ASUS pledges support for AM3+ both for current and future motherboards

**Sunfire** · 03-17-2011, 05:23 AM

Originally Posted by Spreader

JF-AMD stated : "Bulldozer is ONLY supported in AM3+ sockets. This comes straight from the desktop guys."

he never said it WONT FIT; only is not supported

I think he told the truth, just not the whole story

Everybody (well, almost) is running circles around the pins of AM3 and AM3+ socket, but what about the processor?
- Did we see any of them?
- Did we have a picture of them?
- Did someone counted the pins on them?

**FlanK3r** · 03-17-2011, 07:16 AM

everybody, who dont understand look again at KINC info. Its clear now ,-)
AM3 socket=940 contact for pins (standart only 938 activ), AM3 CPU = 938 pins
AM3+ socket=942 contact for pins, AM3+ CPU= 940 pins (Kinc info)

so...ASUS knew something about future, because in motherboard list are only top boards with SB850 and better PWM. And diferent can be only one, at this boards are all socket contacts activ to the board (=all 940 AM3 pins)

**NEOAethyr** · 03-17-2011, 07:22 AM

Was asus the only brand of mobo that supports this upgrade?
What about gigabyte, aka the alternative board's...

**nex_73** · 03-17-2011, 07:48 AM

Gigabyte and the others have not routed (activated) the extra 2 pin-holes needed on the AM3 socket. So yes - ASUS is the only one (as we know of yet...)

**wez** · 03-17-2011, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by NEOAethyr

Was asus the only brand of mobo that supports this upgrade?
What about gigabyte, aka the alternative board's...

Only Asus boards so far afaik. Giga has made the needed changes on their new rev boards, so a BIOS update will not be enough if you have an earlier rev.

**Ket** · 03-17-2011, 07:53 AM

Asrock have hinted at supporting AM3+ CPUs on some of their highend AM3 boards with the 890FX Deluxe5 so don't be surprised if the Deluxe4 and 3 get the same treatment. What exactly they decide to do though remains to be seen.

**FlanK3r** · 03-17-2011, 08:45 AM

but otherwise is better to have AM3+ board with 900 chipset. All features Zambezi only at this boards think. And maximal performance

**Oliverda** · 03-17-2011, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by Spreader

JF-AMD stated : "Bulldozer is ONLY supported in AM3+ sockets. This comes straight from the desktop guys."

he never said it WONT FIT; only is not supported

Exactly. Probably Bulldozer and AM3 is not a validated/recommended system by AMD. IMHO nobody forbids the mobo manufacturers to make support for existing AM3 solution if they can.

**informal** · 03-17-2011, 01:48 PM

Not to mention you most likely lose your CPU warranty the moment you put Zambezi in AM3 motherboad.

**DarthShader** · 03-17-2011, 01:57 PM

So it's like CPU cores unlocking? Wasn't Asus the first one to bring that btw?

**Oliverda** · 03-17-2011, 02:11 PM

a speculation by me:

**FreeRadical** · 03-17-2011, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by FreeRadical

ditto query. but slightly rephrasing it.

if its only the bios support, and the pins are compatible with am3 boards, will it be possible like am2+ boards to just transplant an updated agesa module and cpucodes into an am3 bios from an am3+/am3r2 one.
I ask because I did it myself for my am2 board for which the manufacturer didn't provide a bios for phenom/athlon II/phenom II support and can do it again if so.

[rant]
Most of us enthusiasts who are loyal to amd either are old school folks who stick with it cause its a more vfm platform or either have no money to buy new boards every now and then.
I know a lot of amd fans here in India (including me) who are so disappointed with this debacle. Its like 939 all over again

[/rant]

Originally Posted by JF-AMD

I know I have posted this exact text somewhere else, and I think I might have been replying to you:

AM3 boards support only AM3 processors
AM3+ boards support AM3 processors and AM3+ processors

There is no bios upgrade or other magic pixie dust that will change this.

To do bulldozer in AM3 sockets would have compromised the possible performance on the processor and I am pretty sure that none of you wanted that.

:p

Source (discussion 6 months ago) -> Way ahead of you folks

09-26-2010, 03:23 PM

**~~XRL8~~** · 03-18-2011, 02:49 AM

Yeah, i think JF didnt know everything about this topic.On few occasions he was wrong,and/or not exactly fully truthful.
Seems like AM3+ chips will fit just fine in AM3 board physically, and as for the working, its atleast possible on some of them.
Im not sure AGESA transplant will be enough tho, seems like there are two pins which most manufactureres simply didnt connect on their AM3 boards.

**freeloader** · 03-18-2011, 04:25 AM

Originally Posted by informal

Not to mention you most likely lose your CPU warranty the moment you put Zambezi in AM3 motherboad.

And who's going to know?

**JF-AMD** · 03-18-2011, 05:53 AM

Originally Posted by XRL8

Yeah, i think JF didnt know everything about this topic.On few occasions he was wrong,and/or not exactly fully truthful.

I will openly admit to being wrong when I am wrong. However I am not untruthful.

I say what I am allowed to say and when I am wrong I admit it.

AMD will only support BD in AM3+ sockets.

