AM3+ is backward compatible with the AM3, but Bulldozer is for AM3+ only

[Jowy Atreides]

What really gets me is that I know if I upgrade to AM3+ (despite only just going am3) that I'll get burned again in around a year by AM4.

[Manicdan]

What really gets me is that I know if I upgrade to AM3+ (despite only just going am3) that I'll get burned again in around a year by AM4.

how is that getting burned, if you buy an AM4 cpu it might be able to drop into an AM3+ board, but why would you ever expect that an AM3+ cpu can go into AM4 way before DDR4 is even out?

[Dainas]

It's easier (more reliable really) to overclock an x58 with 6GB in triple channel than a P55 with 8GB in dual channel.

I want more than 4GB of ram personally and 8GB at this point is overkill for me.

not really overkill, specially when you consider the nominal cost. Memory bandwidth is useful and I love having triple channel, but if anything P55 showed us that one less channel is not the problem. I applaud AMD, because flipping sockets every few years to test something that will have minute gains is what the server market is for. Besides unlike intel, they learned their lesson hard with the 939 to AM2 debacle.

how is that getting burned, if you buy an AM4 cpu it might be able to drop into an AM3+ board, but why would you ever expect that an AM3+ cpu can go into AM4 way before DDR4 is even out?

indeed, people keep forgetting this is AMD, not intel we are talking about. My AM2 may finally be dead but by god its socket had one hell of a lifespan.

[Jowy Atreides]

how is that getting burned, if you buy an AM4 cpu it might be able to drop into an AM3+ board, but why would you ever expect that an AM3+ cpu can go into AM4 way before DDR4 is even out?

AM3+ probably will go into AM4.
You're missing the point. It's about the platform, not cpu compatability.

AM3+ as a platform versus the 880G I have now. The only true upgrade there is the cpu.

[turbox997]

I for one don't mind this, if anything I welcome it. Say 3rd qt 2011 you build a machine, you can buy an AM3+ board and put a top of the line AM3 CPU that should be dirt cheap by then(overclock the heck out of it), then wait until prices for a decent BD chip falls. If an AM3+ CPU would fit into an AM4 board, that would be nice too, but I doubt it since AM4 is probably gonna support DDR4. Basically it'll allow me to build two systems for a good price. I don't know what you guys do with your old hardware but I usually end up keeping it, just because I can't resell it by the time I rebuild.

On a side note, this is old news.

[god_43]

Guys, how many times have I given this answer?

Why do you keep recycling news articles that are wrong and believe that this is somehow new information that invalidates all of the things that you have heard from AMD so far?

well it is one of three reasons i suppose? A. AMD has not given ppl a "straight" answer regarding these issue's. B. they never got the info the first time (didn't pay attention). or C. they crave new information about BD and will talk about anything.

[zanzabar]

Guys, how many times have I given this answer?

Why do you keep recycling news articles that are wrong and believe that this is somehow new information that invalidates all of the things that you have heard from AMD so far?

so is that a definitive am3 boards cannot use am3+ chips, and or am3 chips will work in am3+ boards.

[FreeRadical]

so is that a definitive am3 boards cannot use am3+ chips, and or am3 chips will work in am3+ boards.

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]

[FlanK3r]

Zanzabar: its easy, Denebs, Thuban, Regors, Propus compactible with AM2+/AM3/AM3+ Zambezi only with AM3+ (because some necessary specific features of Zambezi support only AM3+)

[FlanK3r]

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]

dont agree, im AMD fan some years (from s754) and i prefer performance than backward compactibility. Look at "blue side", every year new socket, yes, this is bad, but AM2+/AM3 is long time with us (about 3 years), so this new AM3+ with high performance Bulldozer is good choice, believe me, this will not Deneb, this will good CPU monstrum with 4 modules....Im thinking refresh CPU socket or compactibility every +-2 years is good move.

[JF-AMD]

so is that a definitive am3 boards cannot use am3+ chips, and or am3 chips will work in am3+ boards.

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.

[FlanK3r]

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.

im agree

[MAS]

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

is there a possibility for mainboard manufacturer to make AM3 boards support Bulldozer, or it's impossible to do at all?

[Stukov]

What AMD is doing its making it easier on suppliers and manufacturers. Since AM3+ supports all the processors of AMD's desktop lineup, all they have to produce is an AM3+ motherboard/platform. This can be a distinct advantage in cost savings (I would presume) to unify production, manufacturing, even sales of a product compared to needing entirely separate or distinct CPU sockets.

BTW, I am curious to what AMD has actually saying about the number of memory channels, because they may have said "there is no triple-channel", which is much different than saying "only dual channel" as that could mean if it is not triple channel, it could be dual or quad. I did think that BD server didn't go quad in some reports, but who knows.

[FlanK3r]

why manufacturing "old" AM3 boards with launching AM3+ boards next year? The best mobos for AM3 are here yet (UD7 and Cross IV Extreme)

[qcmadness]

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.

Then why didn't AMD make 800 series chipsets Socket AM3+ compatible?

[Hell Hound]

JF- a lower end BD will still be better than Thuban.

[Shadov]

Then why didn't AMD make 800 series chipsets Socket AM3+ compatible?

A. Since Bulldozer was still in development back then?

B. Their crystal ball broke?

C. They want to change socket every year like Intel?

[FreeRadical]

<-- That'all I have to say for now.

I sure hope for some magic pixie dust though, or would try brewing some in my cauldron.
Best of luck with BD guys.

[El Mano]

So people is mad at AMD because, for once, they are going to do what Intel has been doing for years.
It's so coherent and logical.

[FreeRadical]

I'll hold my judgment on coherence and logic till after BD releases. You'll get a reply from me then señor

[El Mano]

I'll hold my judgment on coherence and logic till after BD releases. You'll get a reply from me then señor

I tip my hat to you

[JF-AMD]

is there a possibility for mainboard manufacturer to make am3 boards support bulldozer, or it's unimpossible to do at all?

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Mats]

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.

I totally agree, but. .

Then why didn't AMD make 800 series chipsets Socket AM3+ compatible?

That's a question I've been asking for a while.
The 800-series, C32 and G34 all showed up at the same time but only the two latter works with BD.

AMD knew what needed to be implemented in C32 and G34 to make them BD compatible, so IMO they could just as well have launched the AM3+ socket together with the 800-series this spring, but they didn't.

[Frodin]

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

so, are you saying nnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooo to the possibility or the unimpossibility?