SuperMicro TMR-006 (x2)

In the beginning of '99, Intel began stocking store shelves with a "new" processor. "New" of course, is used rather loosely, as it refers rather to the repackaged product of the Socket-370 Celeron. Intel stated that the main reason for the shift was to save on production costs due to the integration of L2 cache directly onto the die.

When this shifting of the Slot-1 interface to the "new" 370-pin PPGA socketed interface began, consumers likewise began to worry, and with good reason. There were the standard issues to consider when confronted with a new CPU - folks worried primarily about having to buy a new motherboard and about compatibility with existing systems. As Celerons were marketed as low-end chips, would Socket-370 motherboards come with the amenities we've come to expect from Slot-1? On top of these questions, people wondered about the overclockability of the new socketed Celerons. Prior to socketed Celerons, overclocking attempts on socketed CPUs such as the original Pentium, AMD K6, or AMD K6-2 yielded moderate, but not awesome, results. The original Celeron 300A (Slot-1) raised the bar, by which other CPUs are measured against, by establishing the Celeron as the "overclocker's CPU".

Many of our fears were alleviated when we learned of the intent by many third-party manufacturers of creating "slockets," socket-370 to slot-1 converters. These devices allowed socket-370 Celerons to run on standard Slot-1 motherboards, and cost a fraction of the price of a new motherboard, usually at around $10-20. Needless to say, this was a welcome tool for upgrading a Slot-1 based system. Of course, this sat well with the PC community, especially among the tech-savvy who consider the Celeron the "budget power" CPU.

The slocket lined up at the FiringSquad today is the TMR-006, made by SuperMicro. SuperMicro is a company that has been primarily known for creating a wide variety of motherboards and cases - they've been making motherboards since the 5th generation CPU, and thus have a pretty wide range of products and expertise, covering Pentiums, Pentium Pros, slotted and socketed Celerons, PII's, PIII's, and Xeons. Slocket manufacturing would seem like a natural product complement to this base-component manufacturer. Celerons, by the nature of Intel's manufacturing designs, are not able to operate in a multiprocessor environment. First, let us show you how that was changed by some clever thinking and good soldering!