Integration of the Boxed Intel® Celeron® Processor

The following overview and installation instructions are for professional system integrators building PCs that use the Boxed Intel® Celeron® desktop processor with industry-accepted motherboards, chassis, and peripherals. It contains technical information intended to aid in system integration. Boxed Intel Celeron processor product information can also be found in the processor Product Brief, Frequently Asked Questions, and Selling Guide for the Intel Celeron processor.

• The Boxed Intel® Celeron® Processor
  • Processor Overview
  • Boxed Processor Contents
  • Boxed Intel® Processor Thermal Solution Overview
  • Identifying a Boxed Processor
• Platform Component Selection
  • Motherboard Selection
  • PCG
  • Fan Heatsink Support
  • Chassis Selection
  • Power Supply Selection
• Integrating Systems Based on the Intel® Celeron® Processor
  • Boxed Processor Installation
  • Operating System Support
  • Software Optimization

The Boxed Intel® Celeron® Processor in the 775-Land Package

Processor Overview

See the product brief for details on the performance enhancing features of the Intel® Celeron® processor. Additionally see the following pages for additional steps required for enabling certain processor features:

• Intel® EM64T How To

Included with the Boxed Intel® Celeron® processor in the 775-land Package

• Intel® Celeron® processor in the 775-land package
• Intel Designed Thermal Solution
• Thermal interface material (attached to the heatsink)
• Installation Instructions and Certificate of Authenticity
• Intel® Inside logo label

Figure 1:
Top View	Bottom View

Figure 1. Intel® Celeron® Processor in the 775-land FC-LGA4 Package

Boxed Intel® Processor Thermal Solution Overview
The boxed Intel Celeron processor fan heatsink uses a high quality variable speed fan which allows the processor to remain within its operating thermal specifications by running at different speeds over a short range of internal chassis temperatures and processor power consumption levels.

The thermistor in the fan hub which measures the chassis ambient air temperature. The fan circuitry then adjusts the fan speed to properly cool the processor at the slowest speed allowable. If the chassis ambient temperature is cool then the processor will run slower and quieter. If the ambient temperature is hot, then the fan will run faster. This fan was designed to work in a variety of operating conditions. Thus, it is was designed in such a way that it would cool the processor when running under stressfull application loads at any given ambient temperature (up to 38C). See figure2 for a graphical represntation of the typical fan speed opertion under given internal chassis temperatures.

Point Z in figure 2 represents the upper set point or worse case ambient temperature of 38C. Point X represents the lower set point or the slowest possible fan speed at an ambient temperature of 30C. (Also see Table 1)

The internal chassis temperature is required to be maintained at 38°C (or lower).

Table 1. Boxed Processor Variable Fan Heatsink Set Points

¹ Set point variance is approximately ±1°C from fan heatsink to fan heatsink.

Figure 2. Internal Chassis Temperature Impact On Noise

 


Allowing processors to operate at temperatures beyond their maximum specified operating temperature may shorten the life of the processor and can cause unreliable operation. Meeting the processor's temperature specification is ultimately the responsibility of the system integrator. When building quality systems using the boxed Intel Celeron processor, it is imperative to carefully consider the thermal management of the system and verify the system design with thermal testing.

Identifying a Boxed Processor
Boxed processor test specifications (or S-Specs) marked on the integrated heat spreader of the Celeron® processor identify specific information about the processor. Using the Processor Spec Finder and the information marked on the processor, a system integrator can verify the appropriate processor number, speed rating, stepping, lot number, serial number and other important information about the processor. The numbers marked on the processor should match the numbers on the processor box label (see Figure 3). If the processor is already installed in a computer system then use the Intel® Processor Frequency ID Utility.

Once the boxed processor is installed into a system, the fan heatsink covers the integrated heat spreader and all the markings on the processor. The label on the box of the boxed processor (that has the processor number, speed information, test specification, and lot number) should be photo copied and taped to the inside of the chassis for reference. This will allow quick access to the information that is no longer available on the top of the processor when the heatsink is installed. If a system's processor is later upgraded or replaced causing the photocopied information inside the chassis to have incorrect information, the photocopy should be replaced, removed or visibly marked as obsolete to avoid confusion.

Figure 3. Processor Box Label Example

Platform Component Selection

Motherboard Selection
Motherboards used with the Intel® Celeron® processor processor must specifically support the Intel Core micro-architecture. In general, look for a motherboard wich uses one of the following chipsets:

• Intel® P35/G33 Express Chipset
• Intel® Q965/Q963/G965 Express Chipset
• Intel® 946GZ/PL Express Chipset
• Intel® 945G/P/PL/GZ/GC Express Chipset

It is important to verify that the specific motherboard model and revision support the specific Intel Celeron® processor number being used. Motherboards may also require a BIOS update in order to support specific processors. Intel provides a Tested Motherboard List and The Source Motherboard List for your convenience in choosing a suitable motherboard.

