Intel Pentium 4 HT 515 socket: LGA 775

What the Pentium 4 HT 515 is

The Intel Pentium 4 HT 515 is a 2930 MHz single-core desktop processor from December 2004. It runs one NetBurst Prescott core at 2930 MHz with Hyper-Threading, so 1 core gives 2 threads. Cache is 1 MB of L2 on a 90 nm process with 125 million transistors. Power is rated at 84 W in an LGA 775 land grid package with sSpec SL7YV on a 533 MT/s front side bus with a 22x multiplier at 1.25 V to 1.4 V.

The 5xx numbering marks the LGA 775 Prescott line with a 533 MT/s bus, which is why the 515 at 2930 MHz matches Socket 478 Prescott A-series boards in clock yet needs a new land grid board. Intel placed the 515 in December 2004 as a value LGA 775 part with Hyper-Threading enabled. The chip supports MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3 and Hyper-Threading.

Modest clocks with a slower bus and an 84 W envelope suit value LGA 775 towers with DDR memory and integrated graphics. The lower bus trims board cost while the 1 MB cache keeps office tasks smooth. That is why the 515 shipped in budget desktops with chipset video.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 515 fits LGA 775 value desktops with Prescott 533 MT/s support. It needs a 775-land board with a 533 MT/s bus and a BIOS that lists the 84 W 515. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers pairing rules.

Value DDR towers with 915 chipset paths are the natural match. Boards listing Pentium 4 515 accept the chip with an 84 W cooler. High-end 800 MT/s-only performance boards may still accept it, but the support list decides. Socket 478 boards cannot accept a land grid chip under any setting.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory is DDR1 and DDR2 through the board chipset, matched to the board DIMM sockets. The CPU has no memory controller, so the chipset sets the type and speed. Value 915 boards commonly carry DDR400 pairs for 533 MT/s parts.

A 533 MT/s front side bus ties the CPU to the chipset, while PCIe and PCI hang off the chipset on LGA 775 boards. No PCIe lanes originate on the die. Cooling uses the LGA 775 push-pin bracket with a cooler rated for 84 W. The 37.5 mm by 37.5 mm package needs even push-pin seating across all four posts.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket, a move to a Pentium 4 HT 517 keeps the board and memory when the support list names it. The 517 adds Intel 64 and XD bit support at the same 2930 MHz and 84 W, so the existing cooler stays ample. A Celeron D such as Intel Celeron 420 drops cache and threads and is a step down.

A move to a Core 2 Duo needs a new chipset generation with 800 MT/s to 1066 MT/s support and a BIOS update. The LGA 775 page lists the Prescott to Wolfdale range for planning.