Thread: Motherboards Processor Sockets Or Slots Details

The motherboard has one or more sockets or slots to hold the processor. Single-processor motherboards are by far the most common, but dual processor boards are not hard to find. The type of socket or slot used dictates the type of processor (and in some cases the speed) that can be used by the motherboard. Not surprisingly, the standards for processor sockets and slots have been generally defined by Intel (a leading company in designing and manufacturing processors and motherboards). Older Intel processors, up to the Pentium Pro, use a square-shaped socket for the processor.



The latest processors from Intel, starting with the Pentium II, are mounted on a daughterboard, which plugs into a special type slot, known 'as SEC (Single Edge Connector) slot, to connect to the motherboard. Most modern motherboards that have a socket, use the ZIF (zero insertion force) style socket that allows the processor to be inserted or removed from the motherboard by using a lever that tightens or loosens the processor's pins in the socket. This is a vast improvement over the older style sQckets, which required you to exert considerable force on the surface of a delicate processor, just to get it into and out of the motherboard.