VOGONS


First post, by jedikwon

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Hello.

I have a P150 socket 7 computer and I thought I could use a higher clocked CPU for late 90's games. Because my motherboard, g586ipv revision C, supports up to 200Mhz, I ordered a P200 MMX from Ebay.

Now I have the CPU and it won't even boot. Sad.

After searching the internet, I found out there are two types of CPU packaging called SPGA and PPGA.

My P150 is SPGA with flat gray surface, while the P200 MMX is PPGA with a silver heat spreader on top.

I mean I had no idea that there are different types of these in Socket 7 CPUs before I bought this one. My motherboard manual doesn't state anything about incompatibility of socket types.

Well maybe, I was just unlucky and bought a dead CPU.

So can you guys tell me that if there IS incompatibility in the two socket types? Do I have to buy P200 MMX SPGA version?

Reply 1 of 8, by Woody72

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I think they're interchangeable. My computer came with a brown ceramic Pentium MMX 166MHz and I replaced it with the black plastic Pentium MMX 200MHz.

Modern PC: i7-9700KF, 16GB memory, RTX 3060. Proper PC: Pentium 200 MMX, 128MB EDO memory, GeForce2 MX(200).

Reply 2 of 8, by flupke11

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P55c MMX cpus have specific voltage requirements. Check whether your mainboard supports these voltages and, if it does, check the jumper settings.

The packaging doesn't matter. What matters is the type of CPU, P54C ir P55C (MMX).

Reply 3 of 8, by Vynix

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There shouldn't be any incompatibility aside voltage. Likewise my i430VX system had a P133 (P5) CPGA and I could drop in a P233MMX (P55C) PPGA.

However I had to change the jumpers for the voltage as the P55C is what is known as a split-voltage CPU, it uses two different power rails for the I/O and the core, wheras the P5 didn't.

Proud owner of a Shuttle HOT-555A 430VX motherboard and two wonderful retro laptops, namely a Compaq Armada 1700 [nonfunctional] and a HP Omnibook XE3-GC [fully working :p]

Reply 4 of 8, by jedikwon

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I see. Socket types don't really matter. That's great. My P150 uses 3.3V and the P220 MMX CPU is SY060/2.8V. I did set jumper for 2.8V before I put the CPU in but no luck.

My motherboard allows me to set 5 different voltages, 2.5V, 2.8V, 2.9V, 3.3V, 3.5V, using 4 sets of jumpers.

I am too scared to try voltages for this CPU other than 2.8V. I don't want to burn anything you know.

The motherboard manual doesn't really say anything about split-voltage. Should I try other voltages?

Reply 6 of 8, by jedikwon

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Garrett W wrote on 2021-04-18, 20:37:

Do you have the latest BIOS? If not, try the latest one from here.

If that fails, check the pins on the CPU side, are they all intact?

My BIOS is 11/25/96-i430VX-512K-2A59GD4GC-00. I found a newer one on the website you gave me but download link is dead. =/

I had tried some other updated DFI G586IPV BIOS but those are very unstable with P150 and P220 MMX doesn't boot at all.

Honestly, I can't find the exact BIOS for my board.

The pins seem to be okay. I see some thermal pastes here and there though.

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Reply 7 of 8, by Vynix

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jedikwon wrote on 2021-04-18, 19:58:
I see. Socket types don't really matter. That's great. My P150 uses 3.3V and the P220 MMX CPU is SY060/2.8V. I did set jumper fo […]
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I see. Socket types don't really matter. That's great. My P150 uses 3.3V and the P220 MMX CPU is SY060/2.8V. I did set jumper for 2.8V before I put the CPU in but no luck.

My motherboard allows me to set 5 different voltages, 2.5V, 2.8V, 2.9V, 3.3V, 3.5V, using 4 sets of jumpers.

I am too scared to try voltages for this CPU other than 2.8V. I don't want to burn anything you know.

The motherboard manual doesn't really say anything about split-voltage. Should I try other voltages?

You could try 2.5V, I'm just spitballing guesses there and there, but from experience with my Pentium system (based on a Shuttle HOT-555A board) MMX CPUs can act a bit iffy if you overvolt them slightly. If it still doesn't fire up, it's safe to assume it may be dead, however if you have another So7 board, you could try the P200 with the 2nd board.

Proud owner of a Shuttle HOT-555A 430VX motherboard and two wonderful retro laptops, namely a Compaq Armada 1700 [nonfunctional] and a HP Omnibook XE3-GC [fully working :p]

Reply 8 of 8, by Anonymous Coward

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As far as I know 'SPGA" means 'staggered pin grid array', unlike 486 CPUs and 5V Pentiums which have all the pins in a grid formation, staggered PGA squeeze pins closer together in a zigzag formation. So all CPUs that use Socket5 and Socket7 are actually SPGA.

The term you are looking for to describe the ceramic package is 'CPGA', of which there are a few different types...standard, gold top and flip-chip.

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