Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
Originally posted by: Rottie
Has everyone made a successful upgrade to AM2 cpu from 939 CPU on that motherboard? Any problems? I am thinking about buying that mobo soon.
I've seen at least one guy posting here that he got the AM2 board running fine, I can't remember who though.
That would be me
Here's my post about it:
Ok, I got my AM2CPU expansion card yesterday. As soon as I got home from work I started on the installation, as my wife rolled her eyes at my geekdom.
The expansion card fit without a problem in the case. I really don't see how it would be a problem in any normal (read: not twisted or damaged) case as far as fitting. It fits just like any other expansion card would.
Basically, just take out your old CPU, heatsink, memory and the 4 pin power connector from the mainboard. Next, switch the jumpers (J10, J11 and J12, and the 4 rows of jumpers near them) according to the manual. Then, install the CPU, heatsink and RAM on the AM2CPU card (I'd recommend doing this before you install it so you don't crack it while trying to get the heatsink on) and plug the 4 pin connector into the card.
The biggest problem I had was getting the screwhole lined up to the metal bracket, while trying to hold the screwdriver still. You have to kind of pull the card towards the back of the case to get it to line up, even when it's correctly pushed into the Future CPU slot. I was able to do this by myself by laying the case on it's back (meaning lay it down on the end where you'd plug your peripherals) and gently pushing on the bracket.
Once I got everything in place, I booted it up. The BIOS is still the same, except for some things that have to do with DDRII memory (memory speed, and a DDRII compatibility option). I wasn't able to overclock my Orleans 3500 above 240 (Multiplier of 11), but it could be due to the voltage cap at 1.45 or my memory (OCZ DDRII 533), or some tweaks I need to do in the BIOS. Overall, I think it's much cheaper and easier to upgrade to AM2 in this method rather than swapping out a whole motherboard. If it was possible to upgrade to AMD's next CPU form factor with this board I'd do it in a heartbeat. Hell, I'd even buy another ASRock board with a new form factor, as long as it had a CPU upgrade slot!
Any questions, post 'em here!
*To add to this, I'm pretty sure it was my crappy memory keeping me from getting a good OC, as I ended up RMA'ing the 2 512 sticks and got some Patriot DDR2 memory.
Edit: Also, don't ever try to use a Powercolor X800 GTO PCI-E vid card in this board; It will not work, and ASRock apparently doesn't feel the need to put it in their compatibility list, despite the evidence and multiple emails I've sent them. There's also reviews on NewEgg on this card from 3 different ASRock 939 users with the same problem; The card will freeze as soon as you install drivers.