S1 and M2 sockets from AMD

[Aenslead]

Here...

 

[MobiusPizza]

Just translating what it saids:

"Socket M2 would have 940 pins. But the pin layout is different hence is imcompatible with current Athlon 64 and Opteron processors"
"Next generation mobile CPU would utilise S1 socket. Pin count is reduced from 754 to 638 for miniaturization.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Ooo. I thought there was some rumor about some 1200pin socket or something. Thought that was going to be M2.

 

[Gogar]

How boring lol.. I was expecting at least another HT bus and DDR3 or FBD 🙁 a fourth HT bus would allow some l33t opteron designs such as a fully interconnected quad (lower latency to get to other's memory) and still have one bus per processor left for system IO.

 

[Lonyo]

I think AMD needs to get their heads out of their asses and settle on some sockets for a longer time.
Socket A was OK for a long while, then we had a short period of 940 FX's and 754 then 939 and now M2.
Those who bought 754 have little upgrade path, those who got 940 FX's are screwed, 939 is still OK for a while (dual core is coming), but AMD want to change AGAIN.
Barely enough time for mature and decent chipsets to get developed either 🙁
Although a different socket for mobile CPU's will be both good and bad.
Smaller = better, but it means no more desktop/mobile chips unless someone makes an adapter 🙁

 

[Aenslead]

Originally posted by: Kensai
Ooo. I thought there was some rumor about some 1200pin socket or something. Thought that was going to be M2.

I read the exact same thing.

 

[aka1nas]

What is the point of settling on a socket if they won't be compatible every time they change RAM specs(Which is when they would be changing socket now)? With the memory controller on the CPU now, change that and its worthless to have the same socket as it won't work with old mobo's etc.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: aka1nas
What is the point of settling on a socket if they won't be compatible every time they change RAM specs(Which is when they would be changing socket now)? With the memory controller on the CPU now, change that and its worthless to have the same socket as it won't work with old mobo's etc.

Ya, everytime the RAM changes, most likely the Socket will too. Not really much of an issue really, just a downside of having the Mem Controller on the CPU. I suppose though that the Intel Socket changing issue will no longer be a negative for them. Ah well, life goes on. 😀

 

[akugami]

Only playing devil's advocate but Intel hasn't been much better. They've kept a relatively stable socket design but every CPU revision seems to need a new chipset and thus new motherboard. In the end, upgrading your CPU means upgrading your mobo, just like AMD.

 

[Necrolezbeast]

The price of motherboards seems to be comnig down quite a bit in the last few years. It doesn't really bother me to get a new motherboard when a new socket is released. With how many good NForce4 motherboards at under $100 the added features of the new sockets and boards overtake the cost of upgrading. The only thing that bothers me about the situation is that I will be forced into going PCIe sometime in the next year or so...thank god NForce 3 boards are still around, it saved me this time around 🙂

 

[sangyup81]

Originally posted by: akugami
Only playing devil's advocate but Intel hasn't been much better. They've kept a relatively stable socket design but every CPU revision seems to need a new chipset and thus new motherboard. In the end, upgrading your CPU means upgrading your mobo, just like AMD.

Not surprising since Intel makes most of the chipsets too.

 

[Mingon]

Originally posted by: akugami
Only playing devil's advocate but Intel hasn't been much better. They've kept a relatively stable socket design but every CPU revision seems to need a new chipset and thus new motherboard. In the end, upgrading your CPU means upgrading your mobo, just like AMD.

AMD have been just as bad really, whilst socket a physically stayed the same the bus changed adn incompatabilities meant that you couldnt always upgrade i.e. from athlon to xp

 

[Aenslead]

People, people... can't you see its all about business?

How much did socket A last? About... 3-4 years, if memory serves. But what about the motherboard vendors? They get at a certain point really bad sales on SktA mobos since most of the processors that AMD had (AXP/Duron) where on that plataform already.

Its a sad and unfortunate (for us) way to obligate people to upgrade including motherboard. The margins on mobos are so low that they have to relay on volume sales to make it up, and changing sockets for them is like music to their ears, for all OEM customers will buy these new parts.

It bennefits mobo makers, mainly.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

It's not liek my KT7A-RAID has any life. I can't upgrade to Palomino. Even if I picked up a newer batch, I could get Palomino but no Thoroughbreds, and definitely no DDR and no 333 FSB, etc etc. Yay.

So socket change may be a pain in teh @$$, but ur gonna be throwing ur mobo out anyways.

Say you got a Northwood 1.6. You are running DDR266. Today you want a Northwood 3.0. You probably would get an 865PE anyways with that cuz you want dual channel ddr400 with SATA and what not. So there you go. Socket change... no problem.