Regarding high-amp AMD X2s / FXs and some MBs unable to handle them

imported_Kiwi

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Jul 17, 2004
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I have a new AMD X2 6000+, AM2, 125 watt CPU, and an Abit KN9 SLI (nForce 570) MB, that I currently have an X2 4200 intalled in. Several recently produced MBs were reported to have had troubles handling high current draw CPUs -- have there been any similar complaints about "older" chipset MBs with similar limitations? I'd like to upgrade the PC that the Abit MB is in . . however, that Abit MB is now out of production, and Abit's support info on it is somewhat reduced now.
 

cubeless

Diamond Member
Sep 17, 2001
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my much derided ecs k8m890m-m handles the 6000 just fine... even oc's it to 3.2...
 

imported_Kiwi

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Jul 17, 2004
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Although I seldom pay attention to anything from ECS, it is based more on very poor end user support rather than poor quality. Is your ECS from the nF500 chipset series?
 

Heidfirst

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May 18, 2005
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Originally posted by: Kiwi
I have a new AMD X2 6000+, AM2, 125 watt CPU, and an Abit AN9 SLI (nForce 570) MB, that I currently have an X2 4200 intalled in. Several recently produced MBs were reported to have had troubles handling high current draw CPUs -- have there been any similar complaints about "older" chipset MBs with similar limitations? I'd like to upgrade the PC that the Abit MB is in . . however, that Abit MB is now out of production, and Abit's support info on it is somewhat reduced now.

what do you need to know?
the 6000+ is supported http://www.abit.com.tw/cpu-sup...sli_an9-32x_series.htm
 

imported_Kiwi

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Jul 17, 2004
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I also have an Asus M2N32 SLI Deluxe with the 590 chipset, and I had checked it for the 6000, but the X2 5200 that's in it now seems satisfactory.

The MB I have from Abit has the nF570 chipset, not the 590, and I looked around at Abit, found the same reference that you did (though not another for my own MB), and I just wasn't quite ready to automatically equate the 570 to the 590 about something that could literally destroy a working mainboard.
 

Aluvus

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Apr 27, 2006
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This was not a chipset problem, but an issue with the power circuitry on some motherboards. Boards with fewer power phases were having problems with the higher-power Athlon 64 X2s.

It was an Anandtech article, but I'm afraid I can't find it at the moment.
 

cubeless

Diamond Member
Sep 17, 2001
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straight from the manual:

"...incorporates a k8m890 northbrodge..."

the famous via northbrodge...

 

Heidfirst

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May 18, 2005
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Originally posted by: Aluvus
This was not a chipset problem, but an issue with the power circuitry on some motherboards. Boards with fewer power phases were having problems with the higher-power Athlon 64 X2s.
really was the 125W Phenoms on 780Gs.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: Kiwi
have there been any similar complaints about "older" chipset MBs with similar limitations?
You only need to worry about Micro ATX boards (or smaller form factors) being able to support the upper-most TDP parts. The VRM limits you are referring to rarely apply to ATX boards. And virtually guaranteed to never involve an enthusiast ATX board.
 

imported_Kiwi

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Jul 17, 2004
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Originally posted by: Heidfirst
Originally posted by: Aluvus
This was not a chipset problem, but an issue with the power circuitry on some motherboards. Boards with fewer power phases were having problems with the higher-power Athlon 64 X2s.
really was the 125W Phenoms on 780Gs.

Thanks. It's been getting harder to remember details from recently-reviewed articles. Some people refer to it as "Old Timers Disease"!

Same for swapping the first letter in the MB name, though I definitely had the "570 Chipset" parenthetical there all along.
 

spittledip

Diamond Member
Apr 23, 2005
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Originally posted by: Aluvus
This was not a chipset problem, but an issue with the power circuitry on some motherboards. Boards with fewer power phases were having problems with the higher-power Athlon 64 X2s.

It was an Anandtech article, but I'm afraid I can't find it at the moment.

This is exactly the problem I read about also, and was not limited to one particular chipset or motherboard manufacturer- it had to do with the power circuitry.