Pentium Pro aka Socket 8 Cpus

Here is the socket in question:



I have consulted google to help clarify the confusion about this mysterious Socket 8 and it's cpus known as Pentium Pros.

Here are the results that google has for 'INTEL Socket 8'

http://www.google.com/search?source...=GGLJ,GGLJ:2006-40,GGLJ:en&q="Intel+socket+8"

Produced 13,200 results when I checked it.



Here are googles results for 'AMD Socket 8'

http://www.google.com/search?source...ls=GGLJ,GGLJ:2006-40,GGLJ:en&q="AMD+socket+8"

Produced 2 results when I checked it.

The first has no reference to "Socket 8". I have no idea why google pulled it.

The second has a error in the description of the motherboard socket as a socket 8 which is in fact supposed to be Socket 939 according to the mobo's manufacturers link on the same page:

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products...px?ProductID=2214&ProductName=GA-K8N51PVM9-RH

Here's wiki's info on the Pentium Pro cpus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_pro

Please note the bus speed of a Pentium Pro is 60-66 MHz under 'Available models' none were ever sold with a 100 MHz FSB (front side bus).

Look at the 'Pentium Pro / 6th generation competitors' sections where it references the competitors technology at the time especially the AMD K5 (socket 5 and 7 varieties) and K6 (socket 7).

When you are done with these references you should be certain that ALL Pentium Pro cpus you buy on ebay or any where in the world WILL be stamped INTEL and will fit into a socket 8 motherboard. So if you have processed any 'Pentium Pro' cpus they have been exclusively Intel cpus.

If AMD ever manuafactured a Socket 8 cpu it was for lab use only. I doubt very seriously this ever happened.

Steve

P.S. I am not a PCI card. Post any new topic to the forum and PM me the link then I'll send you the next clue. :wink:

Hi, Steve,

Well, Saturday was payday, and I stood at the front door of the lab, checks in hand, and refused to hand them out until I got the answer about this AMD and PP deal. Thanks for the give and take on this, Steve.

Turns out, in order to do the best comparison the guys could do for the comparison values test I reported on earlier, my guys got as close to PP class as they could for providing me results I asked for.

I found this email this AM in my company email box from the two employees who made the final selection of the previously reported on AMD chips for the test. (Yes,they are both still employed, although the look on those two faces when they saw me holding everyones paycheck hostage was one of sheer fear.)

Now, this is geek speak to me, but you'll probably understand it.

Again, if you want to throw out the results of the AMD chips they digested and only go with the PP chip test results for gold yield, fine.

Here's the email I got.

Hey boss,
Okay, you got us. Socket 8 was an oddball configuration for Pentium Pro.

Socket 8 CPU socket was used only with the Intel Pentium Pro and Pentium II OverDrive computer processors.

Intel discontinued socket 8 in favor of Slot 1 with the introduction of the Pentium II.

We was thinking of super socket 7.

The Super Socket 7, also referred to as Super 7, is an extension of the Socket 7 ZIF socket specification. It featured a 100 MHz front-side bus, support for the AGP bus, and an SPGA package.

Super Socket was used by AMD K6-2, K6-2+ and K6-III processors, and some of the final Cyrix M-II processors.

After that they went to Slot-A with the Athlons as AMD had no rights to the Slot 1 Intel was then using.

Pentium Pro class chips is the way we went to try to get you apples and apples comparison on such short notice.

Pentium Pro was only a high end Intel chip. But, on the other hand, the Pentium II can be considered a fixed version of the Pentium Pro, PP had some architectural shortcomings that made it perform badly on 16 bit, and the K7 definitely was in the same class as Pentium II and Pentium III.

However, PP still had one advantage, it could be used up to 4 way SMP. SMP wasn't available again outside of server chips until recently.


a man named Sue

Sue,

I'm glad you didn't let the guys go. It's a very confusing world when you get down to the brass tacks of socket and cpu technology.

Your geeks report is now accurate as it stands. Thanks for setting the record straight for the other forum members as I'm sure they were all very confused by all the back and forth.

Your geeks should have just given you this link to the wikipedia article they quoted nearly word for word:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Socket_7

For the record a super socket 7 chip has considerablly LESS gold than any pentium pro ever made including the ones without the gold plated shells. Definitely not apples and apples by my standards.

I'll be sure to keep a close eye on your hired geeks from here on out.
:lol: :wink:
Steve