Socket A
Socket A is the CPU socket used for AMD processors ranging from the Athlon Thunderbird to the Athlon XP/MP 3200+, and AMD budget processors including the Duron and Sempron. Socket A also supports AMD Geode NX embedded processors. The socket is a zero insertion force pin grid array type with 462 pins. The front side bus frequencies supported for the AMD Athlon XP and Sempron are 133 MHz, 166 MHz, and 200 MHz.
Socket A supports 32-bit CPUs only.
Socket A was replaced by Socket 754 and Socket 939 during 2003 and 2004 respectively, except for its use with Geode NX processors.
Chipsets
| Model | Code name | Released | CPU support | FSB/HT | Southbridge | Features / Notes |
| AMD-750 chipset | AMD-751 | August 1999 | Athlon, Duron , Alpha 21264 | 100 | AMD-756, VIA-VT82C686A | AGP 2×, SDRAM Irongate chipset family; early steppings had issues with AGP 2×; drivers often limited support to AGP 1×; later fixed with "super bypass" memory access adjustment. |
| AMD-760 chipset | AMD-761 | Nov 2000 | Athlon, Athlon XP, Duron , Alpha 21264 | 133 | AMD-766, VIA-VT82C686B | AGP 4×, DDR SDRAM |
Technical specifications
- Support of processor clock-speeds between 600 MHz to 2333 MHz
- Double data rate 100, 133, 166 and 200 MHz front side bus on Duron, XP and Sempron processors, based on the Alpha 21264 EV6 bus.
Initially launched with 100 MHz FSB support in the earliest chipsets it evolved stepwise to faster 200 MHz FSB while maintaining pin compatibility throughout its lifetime. However, clock, timing, BIOS and voltage differences restrict compatibility between older chipsets and later processors.
Socket dimensions are 5.59 cm x 6.55 cm or 2.2" x 2.58".
Socket A mechanical load limits
AMD recommends that the mass of a Socket A CPU cooler to not exceed 300 grams. Heavier coolers may result in damage to the die when the system is not properly handled.All socket A processors have the following mechanical maximum load limits which should not be exceeded during heatsink assembly, shipping conditions, or standard use. Load above those limits may crack the processor die and make it unusable.
| Location | Dynamic | Static |
| Die Surface | 445 N | 133 N |
| Die Edge | 44 N | 44 N |
Those load limits are quite small compared to the load limits of Socket 478 processors. Indeed, they were so small that many users ended up with cracked processors while trying to remove or attach heatsinks to their fragile processor core. This made installing non-standard or non-certified heatsink solutions a risky business.