M2 Will be upgradable to Quad core

[sbuckler]

Check out:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/11/15/HNamdopt_1.html

This basically sells me on M2 for my next system.

AMD will make relatively modest changes to its Opteron and Athlon 64 processors in 2006. The company will add support for DDR2 memory with the introduction of a new processor in the middle of 2006. That chip will also use a new socket technology called M2, which uses a different pin structure than the 939 socket currently used on most Opteron and Athlon 64 processors.

The new socket technology is required to let AMD customers upgrade systems based on the 2006 dual-core processor to the 2007 quad-core processor, an AMD spokesman said. The 2006 processors will require new motherboards compared to today's Opteron processors, but the socket change will allow customer to drop quad-core processors into systems bought after the middle of 2006, the spokesman said.

That's the news I wanted to hear. Sure dual core M2 A64's aren't going to be much faster then 939 ones but with M2 I now know I have a great mid life upgrade for my pc by slotting in a quad core in the future when my dual core starts to seem slow.

 

[Lord Banshee]

i find it funny that i thought the new opterons are going to socket-F (12xx pins) and the desktop/mobile are going to be 940.

then i heard that quad core is only going to be opterons for 2007.

Now i am thinking.... some thing incorrect as the opterons will be on the socket F not M2 and this atricles seems incorrect.


what is right, what is wrong??

 

[fbrdphreak]

If I had to guess, by the time quad core rolls around we'll be in DDR3 time. I think I'll just skip DDR2 M2

Altho, that is what I said about S939

 

[nature1]

Any idea when M2 will be out? start of 06?

 

[Furen]

more like mid 2006.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
If I had to guess, by the time quad core rolls around we'll be in DDR3 time. I think I'll just skip DDR2 M2

Altho, that is what I said about S939

Actually, I think DDR3 for system memory is a ways off, and DDR2 will be the memory of choice when quad core rolls around.


With that said, I'm sticking with DDR1 and socket 939 for at least another year. Dual core isn't even optimized for yet in pretty much all games, so I'm quite happy to stick with 2 cores for awhile...

 

[Avalon]

I upgrade motherboards twice a year at least, so upgradability means nothing to me

 

[ribbon13]

"which uses a different pin structure than the 939 socket currently used on most Opteron and Athlon 64 processors. "
That's funny. 'Most' Opterons are 940 pin

 

[GOREGRINDER]

Originally posted by: Avalon
I upgrade motherboards twice a year at least, so upgradability means nothing to me

same here,...at least 2 times in some cases,..heh

 

[TheoPetro]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
If I had to guess, by the time quad core rolls around we'll be in DDR3 time. I think I'll just skip DDR2 M2

Altho, that is what I said about S939

since the mem controler is ondie couldnt amd just change the mem contoler and since quad core will be same pins as M2 you just upgrade the cpu (w/ mem controler) and your ram at the same time? or is it going to fit differently into the dimm?

 

[TSS]

quad core was, i belive, only for opterons in 2007... its more like 2008/2009 before where going to see that in the desktop segment IMO. around the same time when more cores actually becomes usefull in things like games.

 

[forumposter32]

I'd like to see quad cores and DDR3. When UT2003 came out, people with the fastest video cards etc could only play it at around 40 fps. I wonder if quad cores and DDR3 will be required to play UT2007 at max.

 

[Skott]

This is assuming they can meet the proposed launch date. We all know how often AMD and Intel have missed those launch dates in the past. Prices wont be cheap at first neither I bet. I think its still too far out to be really worried about it. Just my opinion on it.