Intel Core Solo T1200 socket: Socket M

What the Core Solo T1200 is

The Intel Core Solo T1200 is a 1.5 GHz mobile single core from July 2006. It runs one Yonah core at a fixed 1.5 GHz through a 9x multiplier, so 1 core gives 1 thread with no turbo step. Cache is 2 MB of shared L2 on a 65 nm process. Power is rated at 27 W on Socket M.

The T1200 sat at the base of the Napa notebook stack as the entry single core. It suited single thread office loads such as documents and mail, where one Yonah core at 1.5 GHz stayed responsive without the draw of a second core. Notebook makers paired it with DDR2 boards and chipset graphics for thin and light school or business machines.

As a Yonah part the T1200 predates the 64-bit Merom line that later shared the same socket. It runs the 32-bit Core Solo instruction set of early 2006 over a 667 MT/s front side bus to the mobile chipset. The fixed clock keeps behavior predictable across power states on boards whose BIOS lists the exact sSpec.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The T1200 drops into the Socket M lever socket (Socket M) on Napa boards with the 945PM or 945GM chipset. The 478-contact Micro-FCPGA package seats with zero insertion force and locks under the screw lever, so a swap needs only a compatible board and fresh thermal interface. The board BIOS must list the exact sSpec, since Napa revisions set which steppings boot.

This page covers the socketed Micro-FCPGA package. Soldered low voltage Yonah parts such as the Core Duo L2300 shipped as Micro-FCBGA for Socket 479 boards instead, and those chips cannot move to Socket M. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers pairing rules for socketed mobile parts.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory is DDR2 through the board chipset in two channels. Napa boards commonly take DDR2-667 SO-DIMMs beside a 667 MT/s Yonah, and the board fixes the slot count plus the maximum capacity. The notebook vendor list sets the tested module size.

A 667 MT/s front side bus ties the CPU to the mobile chipset. No PCIe lanes come from the T1200 itself, while board graphics and expansion slots hang off the chipset. Most Napa boards accept both 533 and 667 MT/s parts, since the 945PM and 945GM chipsets support bus speeds up to 667 MT/s.

Cooling is the notebook vendor heat pipe assembly for the exact chassis, sized for the 27 W envelope with a side vent. Retail desktop towers do not mount to mobile sockets, so the fan and pad set must come from the notebook maker. Paste or pad replacement follows the service manual for the exact model.

Upgrade paths

On Socket M the direct move from a T1200 is a faster single core such as the Core Solo T1400 at 1.83 GHz, or a dual core such as the Core Duo T2300 at 1.66 GHz and the T2400 at 1.83 GHz. Each stays on the same 667 MT/s bus, and the dual core options step up to a 31 W envelope. A swap must stay within the thermal design the chassis was qualified for, and the BIOS must list the new sSpec.

A larger step is a Merom Core 2 Duo such as the T5500 or T7200 on the same Socket M, which adds 64-bit support with 2 MB or 4 MB of L2 cache. Napa boards need a Merom aware BIOS revision for those parts. Past Merom the path leaves the socket for a Socket P Santa Rosa board, as described in the Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide.