Socket P socket: CPUs, chipsets and cooler fit
Socket P, printed mPGA478MN, is the Intel mobile pin grid array socket for Core microarchitecture notebooks. It holds 478 contacts on a 35 × 35 mm footprint. Intel introduced it on May 9, 2007 as part of the Santa Rosa platform with Merom processors, followed by 45 nm Penryn in 2008.
Quick facts
| Maker | Intel |
|---|---|
| Package type | PGA |
| Contacts | 478 |
| Package size | 35 × 35 mm |
| Introduced | May 2007 |
| Status | Legacy |
| Memory | DDR2 or DDR3, depending on the chipset, two channels |
| PCIe from the CPU | Front side bus 400 to 1066 MT/s to the chipset; PCIe from the mobile chipset |
| Cooler mounting holes | Board specific (laptop heatsink) |
| Replaces | Socket M |
| Replaced by | Socket G1 |
Overview
The socket matters for this batch because the Pentium Dual-Core T4500 is a 2.3 GHz Penryn part with 1 MB of L2 cache at 35 W on Socket P. The front side bus runs at 800 MT/s to Montevina GM45 and PM45 chipsets with DDR2 or DDR3 slots, or to Santa Rosa 965 chipsets with DDR2 after a BIOS update. A CPU-Z validation of the T4500 shows Socket P on an Acer board with a GM45 north bridge and DDR3 modules.
Boards use vendor heatsinks with heat pipes rather than retail towers, and Arrandale on Socket G1 replaced the platform in 2010 with on package graphics and DDR3 only.
Processor generations
| Codename | Marketing name | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merom | Core 2 Duo Merom | 2007 to 2008 | 65 nm dual cores that launched Socket P with Santa Rosa in May 2007. |
| Merom XE | Core 2 Extreme X7800 and X7900 | 2007 | 65 nm unlocked dual cores with 4 MB of shared L2 cache, including the 2.6 GHz X7800 at 44 W from July 2007 and the 2.8 GHz X7900 at 44 W from August 2007. |
| Penryn | Penryn mobile | 2008 to 2011 | 45 nm mobile parts including the Pentium T4xxx with 1 MB of L2 cache at 35 W, plus Core 2 Duo T6xxx to T9xxx and Core 2 Quad mobiles. |
| Penryn XE | Core 2 Extreme X9000 and X9100 | 2008 | 45 nm unlocked dual cores with 6 MB of shared L2 cache, including the 2.8 GHz X9000 at 44 W from January 2008 and the 3.06 GHz X9100 from July 2008. |
| Penryn QC | Core 2 Quad Q9100 | 2008 | 45 nm mobile quad cores with 12 MB of L2 cache in two dies, including the 2.267 GHz Q9100 at 45 W from August 2008. |
| Penryn QC XE | Core 2 Extreme QX9300 | 2008 | 45 nm unlocked mobile quad cores with 12 MB of L2 cache, including the 2.533 GHz QX9300 at 45 W from August 2008. |
Chipsets for Socket P
Montevina (4 series mobile)
Chipsets contemporary with Penryn notebooks with DDR2 and DDR3 slots.
| Chipset | Segment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GM45 | Mainstream | Integrated graphics chipset for Penryn notebooks with DDR2 and DDR3 options. |
| PM45 | High-end |
Santa Rosa (965)
Chipsets from the Socket P launch with DDR2 slots.
| Chipset | Segment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GM965 | Mainstream | |
| PM965 | Mainstream |
Who Socket P serves
Socket P fits DDR2 and early DDR3 notebooks that stay on their original boards. A T4500 owner keeps 800 MT/s modules and a Montevina or Santa Rosa board with a BIOS that lists the R0 stepping. The locked multiplier keeps tuning to the reference clock, which most notebook firmware blocks entirely.
Within the socket the choice is Pentium against Core 2 at fixed 35 W. The T4500 with 1 MB of cache suits office and media playback, while a T9600 with 6 MB suits heavier work on the same board. Both need the vendor CPU list because OEM boards often lack firmware for quads even when the chipset matches.
Memory and expansion
Memory on Socket P depends on the chipset generation. Santa Rosa 965 boards take DDR2 only, while Montevina GM45 and PM45 boards take DDR2 or DDR3 in two channels up to 8 GB on common models. The T4500 runs both through its controller with the board deciding the slots.
Expansion comes from the mobile chipset because Penryn CPUs provide no PCIe lanes. The 800 MT/s front side bus carries CPU traffic, and graphics sit on the board or in the GM45 integrated core. Cooling uses vendor heat pipe assemblies, so a repaste with the maker pad thickness matters more than cooler choice.
