Is a socket better than a slot?Jan 22 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Research the technology and benefits of the motherboard, don't just assume one is better than another. Remember to get the correct board type for the processor you will be using.
Since 1998 with the introduction of the Pentium II and the Celeron processors, many people have been confronted with the question of which type of motherboard is the best and which will not be obsolete the longest. Back in 1998 when these new technologies were first born into the retail market, the Slot type motherboard was new and had much potential but this was short lived and eventually processor manufacturers went back to a socket design for most processors. The Pentium II and Celeron were introduced as cartridge processors. These new types of processors were inserted into a Slot 1 motherboard. The biggest advancement that came with these slot processors was the jumperless motherboards they used. No longer did you have to set the bus speed and multiplier when upgrading or adding a new processor to a slot motherboard. The old Socket 7 and Super Socket 7 motherboards would have you configure the voltage, bus speed and multiplier with jumpers on the motherboard. The advantage of a jumperless board was inticing to people who wanted to be able to upgrade without having to know a lot about the processors and configurations. But the slot also had it's disadvantage making it harder to overclock the new processors with constant stability. The only way to overclock a Pentium II or Celeron was to increase the bus speed and this did not always have the desired effect. In order to achieve stability, you would have to set up a really good cooling system. The new socket motherboards are now also jumperless for the most part and rival the older slot technology. Now we have a wide variety of slot and socket motherboards each having it's own place in the industry. But is one better than another? That all depends on which processor you are using, the specifications of the particular board and the board manufacturer. The newest boards on the market are now once again socket boards. The Intel processors are being laid into Socket 370 motherboards and the new AMD processors are used on Socket A motherboards. Just because the socket style boards are being mass produced again does not mean that they are all the best over slot boards. Both types of processors are still being manufactured and both types of motherboards are still on the market. What makes the motherboard a good board is not that it is a socket or a slot but the features of the board make it appealing or not. You must also consider which type of processor you have or are looking to purchase as well as the reputation of the manufacturer you are considering buying the board from. A computer having an AMD Athlon Thunderbird processor would have a Socket A motherboard, but not all of these boards are better than a Slot A board. For example, a low end Compaq Presario with an Athlon processor on a Socket A motherboard could have on-board video with no AGP slot for upgrading and only 3 PCI slots for peripheral cards. It may also have only ATA66 IDE controllers and possibly only two DIMM slots for memory. When compared to an Abit KA7-100 Slot A motherboard which has ATA66 and ATA100 IDE controllers, AGP 4x Slot for video, 6 PCI slots and four DIMM slots for memory it doesn't look so good anymore. You should always research before upgrading. The more knowledge you shop with the better chance you will be happy with your purchase. When you shop for a computer or a motherboard, remember that the motherboard is only one of the components that make a computer what it is. Whether you get a Slot or a Socket board, the biggest thing to consider is whether or not the board allows sufficient upgrade ability. Who knows what the next evolution in technology will bring? We may be looking at completely different motherboards in the next year. I would not be suprised if both the slot and the socket become old technology in the next 12 months. The next batch of processors could come in a form that is yet undetermined. Just something to consider before laying down that wad of cash to upgrade a motherboard that may not yet be outdated.  |
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