x86 cpus' Guide

 Search (OK)

 

Statistics
Collections : 23367  cpu
Database :
11105  cpu
7855  motherboard
17110  graphic_card
For sale : 435  cpu
Pictures : 27220  photos
 Add to favorites
 Homepage
Site map Site map

Français English Español Dutch

 Log in
 Register

Processor of the day

Motorola XC68LC040RC25A CPGA 01.jpg
Motorola 68LC040-25

Most popular CPUs

Intel Core 2 Duo E8800 (ES)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6200 (ES)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7700
Intel Pentium II 266 (0,35µ)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7800

Intel Core i7-3770
Intel Core i5-3470
Intel Core i5-2400
Intel Core i5-4570
Intel Core i7-2600

Most powerful CPUs
Desktop PCs
AMD : Ryzen 9 7950X
Intel : Core i9-13900KF
Laptop PCs
AMD : Ryzen 9 6980HX
Intel : Core i9-12950HX
Servers
AMD : EPYC 9654P
Intel : Xeon Platinium 9282

CPUs > Intel > Pentium > P5 Architecture

Contents


History
Models
Models (list)
From collector's point of view





Models

Pentium Socket 4

There was not many different Pentiums for Socket 4. If we put aside boxed models, which are not boxed at all (they are even call PCPU and not Boxed), there are only 4 different models, at 60 and 66MHz, with or without Goldcap. And unlike Pentium Socket 5, first models released were ceramic only ones. Goldcap models came after.


Both sides of different Pentium Socket 4 packages.

Pentium & Pentium MMX Socket 5

There is a small diversity for first Pentiums, from 75 to 100Mhz : there are Ceramic only package and Ceramic with Goldcap package. For 120 to 133 MHz models, only ceramic package is available (also called CPGA, for Céramic Pin Grid Array), whereas 166 and 200 MHz models can be found in a cheapest plastic package, called PPGA (Plastic Pin Grid Array). The same for Pentium MMX at166 and 200Mhz, which could be in CPGA or PPGA packages At last, for Pentium MMX 133, 150, 233 and 266, the only existing package is PPGA.


Both sides of different Pentium Socket 5 packages.

Pentium Box

Firsts Boxed Pentium cpus were called PCPU ( for Pentium Central Processing Unit), and hadn't integrated heatsink. There has been PCPU from Pentium 60 to Pentium 100, in ceramic and in goldcap form. P5 were named PCPU5VXX (with XX = 60 ou 66 for frequency), whereas P54 were named PCPU3VXX (with XX = 75, 90 or 100 for frequency). "3V" and "5V" markings were for power voltage value of the cpu.

Then Intel changed the way they named them and began to integrate heatsinks and fans on them, directly on the ceramic (or plastic) of the cpu package. These new boxed cpus were named like the OEM ones, but instead of the "A", there was "BP" (which means Boxed Processor) in the codename writings.
Exemple : BP80502100 for a Pentium 100 Box, or BP80503166 for a Pentium 166 MMX Box. Boxed Pentium cpus are always in ceramic, whereas Boxed Pentium MMX cpus can be found in the same variety of packages than the OEM versions (CPGA and PPGA for Pentium MMX Box at 166 and 200Mhz, and only PPGA for Pentium MMX Box 233).



Both sides of different Pentium Box packages (without fans).

Pentium Overdrive

Pentium overdrive family is the widest, and the hardest to complete Intel overdrive family. Indeed, there are overdrives for every sockets from Socket 3 to Socket 7. There are two overdrives for Socket 3 486 based motherboards, for every bus speed (25 or 33 MHz -> PODP5V63 or PODP5V83), one overdrive for first released Pentiums in socket 4 (P5), many overdrives for all Pentium socket 5, with or without MMX instructions. Overdrives looks very similar to Boxed Pentium cpus, but they usually have voltage regulators on the ceramic in a place where there is no heatsink, and fan are directly powered by connectors on the upper left corner of the ceramic (look at the following picture).


All différents Pentium Overdrive : Socket 4, Socket 3, Socket 5, and Socket 5/7 (MMX).

Pentium Mobile

For their Pentium Mobile, Intel didn't use a PQFP or SQFP package like those for 386 and 486 cpus. In fact they used a new package type, called TCP (Tape Carrier Package), extremely thin.



Intel Pentium 133 processor in TCP format, new.

Before Pentium MMX Mobile, Intel didn't define any standard for cards with Pentium Mobile cpus. So, we can find Pentium TCP on every size and format of electronic cards, some having cache memory, some others chipset, and sometimes nothing but the processor only.


Different exemples of Pentium TCP integration on PCBs

From Pentium MMX, Intel defined a new format for Pentium Mobile cpus : MMC-1. The cpu is soldered on an electronic card mesuring 10,16 x 6,35 cm which contains the chipset (northbridge), cache memory and power supply for these from 5V. The card has a 280 pin MMC-1 connector.


Both sides of an Intel Pentium MMX 200 TCP on MMC-1 card

In China, Pentium TCP can be soldered on Socket 5/7 adapters with, sometimes, some remarkings in order to make them look like classical Socket cpus (but working at an higher frequency than the one initialy rated for the cpu).


Autopsy of Chinese Golden Pentium MMX 200 : it is a Pentium MMX TCP 166 !

Pentium Embedded

And there is a last package, for Pentium MMX only : BGA. They are hard to find not only because they are soldered, but because they are mainly used for industrial or embedded application too.

 







Last update : 07/10/2019