CPUs on Socket P
39 processor pages in the database, newest first.
| Processor | Cores / threads | Base / boost | TDP | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4500 | 2 / 2 | 2.3 GHz | 35 W | Jan 2010 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4400 | 2 / 2 | 2.2 GHz | 35 W | Dec 2009 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo P9700 | 2 / 2 | 2.8 GHz | 28 W | Jun 2009 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T9900 | 2 / 2 | 3.07 GHz | 35 W | Jun 2009 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4300 | 2 / 2 | 2.1 GHz | 35 W | Apr 2009 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8135 | 2 / 2 | 2.67 GHz | 44 W | Mar 2009 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8235 | 2 / 2 | 2.8 GHz | 44 W | Mar 2009 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8335 | 2 / 2 | 2.93 GHz | 44 W | Mar 2009 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo E8435 | 2 / 2 | 3.07 GHz | 44 W | Mar 2009 |
| Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200 | 2 / 2 | 2.0 GHz | 35 W | Jan 2009 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 | 2 / 2 | 2.53 GHz | 25 W | Dec 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo P8800 | 2 / 2 | 2.67 GHz | 25 W | Dec 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo P9600 | 2 / 2 | 2.67 GHz | 25 W | Dec 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 | 2 / 2 | 2.67 GHz | 35 W | Dec 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T9800 | 2 / 2 | 2.93 GHz | 35 W | Dec 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 | 4 / 4 | 2.53 GHz | 45 W | Aug 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Quad Q9100 | 4 / 4 | 2.27 GHz | 45 W | Aug 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 | 2 / 2 | 2.53 GHz | 25 W | Jul 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 | 2 / 2 | 2.53 GHz | 35 W | Jul 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 | 2 / 2 | 2.8 GHz | 35 W | Jul 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100 | 2 / 2 | 3.06 GHz | 44 W | Jul 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 | 2 / 2 | 2.27 GHz | 25 W | Jun 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 | 2 / 2 | 2.4 GHz | 25 W | Jun 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo U7500 | 2 / 2 | 1.07 GHz | 10 W | Feb 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo U7700 | 2 / 2 | 1.33 GHz | 10 W | Feb 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 | 2 / 2 | 2.1 GHz | 35 W | Jan 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 | 2 / 2 | 2.4 GHz | 35 W | Jan 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 | 2 / 2 | 2.5 GHz | 35 W | Jan 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 | 2 / 2 | 2.6 GHz | 35 W | Jan 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 | 2 / 2 | 2.8 GHz | 44 W | Jan 2008 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 | 2 / 2 | 2.0 GHz | 35 W | Sep 2007 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T7800 | 2 / 2 | 2.6 GHz | 35 W | Sep 2007 |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 | 2 / 2 | 2.8 GHz | 44 W | Aug 2007 |
| Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 | 2 / 2 | 2.6 GHz | 44 W | Jul 2007 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 | 2 / 2 | 1.8 GHz | 35 W | May 2007 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 | 2 / 2 | 2.0 GHz | 35 W | May 2007 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 | 2 / 2 | 2.2 GHz | 35 W | May 2007 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 | 2 / 2 | 2.4 GHz | 35 W | May 2007 |
| Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 | 2 / 2 | 1.2 GHz | 10 W | Apr 2007 |
Frequently asked questions
Which processors fit Socket P?
Mobile Penryn and Merom parts with 478 pins, including Pentium Dual-Core T4xxx such as the 2.3 GHz T4500 at 35 W covered here, plus Core 2 Duo T6xxx to T9xxx and Core 2 Quad Q9xxx. Desktop Socket 478 and Socket M chips never fit despite the pin count.
Is Socket P the same as Socket M?
No. Socket P has 478 contacts in the mPGA478MN layout while Socket M has a different key with one pin in another place. Forcing a Socket M chip can damage the board.
What memory does Socket P use?
DDR2 on Santa Rosa 965 boards, with DDR2 or DDR3 on Montevina GM45 and PM45 boards, in two channels up to 8 GB on common notebooks. The T4500 runs DDR3-800 class modules in dual channel.
How many PCIe lanes does Socket P provide?
No lanes come from these CPUs. The front side bus at 800 MT/s on the T4500 links the CPU to the chipset, while PCIe slots hang off the mobile chipset.
Sources and verification
- Socket P (Wikipedia)
- Penryn microprocessor (Wikipedia)
- Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4500 Specs (TechPowerUp)
Facts last checked against these sources on . Page last edited on .