The lead story
of this issue of EPC World highlights Advantech Embedded PCs'
new Socket 370 CeleronTM/Pentium® III Biscuit PC, the PCM-9570. This board, being different from
the previous Pentium® and Pentium® MMXTM-class SBCs,
brings home the debate on the merits of using a Celeron-based
board design (utilizing either Slot 1 or Socket 370) verses a
Pentium® MMXTM/AMD/IDT K6-based board
design (utilizing Socket 7).
Socket 7 vs. Socket 370 Comparison
Table
|
Socket 7
|
Socket 370
|
Pentium
|
yes
|
no
|
Celeron/PIII
|
no
|
yes
|
2nd Cache Memory
|
External, 512 KB
|
On-processor, 128 KB
(Celeron), 256 KB (Pentium III)
|
2nd Cache Memory Performance
|
66 MHz
|
Same speed as CPU
|
Mulitimedia Instruction
Set
|
0 (Pentium)
57(PentiumMMX)
|
57 (Celeron),
57+70 (Pentium III)
|
Architecture
While
Socket 7 boards were built for Pentium® processors, Socket 370 boards are being built for the next generation
of chips: the Pentium® II and Pentium® III processors. These new chips have on-processor 2nd Level Cache memory
(unlike the Pentium®.
Because the cache memory is on the chip itself, it is able to operate
at the same speed as the CPU. The cache of the earlier Pentium® on the other hand, could only run at a speed of 66 MHz. In addition,
once Socket 370 Pentium® III processors become available, their expanded multimedia instruction
set will enhance the performance of multimedia applications.
Performance
As
for performance, the Socket 7 has obvious future limitations. Not so
for the Socket 370. With the current Pentium® II-level processors, speeds of up to 466 MHz with 66 FSB are achievable.
By next year, though, if Intel follows through with its expected development
plans of a Socket 370 Pentium® III, the performance gap between the Socket 7 and Socket 370 will be
even more apparent. These new Pentium® III processors will have 256
KB of on-chip cache, operate at an FSB speed of 100 MHz (fully supported
by Advantech's PCM-9570 - see story on
front page). Initial processor speeds will be 500 MHz, and will
increase from there in the year 2000.
|