PCGPCG is a processor power specification to help identify thermal solutions, power supplies, and chassis that will meet specific power requirements. The PCG mark can be found on the box label and engraved on the IHS of the processor. PCG information for a specific processor can be found at the Processor Spec Finder.

The PCG mark does not promise compatibility. The PCG mark specifies likely component compatibility with processor electrical requirements. Compatible chipset, BIOS, drivers, hardware, and operating system are required. Contact your hardware for specific support of the Intel® Core2 Duo processor.

Fan Heatsink Support
The boxed processor includes a high quality unattached fan heatsink specifically designed to provide sufficient cooling to the Intel Celeron® Processor when used in a suitable chassis environment. The fan power cable must be connected to the motherboard power header as shown in the processor installation notes (included in the boxed processor package).

The motherboard 4-pin header uses two pins to supply +12V (power) and GND (ground). The fan uses the third pin to transmit fan-speed information to motherboards. The fourth pin allows motherboards that support 4-wire fan-speed control to control the fan speed based on actual processor power consumption. The motherboard must have a 4-pin fan power header located close to the socket.
Note: Refer to your motherboard manual for the location of the CPU fan power header.

Chassis Selection
Systems based on the Intel® Celeron® Processor in the 775-land package must use a chassis that comply with the ATX specification (revision 2.2 or later) or microATX specification (revision 1.0 or later), depending on the motherboard form factor. Intel recommends system integrators using ATX form factor motherboards to choose a chassis that complies with the ATX specification (revision 2.2 or later). Likewise, system integrators using microATX form factor motherboards should choose a chassis that complies with the microATX specification (1.0 or later).

It is recommended to use a chassis on the Tested Chassis List to ensure proper chassis airflow, electrical support (ATX12V or SFX12V power supply), and compatibility with boxed Intel Celeron® processors using an Intel® Desktop Board. Chassis that pass this thermal testing provide system integrators with a starting place for determining which chassis to evaluate.

The chassis must also support a lower internal ambient temperature than many standard ATX and microATX desktop chassis. The internal chassis temperature for systems based on Intel® Celeron® processors in the 775-land package should not exceed 38°C when the chassis is used in a maximum expected room temperature of 35°C. Most chassis designed for the Celeron processor use extra internal chassis fans to improve airflow and many include ducting to bring cool air directly to the processor fan heatsink. Intel tests chassis with the boxed Intel Celeron processor and the Intel® Desktop Boards for minimum thermal requirements. These chassis meet Intel's processor specifications with the Intel Desktop Boards. It is strongly recommended that system integrators perform thermal testing on the chassis selected for each configuration of Celeron processor-based systems, even when using a chassis on the tested chassis list.

Power Supply Selection
Power supplies must comply with the ATX12V 2.2 design guidelines (see the Form Factors website, for details) and supply additional current on the 12V power rail through a 2x2 connector. The Intel® Celeron® processor requires a minumum of 8 Amps continuous and 13Amps peak for 10ms on 12V2. All Intel Celeron processor-based systems require either the standard 2x10, 20-pin ATX power connector or the new 24 pin ATX power connecter as well as the 2x2, 4-pin 12V connector. Each motherboard/platform may have additional requirements based on graphics cards, TV tunners, ADD2+, HDD, ODD, chassis fans, etc... Consult the motherboard and system componet documentation to determine additional power supply requirements. Intel tests power supplies to determine a minimum level of electrical compliance. Consult the Tested Power Supply List for more information.

Operating system support for EM64T can be found in the Intel® EM64T How To document.

Software Optimization
With specific drivers that use the SSE3 instructions, graphics accelerators, audio hardware and software, and other system resources can experience substantial performance gain. Graphics card vendors typically highlight support changes with new driver releases. Download and install the latest drivers from the vendor's website. Also, verify that the driver version contains optimization for the Intel Celeron® Processor.

Many applications also take advantage of 64-bit computing with specific optimizations for the Intel Celeron® processor. In order to take advantage Intel EM64T, an entire 64bit hardware & software solution stack is required, ranging from processors and device drivers to operating systems, tools and applications. Contact your software vendor for available Intel EM64T support.

System performance is greatly affected by proper operating system and driver installation processes. For example, it is important to install the latest Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility immediately after installing most Microsoft operating systems to ensure proper drivers for the chipset are installed prior to installation of other drivers. System integrators should confirm boxed Intel Celeron® processor-based systems are optimally configured and integrated.

Conclusion
Boxed Intel Celeron® processor-based systems require proper integration. System integrators that follow the guidelines in this document will experience higher customer satisfaction by providing higher quality systems.