Released under semiconductor company Intel Corp.'s low-end processor (or central processing unit) brand, the Celeron 2.7 -- the number denoting its processing speed in gigahertz -- is one of the company's processors compatible with the CPU socket known as Socket 478. Debuting in 2000, three years before the Celeron 2.7GHz, it is named after the number of its pin holes, and it is also known as Socket N.
Purpose
Like other CPU sockets, Socket 478 is designed for holding the processor in place on the motherboard so that it can conduct data transfer, as well as prevent damage when the user inserts or removes it. The pin holes it possesses is for the CPU -- in this case, the Intel Celeron 2.7GHz, which measures about 5.16 square inches (131 square millimeters) -- via its pins. Socket 478 uses zero insertion force, which means that no force whatsoever is required for putting the Celeron 2.7GHz in the socket, nor for removing it.
Manufacture
The pin holes of Socket 478 are arranged in four rows that line its square-shaped plastic structure. This form factor is referred to as plastic pin grid array, or PPGA. It can also be described as following the flip-chip pin grid array (FC-PGA) standard. This is a variant of PGA that involves the back of the die -- the thin wafer of semiconductor material that contains the single core, or processing unit, of the Celeron 2.7GHz -- flipped upward. As this is the hottest part of the CPU, users can introduce a heatsink to it to cool it and reduce the chance of malfunctioning.
Processor Specs
A single-core desktop CPU, the Intel Celeron 2.7GHz has a 400 MHz front-side bus speed, which is the rate at which the processor connects with the motherboard for data transmission via the front-side bus interfaces. This is the lowest FSB speed that Socket 478 accommodates. Also worthy of note is its processing speed, which places it roughly in the middle of the socket's 1.4-to-3.4 GHz range approximation.
Socket Compatibility
Besides the Intel Celeron -- particularly the 2.7GHz -- Intel introduced Socket 478 for its then-premier Pentium brand: specifically, the fourth iteration known as the Pentium 4. In 2003, Socket 478 compatibility was extended to the Pentium Extreme Edition, which was marketed as the brand's higher-performance gamer-geared version. The Celeron D -- the higher-tier yet higher power-consuming version of the Celeron -- debuted in 2004 as the last batch of computer chips ever made for the Socket 478.
Tags: Celeron 7GHz, Intel Celeron, grid array, Intel Celeron 7GHz, known Socket, processing speed