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AM2 (not AM2+): Will it support AM3 CPU's that have DDR2 controller?

C

chucky2

Lifer
I saw this thread in the PC News forum at OCWorkBench: AMD will introduce AM3 processor on Feb 8 models quad core 925 915, 820, 810, 3-core 720 & 710

Now, I know Gigabyte (maybe others) have put out an updated BIOS for their 690G boards to support the Phenom II 920 and 940...but those are AM2+ CPU's.

My question is does anyone know if us owners of 690G (AM2, not AM2+) boards will be able to run these AM3 CPU's that have dual memory controllers - both DDR2 and DDR3?

Thanks either way!

Chuck
 
Oh, that I understand, about DDR3...

...I'm just hoping I can wait until a lower power AM3 X3 or X4 45nm comes out, with the dual memory controllers, and slap it in my 690G board as a final upgrade. That should serve who it's going to end up with, basically, forever.

Chuck
 
AM2+ mobo's are pin compatible with AM3 cpu's, it will be up to the motherboard manufacturers to provide a bios that recognizes the new cpu's
 
Here is a quote of text I pulled from AT's article on the Phenom ][ processors

AMD doesn?t qualify any of them for use on Socket-AM2 motherboards, but there?s nothing stopping a motherboard maker from enabling support on a standard AM2 motherboard. You will need a BIOS update
Click to expand...

So the current socket AM2+ Phenom ][ could possibly work on your older AM2 motherboard but you will have to check to see that your manufacturer will support it. Not many manufacturers are probably willing to update an old AM2 board. If you've got an ASUS you may be OK.

 
whoops...I answered the wrong question about AM2+ Phenom ][ in an AM2 board, not the new AM3 Phenom ][ in an old AM2 board.

I haven't seen anything on this, you will probably have to wait until February 8th and read AT's article on those new CPU's.
 
some am2 boards already have bios support. asrock even has bioses for some nforce 3 boards.

foxconn is also providing bioses for some older boards (like geforce 7050 and 690g etc)
 
Yes, but those are for the AM2+ CPU's with the DDR2 and DDR3 memory controller. I'm wanting to know if the AM3 CPU's with both the DDR2 and DDR3 memory controllers will also work in AM2 - not AM2+ - boards.

It'd be really nice to get an AM3 chip now, and then, when the 800 series chipsets come out and DDR3 prices have fallen, buy one of those boards and some DDR3, and then sell the 690G and DDR2 I've got now.

Chuck
 
I am in the same boat as well. I have a Biostar TA690G and was wondering if it's possible to support AM3 CPUs from chipset point of view. Of course it'll be at Biostar's discretion whether to release a BIOS with AM3 support even if it's possible, but that comes next. They didn't support Phenom as this board cannot support CPUs over 95W thermal rating. But upcoming Phenom II 910 & 925 are 95W and can be thermally supported by this board.

It's not like this board is without problems; it has a lot of problems but so far there is only one mATX 790GX board I could find and my Antec Fusion case can't fit an ATX one. So until they release a few mATX 790GX boards, I want to continue with my current one (if possible) and just get a new quad CPU.
 
Originally posted by: chucky2
Yes, but those are for the AM2+ CPU's with the DDR2 and DDR3 memory controller. I'm wanting to know if the AM3 CPU's with both the DDR2 and DDR3 memory controllers will also work in AM2 - not AM2+ - boards.
Click to expand...
If the AM2+ Phenom II versions are supported and working, there is no reason the AM3 versions would not, subject to any TDP limits of the board. Most motherboard companies are generically referring to both AM2+ and AM3 versions as "AM3" for purposes of support lists and BIOS updates.
 
I don't remember the AM3 section being there before when Gigabyte updated the Supported CPU's page for their GA-MA69G-S3H(rev. 1.0), but, I went there tonight and, low and behold, there is an AM3 section for this board now:

GA-MA69G-S3H (rev. 1.0) CPU Support List

The F7 BIOS that they released end of Dec. '08 lists a few AM3 CPU's as supported (the ones that are going to be announced tomorrow).

If true and not a typo, this is very good news for AM2 fans. Talk about a nice long term upgrade path.....

Chuck

EDIT: Forgot the link.
 
P.S. It'd make a neat article showing the performance increase on one of these AM2 boards like the one I just linked to, with a couple of CPU's from each generation, i.e. AM2, AM2+, and finally, AM3.

It'd be interesting what a a 95w 3.0GHz AM3 CPU in one of these would perform like in contrast to the AM2+ and AM3 boards.

What does a 3.0GHz AM3 quad core AM3 CPU get us in terms of game performance with onboard video?

What about a 2.6GHz AM3 tri core in terms of power consumption, vs. the same power consumption with an AM2 and AM2+ CPU's, in say, HTPC areas?

Chuck
 
I always got the impression that AM2 chips worked in AM2+ boards and not the other way around. This would imply that that at minimum for any chip you should have at least an AM2+ board as its the only one that supports all three.
 
No, AMD has always said AM2+ CPU's would work in AM2 boards, providing the AM2 board could meet the power requirements; that board I linked to is a good example: If you look, 3 of the AM2+ CPU's are listed as N/A in the BIOS version field, which denotes the board will not support those CPU's. Why? One is 140w CPU, and the other 2 are solid 125w rated CPU's.

What's interesting now is that AM3 CPU's are apperantly supported...at least if they have a DDR2 memory controller and - of course - don't exceed the power limits of the board.

Chuck
 
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