Background

• Semiconductor company Intel Corp. launched Socket P on May 9, 2007 for compatibility with its Merom- and Penryn-codenamed processors. Socket P was specifically made for mobile processors, which are processors that go on laptop PCs. It replaced Socket M, which had been introduced the year before. By 2011, Socket P had been superseded by other mobile CPU sockets mainly due to the introduction of newer computer chips.
  
  

Main Description

• Micro FCPGA Socket P has 478 pin holes so that the processor can be attached to the motherboard via its pins. It serves as the interface between the CPU and the motherboard for data transfer, as well as physical protection from potential damage during insertion or removal. Socket P is made of plastic and like most other CPU sockets is square-shaped with its middle section cut out.
  
  

Micro FCPGA

• "Micro" prefix is used to describe the size of Socket P, which is smaller than regular-sized sockets; typically, sockets measure no more than 2 inches in length and width. Socket P uses a type of integrated circuit packaging called pin grid array, which means that its 478 pin holes are arranged in an orderly, grid-like fashion on the square-shaped substrate. More specifically, Socket P uses a PGA variant called flip-chip. This means that the processor is installed in such a way that the back of its die -- its hottest part -- is exposed. This allows the user to place a heatsink on it for cooling it down and thus preventing potential malfunction. This explains the use of the acronym FCPGA.
  
  

Compatible Processors

• Micro FCPGA Socket P was mainly released for some Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel Core 2 Quad processors, which constitute the dual-core and quad-core divisions of Intel's Core 2 generation of its flagship consumer-oriented Core brand. The compatible chips are entries of the Core 2 Duo T5xx0, T6xx0, T7xx0, T8x00 and T9xx0 series; and the Core 2 Quad Q9x00 series. The CPU socket, however, is also compatible with the T23x0, T2410, T3x00 and T4x00 series of the mid-range Intel Pentium Dual-Core, and the low-end Intel Celeron M.