Slot A
{{CPU socket
|name = Slot A
|image = 290px
|formfactors = PGA
|type = SECC
|contacts = 242
|protocol = EV6
|fsb = 200 MT/s, 266 MT/s
|voltage = 1.3–2.05 V
|processors = AMD Athlon (500–1000 MHz)
|predecessor = Super Socket 7
|successor = Socket A
}}
{{Short description|CPU socket for AMD Athlon Classic CPUs}}
Slot A is the physical and electrical specification for a 242-lead single-edge-connector used by early versions of AMD's Athlon processor.{{cite web|url=http://www.pchardwarelinks.com/sockets.htm|title=CPU Sockets Chart|accessdate=2009-04-04|publisher=users.erols.com}}
The Slot A connector allows for a higher bus rate than Socket 7 or Super Socket 7. Slot A motherboards use the EV6 bus protocol, a technology originally developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) for its Alpha 21264 microprocessor.
File:AMD Slot A (left) and Intel Slot 1 (right)-flickr - by - flickrsven.jpg
Slot A is mechanically compatible but electrically incompatible with Intel's Slot 1. As a consequence, Slot A motherboards were designed to have the connector's installed orientation be rotated 180 degrees relative to Slot 1 motherboards to discourage accidental insertion of a Slot 1 processor into a Slot A motherboard, and vice versa. The choice to use the same mechanical connector as the Intel Slot 1 also allowed motherboard manufacturers to keep costs down by stocking the same part for both Slot 1 and Slot A assemblies.
Unlike with Slot 1 CPUs, there were never any converter cards, or slotkets made that allowed Socket A CPUs to be used on Slot A motherboards, as what happened with the slotkets made for using Socket 370 CPUs in Slot 1 motherboards.
AMD went back into using a traditional socket interface with Socket A in 2000.
Chipsets
AMD offered official chipsets for the Slot A CPUs. These are included in the table below.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Model ! Code name ! Released ! CPU support ! Southbridge ! Features / Notes |
| AMD-750 chipset
| AMD-751 | Athlon, Duron (Slot A, Socket A), Alpha 21264{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} | 50 (100MT/s) | AMD-756, VIA-VT82C686A | align="left" | AGP 2×, SDRAM |
|---|
Third-party chipsets includes a large number of VIA K-series chipsets.
In practice, third-party chipsets were heavily favoured by motherboard manufacturers. Stability problems and compatibility quirks from these chipsets abounded from manufacturers not following chipset designers' guidelines. This caused long-lasting damage to AMD's reputation, despite AMD having nothing to do with the poorly-realised hardware.{{cn|date=August 2023}} A similar incident happened with third-party chipsets for Super Socket 7 CPUs, of which AMD tried to remedy it by putting quality assurance measures for the Athlon, which used Slot A CPUs. Despite this, however, the aforementioned problems mentioned above still lingered on for quite a while, even for Athlon CPUs.