**FlanK3r** · 03-18-2011, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by XRL8

Yeah, i think JF didnt know everything about this topic.On few occasions he was wrong,and/or not exactly fully truthful.
Seems like AM3+ chips will fit just fine in AM3 board physically, and as for the working, its atleast possible on some of them.
Im not sure AGESA transplant will be enough tho, seems like there are two pins which most manufactureres simply didnt connect on their AM3 boards.

no, its exactly this:
Zambezi is real AM3+ CPU only! But this exception at ASUS boards is as "functionality hack" AM3 socket to AM3+, because 2 needed pins are activ here form beigining! Its very diferent, it will be only far-sighted move from ASUS.

Originally Posted by JF-AMD

I will openly admit to being wrong when I am wrong. However I am not untruthful.

I say what I am allowed to say and when I am wrong I admit it.

AMD will only support BD in AM3+ sockets.

right, this is exactly saying. From ASUS is only "hack"

. And think, AM3+ and 990FX will be better in performance and P states.

**~~XRL8~~** · 03-18-2011, 06:27 AM

Originally Posted by JF-AMD

I will openly admit to being wrong when I am wrong. However I am not untruthful.
I say what I am allowed to say and when I am wrong I admit it.
AMD will only support BD in AM3+ sockets.

I said you were not knowing everything AND/OR not being fully honest.
Cause i dont know.
You either didnt know,or you knew and said otherwise.

What it however strictly shows, is that you wont say anything that is not in line of current AMD policy on said subject.I understand that.Other people should too.

Well were you wrong ?It seems you clearly were wrong with statements that there is no way AM3+ cpu will work on AM3 board (and yes ,you said that).
You have to understand too, that when you say "AMD will not support AM3+ cpus on the AM3 socket" to everyone that isnt a cynic means it wont happen and is not possible.Its a gray area of telling the truth that isnt the whole story.Most of people here me included understood your statements as:
BD is so much different from our previous cpus we werent able to make it compatible with AM3 socket.

And that,is just not true as we have learned.
It means your every statement has to be looked at every angle to make sure it means what it looks like at first glance.Which means that most of it cant be taken "as is".

I dont like when companies treat me as a sheeple.Intel is doing it constantly, AMD less so.But in recent 2-3 years, its more secretive than the CIA.I cant plan ahead my purchases, cause i dont know anything until its DONE.Intel is much better at this,downside is that you mostly know that youre gonna be screwed, just in advance ;-).
If i would know for some time that i could buy Am3 board that will support BD , i would do so.Now i wont.I`l just wait and see ,cause i know that current SB mainboards will support ivybridge.AMD wont tell anyone anything about the future that AM3+ has (if any).
If asus produces mainboards compatible with am3+ for some time now.Everyone could.And thats a failure on AMD`s part.And we probably will never know as to "why".

**FlanK3r** · 03-18-2011, 06:38 AM

XRL8 If asus produces mainboards compatible with am3+ for some time now.Everyone could.And thats a failure on AMD`s part.And we probably will never know as to "why". :
dont agree...could maybe, but not done

...Only a few this models from ASUS is "hacking" at simillary somethink as AM3+ socket (Am3 with all activ pins!). This is not so simply. Example, why is it only at highend boards with SB850 ,-)?

**~~XRL8~~** · 03-18-2011, 06:55 AM

You cant call it "hacking" when you dont know how its done.Not supported doesnt mean they have to do some workarounds.We dont know.
As for the Sb850 requirement,its a MAYBE.Asus will introduce mainboards even with a 760G northbridge,but we dont know yet with what southbridge theyre gonna be paired up.
And even if.Thats not a bad thing if all Sb850 mainboards were compatible with AM3+ cpus, now would it ?
As to why only asus ones were built properly, i dont know either.Maybe some others are too.Or maybe AMD wasnt interested in getting backwards compatibility so it wasnt part of the standard.Or maybe mainboards manufacturers did it on purpose to sell more units.Or maybe thats all true.
One thing is for sure, if AMD would sent new AM3 specs to mb manufacturers and enforced them through some press release.All MB makers would have to comply or be hit with lower sales due to less features.

**Manicdan** · 03-18-2011, 07:16 AM

if they wont support my M4A88TD-V, then they better have a good reason.

**NEOAethyr** · 03-18-2011, 07:20 AM

I think it'll be funny if they add support for the am2+ boards with nvidia chipsets.
Then I'de say wtf dfi lol...

They added support for the 1090t for those older boards so...
I think that would be neat.

**Manicdan** · 03-18-2011, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by NEOAethyr

I think it'll be funny if they add support for the am2+ boards with nvidia chipsets.
Then I'de say wtf dfi lol...

They added support for the 1090t for those older boards so...
I think that would be neat.

that cant happen since there is no DDR2 controller in BD

**NEOAethyr** · 03-18-2011, 07:27 AM

, that's the same thing people said before the 1090t came out.
This time around though it's not a big deal to me.

**=SOC= Admiral** · 03-18-2011, 09:43 AM

They redid the Memory controller in bulldozer because the DDR2 part dragged the quality of the DDR3 down. This time around they put a good redesigned DDR3 controller in the Bulldozer to get better memory controller. On my 720BE it was the memory controller that failed and took my mobo with it during a bios update. Also they didnt have to put a DDR2 controller in BD because its not going to be used in any board with DDR2.