AMD Athlon SFF 1100 socket: Socket 462

What the Athlon SFF 1100 is

The AMD Athlon SFF 1100 is a 1100 MHz single-core small form factor desktop processor from 2001. It runs one K7 Palomino core at 1100 MHz with no turbo, so 1 core gives 1 thread. Cache is 256 KB of L2 on a 180 nm process. Power is rated at 35 W in a Socket 462 package with a 200 MT/s front side bus and an 11x multiplier at reduced voltage.

SFF bins Palomino silicon for compact cases with limited cooling, which separates the SFF 1100 at 35 W from standard Athlon 1100 parts at higher power with the same 1100 MHz rating. AMD aimed SFF bins at small desktops with small power supplies. The chip supports MMX, SSE and Enhanced 3DNow.

Low voltage with a slow bus suits cramped cases. The 35 W envelope allows smaller heatsinks and quieter fans than standard parts. That is why SFF parts shipped in compact towers with integrated graphics.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Athlon SFF 1100 fits Socket 462 small form factor desktops with Palomino SFF support. It needs a compact board with low-voltage paths. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers pairing rules.

Compact towers are the natural match. Boards listing SFF 1100 accept the chip with a 35 W cooler.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory is DDR or SDRAM through the board chipset. The board sets speed and capacity.

A 200 MT/s bus ties the CPU to the chipset, while graphics hangs off the chipset. No PCIe lanes originate on the die. Cooling uses the socket lug clip with a 35 W heatsink.

Upgrade paths

On Socket 462 SFF steps include the SFF 1200 at 1200 MHz where listed. Standard Athlon 1100 parts offer the same clocks with higher power. Beyond Socket 462 a move to Socket 754 needs a new board. The chip lifts with the lever, so swaps need no solder work.