Intel's 479 Socket Explained and Compared to the 478 Socket Processor.
There seems to be a lot of confusion going around concerning what Intel's 479 socket processor is all about. This guide has been written to clarify this issue once and for all. What is the real difference between the 479 socket and the 478 socket and which processors fall into each category?
The familiar 478-pin socket processor gets it's name from the number of gold-plated pins connecting the CPU to the motherboard. You'll find this pin configuration on the majority of today's Pentium 4 processors with the exception of the more recent pin-less design of the 775 socket. The easiest way to distinguish this style of processor is to look at the placement of the two missing pins. In the picture below you will see in the bottom right corner of the processor the two empty spaces adjacent to one another.
On the motherboard you will also find the same two spots where there will be no pin holes. By lining these up you can assure that you have set the CPU into the motherboard socket facing the proper direction each time. This is your standard 478-pin socket processor.
Now let's move on to the 479-pin socket.
The thing that tends to confuse people when it comes to the 479 socket is that it actually has 478 pins. The 479 label was adapted in order to prevent confusion between the two similar pin configurations. This may have back-fired because when you look up the stats of a 479 processor on Intel's website or in their product documentation it describes the package type as a 478-pin configuration. It never fails when I list a 479 processor on ebay and include the Intel spec sheet I will always get at least one or two emails trying to correct the 'error' in my listing. Nonetheless, the two sockets are not compatible.
The 479 socket is most commonly seen in the Pentium M processor. These processors are used in conjunction with the Centrino Mobile technology which is obviously intended for use in laptop computers. Although with their ability to operate at low temperatures, with efficient power consumption and the whopping 2MB of L2 (level 2) cache memory found on the more recent models, it is no wonder so many people have been adapting these CPU's for use on their desktop computers. Asus even released an adapter that will convert the 479 processor to work on a few select Asus 478 desktop boards.
In the picture below can see how the pin configuration differs from the 478 socket layout.
In the bottom left you will see that the 479 socket has the two missing pins diagonal from each other. This is the easiest way to tell whether you are dealing with a 478 or 479 socket processor.
Hope that helps.
Jaime Gehly
Q & N Retail and Services
http://stores.ebay.com/Premium-Computers-and-Electronics
