Socket 7: Outdated but far from obsolete
May 14 '01
The Bottom Line Socket 7 may be a good cheap solution for simple computing needs. If someone can benefit from it's use, it is not obsolete.
"Hey Gr8ful, don't you know Socket 7 is obsolete?"
The term "obsolete" is probably the most over used and possibly the most misused word in computer terminology. Many times you hear people refer to computer products as obsolete when they really are only outdated. What's the difference? Well, the term obsolete by definition means "no longer of any use at all" and the term outdated simply means "no longer being used by most people". This is the case with Socket 7 and Super Socket 7 motherboards. Socket 7 boards are closer to obsolete than Super Socket 7 boards but still have some use for general computing needs. For instance, if all you need a computer for is Web browsing and reading email, a Socket 7 processor running at 166MHz will do the job just fine.
What is Socket 7
Motherboards have been labeled by type since Intel developed the i486 processors back in the late 1980's. The pin configuration for the socket that the wafer type processors were used on determined the type of processors that could be used on the motherboards. Socket 7 motherboards were developed for the Pentium processor and supported processor speeds from 75MHz to 233MHz. The Super Socket 7 mothrboards supported processors from 75MHz to 550MHz and opened the way for the 100MHz front side bus found on many Pentium II and Pentium III systems still being made today.
Generally, Pentium processors from 75MHz to 133MHz were made to be used on Socket 5 motherboards but the Socket 7 and Super Socket 7 boards allowed backwards compatibility for these older processors as well as the newer Pentium processors that were being made then. Super Socket 7 boards also incorporated the AGP slot technology for faster 3D video cards to be used as well as PC100 SDRAM memory.
Processor types
The Socket 7 motherboards support Intel Pentium processors from 75MHz to 233MHz but they also supported the Cyrix and AMD processors in that same range. The Super Socket 7 motherboards support Intel processors from 75MHz to 233MHz and Cyrix processors up to 333MHz. The most commonly used processor with the Super Socket 7 motherboard is the AMD K6-2 processors which range from 300MHz to 550MHz and are the fastest processors that can be used with the Super Socket 7 style motherboards. Another AMD processor used on these type of boards is the K6-III which are only found at 400MHz and 450MHz but have more cache than the K6-2.
Upgrade ability
Upgrading processors
Changing the processor in a Socket 7 or Super Socket 7 board is not as easy as it is with the new Intel and AMD based motherboards. The boards have jumpers that must be configured properly for the voltage, bus speed and multiplier. If these settings are not correct your computer may not work correctly (be unstable), not boot at all or you could accidentally burn out your processor. If you have a Socket 7 or Super Socket 7 motherboard you should know a little about the board and your processors before trying to upgrade the processor.
Upgrading peripheral cards
As far as peripheral cards and memory go, the Super Socket 7 boards are still compatible with almost all of these on the market today. You can put any AGP video card on a Super Socket 7 board but most of these boards will only support 1x AGP, meaning you may not get the full performance out the card that it claims. All other peripheral cards should work fine on both types of boards with no problems.
Memory types
Most Socket 7 motherboards use EDO SIMMS for memory but there were a few that made the switch to SDRAM DIMMS, however these boards only support 66MHz memory speeds and many will not recognize PC100 SDRAM. The Super Socket 7 boards can utilize PC100 SDRAM and the 100MHz bus speed as well.
A few Socket 7 and Super Socket 7 boards could support either EDO SIMMS or SDRAM but it is recommended not to use them together on these boards. Most boards like this would not let you use both types together but a few did. The problem with this is by using both you are actually slowing down the computers overall performance because EDO RAM runs at a speed of 50 or 60 nanoseconds and SDRAM runs at a minimum or 12 nanoseconds. By using both you slow the entire memory bus to the speed of the EDO RAM. The total memory speed will be limited to the slowest memory chip on the bus. This is still true with the new motherboards as well. For example, if you have a new Athlon processor running PC133 and PC100 SDRAM it will work fine but the memory speed will be limited to 100MHz.
Price
If you need to build a cheap computer for basic use and maybe simple gaming, a Super Socket 7 motherboard may be your best option. You can find these boards for under $60 on the Web and the processors from $20 up to $90 depending on the type and speed. You could possibly find a used complete computer for under $200 with everything you need already in it. Compared to the lowest retail prices for new computers right now (roughly $300 and up) this may be a good solution for simple computing needs.
Conclusion
If you have an older computer remember, it's only obsolete if you can't use it anymore. You may know someone who needs a simple computer to learn on or to just get online with. If not you can always donate it to a charity organization and use the donation as a tax write-off.
I hope this helps in understanding Socket 7 and Super Socket 7 motherboards. Thanks for reading.
Gr8ful :-)
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