Slot1 motherboard and you cant use your late Coppermine CPU.
Same applies to early So370 boards, you need VRM 8.4 for Coppermine either way - in fact with So370 there are three different pinouts (PPGA, FC-PGA and FC-PGA2) to deal with, whereas the Slot 1 pinout hasn't changed so that's one *less* thing you have to worry about compared to So370.
Randomly buying a board is never a good idea, with So370 just as much as with Slot 1.