Stupid question of the day

Do laptop machines use a socket for the CPU?

Pardon my ignorance, but remembering back when CPUs came soldered to mobos (especially common on 386 machines), do laptops also solder the CPU onto the mobo?
I just can't see a mfr wasting all that space, and drillling all those holes, to put a socket, whether that be a socketA or a socket 370 (or worse), on something where the real estate is so precious.

If this is blindingly ignorant, please tell me ;-)

 

It is not a stupid question!! Some of the older laptops that I have worked on/taken apart did have socketed cpus, and it is my understanding that some of the current desktop replacement laptops also use a socketed cpu. Whether the mainstream laptops do is a question that I too, would like answered. Perhaps someone can join in and answer the question.

 

all I have ever seen has been socketed cpu's, though I'm not really an expert when it comes to laptops. I seldom take them apart.

 

Same here, I've had 4 or 5 of them apart in the last year or so. All of those were socketed

 

Most laptops have modulated CPU's, unless the have an embedded CPU as part of the motherboard (I know of no laptops off the top of my head that are). The only embedded CPUs i know of are in the microITX motherboards by VIA.

 

What's a modulated CPU? Is that like socketed as opposed to soldered.

If so, then what you're telling me is that laptops have socketed CPUs... unless they don't ;-)

Anyhoooo....
If they do have socketed CPUs. I've learned something. I'm surprised that the mfrs would go through the expense of a socket for a product that has little or no chance of being upgraded.
I'm also somewhat surprised that they would sacrifice that much real estate, plus accept the extra design burden of the extra height of a socket.
Given that the sub 1-inch laptop is a goal, the height of a socket takes a good chunk of that, and is a big obstacle.
That. really, is what made me ask the question. Laptops are getting thinner and thinner, and I couldn't see how a socketed chip could fit!.

 

What I'm saying is there is a standard attachment for CPUs on laptops usually. Its not the same as a desktop socket though, its entirley different for the reason you stated about size.

If the component was soldered on, lots more labour/machinary would be needed for configuring laptops. i.e. for every laptop of every different configuration, you would have to have a specific CPU soldered onto the motherboard. If they are modular, then you simply have to fit your CPU to the motherboard, rather than using expensive soldering machines to precisley solder the CPU to the board.

It gives you greater flexibility. Imagine dell. for every possible configuration of laptop, they would have to have a CPU pre-soldered onto a specific motherboard. From what I know, their production process is near-as-dammit JIT (just in time). They get your order, make sure they have the parts (which they have in their inventory), assemble, configure, test and then ship. If the CPUs were pre-soldered, their stock would be much bigger than it needs to be. And the essance of JIT production is you have as little stock as possible.

However... the case with embedded CPUs is that they are used in very specific applications. For example, a very small PC setup (about the size of a double VHS box, lets say), would use a miniITX motherboard with an embedded VIA CPU, which is the smallest commercially available solution (till nanoITX, that is).

 

So.. they use a special, low profile socket.
Is the CPU the same? Those pins on std CPUS are pretty long.
Aside from the fact that laptops use 'mobile' CPUs, are they the same package?

On another question, are 'mobile' CPUs just std CPUs operating at a lower voltage?
The reason I ask the last part is that I had a K6-3+, a 'mobile' that was rated at 1.6V, but that I ran at 1.8V for years. I always wondered if it was just a std CPU that was labelled 'mobile' and had its speed derated to run at tlhe lower voltage.
JFYI, it was a K6-3+, rated at 400MHZ/1.6V, that I ran at 500MHZ/1.8V.