Apparently.. AM3 will work with AM2.. Or is it the other way around...?

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mpcamer1220

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"AMD has released details of its next-generation desktop CPU interface, Socket AM3, to its OEM partners. In a mildly surprising move, AMD has revealed that AM2 will accept AM2 or AM3 CPU packages. Additionally, recent roadmaps have confirmed that AM3, AMD's upcoming desktop CPU socket, will not be backwards compatible with AM2-package CPUs. Roadmaps and memos have also confirmed that this AM3 package will be for AMD's "K8L" architecture, and not for the upcoming 65nm AM2 Brisbane CPUs scheduled for launch this December.

The most recent AMD roadmap is also very clear to state AM3 "supports either DDR2 SDRAM or DDR3 SDRAM, but not on the same motherboard." This is great news for upgraders, as there is a very clear upgrade path: CPU, motherboard, and then memory. This also infers that AM3 CPUs will have both DDR2 and DDR3 support on the integrated memory controller. DDR3, like DDR2, has 240-pin, but the two formats are not pin-compatible...."


http://dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3169


cool.gif
 
That's actually pretty cool. AM2 isn't going to be another Socket 754 afterall...
 
Seems cool. I guess I get to upgrade to K8L eventually without dumping my ram and motherboard.
 
thats nice to know.

god damn. i was just thinking, why do they need more and more sockets! this one has 940 pins, yet a socket with 775 pins is whuppin its ass. comon AMD, no more sockets, just figure your architecture out.
 
robberbaron said:
That's actually pretty cool. AM2 isn't going to be another Socket 754 afterall...
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Or S940 :p

Thats great to hear. But ill wait for reviews of AM3 before I plop down money for a new board/ram/CPU. I want a big performance boost, not the same thing in just a different socket with fancier ram and have the 'potential'.
 
MrWizard6600 said:
thats nice to know.

god damn. i was just thinking, why do they need more and more sockets! this one has 940 pins, yet a socket with 775 pins is whuppin its ass. comon AMD, no more sockets, just figure your architecture out.
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But AMD has the memory controller onboard rememeber hence the number of pins... The number of pins doesn't not give an indication of performance because the s775 P4 Prescotts sucked and were getting owned by the s939
 
to answer mcp's question...

the AM3 chips will work in the AM2 motherboards, due to it having a memory controller that supports both ddr2 and ddr3. AM2 chips do not support ddr3, thus will not work in AM3 mobos :D
 
So basically it looks like this:

I can drop an AM3 CPU in my current motherboard.

When I feel like making the switch, I swap motherboards and keep my DDR2 ram.

Later on, I can replace my DDR2 with DDR3.

Sounds nice to me.
 
so then AM2 was pretty useless and short lived, because anyone who bought into it and wants to go to K8L will want to get an AM3 mobo and DDR3 memory, sticking a K8L CPU in a AM2 board with DDR2 memory would seem dumb
 
nobody_here said:
so then AM2 was pretty useless and short lived, because anyone who bought into it and wants to go to K8L will want to get an AM3 mobo and DDR3 memory, sticking a K8L CPU in a AM2 board with DDR2 memory would seem dumb
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Let me guess, you're buying Conroe?

There's nothing wrong with providing customers with a clear upgrade path. This way, people with limited funds can stay current by moving to AM3 more slowly. An enthusiast user would replace his motherboard and ram at the same time, anyway.
 
-=Antimatter=- said:
So basically it looks like this:
I can drop an AM3 CPU in my current motherboard.
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If your current motherboard is a AM2 motherboard then yes.

-=Antimatter=- said:
When I feel like making the switch, I swap motherboards and keep my DDR2 ram.
Later on, I can replace my DDR2 with DDR3.
Sounds nice to me.
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It was stated that DDR2 and DDR3 would not work in the same motherboard. So if you upgrade your AM2 CPU to a AM3 CPU in a AM2 MB thats fine. But if you want to get a AM3 motherboard you will need to choose your RAM at that time. AM3 motherboards will support DDR2 OR DDR3, not both. So you could stick with your old DDR2 or upgarade to DDR3, one or the other.
 
metallicafan said:
It was stated that DDR2 and DDR3 would not work in the same motherboard. So if you upgrade your AM2 CPU to a AM3 CPU in a AM2 MB thats fine. But if you want to get a AM3 motherboard you will need to choose your RAM at that time. AM3 motherboards will support DDR2 OR DDR3, not both. So you could stick with your old DDR2 or upgarade to DDR3, one or the other.
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Yeah, I read that as "not on the same board at the same time."
 
Boardin087 said:
the upgrade path is SO nice, if only they could have done this from Socket A to 939 lol :)
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I don't think it's that nice. It does increase the lifespan of the AM2 mobo and RAM, but until I see benchmarks showing that the K8L performs well with DDR2 in an AM2 motherboard I am not going to wet my pants.
 
interesting... too bad intel wouldnt give a shit to do something like that.
 
YAY! at last, we can turn this into yet another AMD <-> Intel bashfest.
 
nobi125 said:
Starting to get slightly bummed that I went S939 a few months ago.
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That's how I felt when I got an s754 system just before S939 was released...

Or s478 -> LGA775 for that matter. Oh well, it happens... evolution of technology is inevitable, but at least I know my new AM2 setup will enjoy a bit more life.
 
Blitzrommel said:
That's how I felt when I got an s754 system just before S939 was released...

Or s478 -> LGA775 for that matter. Oh well, it happens... evolution of technology is inevitable, but at least I know my new AM2 setup will enjoy a bit more life.
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Well, it's not that bad since I'm only missing DDR2, Reverse Hyper Threading, and that Virtualization stuff.

Gonna be saving for a Conroe rig for early next year.
 
I was really tempted to go AM2 when it first came out. Glad I waited.

Still.... it is nice for people who did go with AM3.

I'm sure I will jump on AM3......just need to see a few benchies first. :D
 
anyone find it slightly frustrating that new sockets are planned to be released even before the next one hits the market.
 
-=Antimatter=- said:
Let me guess, you're buying Conroe?

There's nothing wrong with providing customers with a clear upgrade path. This way, people with limited funds can stay current by moving to AM3 more slowly. An enthusiast user would replace his motherboard and ram at the same time, anyway.
Click to expand...

I sold my PC and won't build another until Vista and DX10 are well explored and we know what it takes to enjoy gaming on Vista like it was on XP, probably mid-late 2007. Until then I am thoroughally enjoying my Xbox 360 in HD. If Conroe is the best at that time, yes, I will buy it. If K8L is the best I will buy it. Personally I think AM2 was a complete waste of time and money unless one was still suffering with an old P4 or Athlon XP system, then it was a decent move to at least get into the DDR2 phase, but anyone with a 939 system that is decent should be skipping the AM2 thing altogether unless money is no issue and wait for AM3/K8L or 775/Core Duo
 
streetkid said:
anyone find it slightly frustrating that new sockets are planned to be released even before the next one hits the market.
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Not really, since it is not, in actuality, a new socket.
 
robberbaron said:
Yeah, just a difference spec for DDR3 support.
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Right. Old chips are DDR2 only (socket AM2), while new chips will support both DDR2 (Socket AM2) and DDR3 (Socket AM3)
 
nobody_here said:
I sold my PC and won't build another until Vista and DX10 are well explored and we know what it takes to enjoy gaming on Vista like it was on XP, probably mid-late 2007. Until then I am thoroughally enjoying my Xbox 360 in HD. If Conroe is the best at that time, yes, I will buy it. If K8L is the best I will buy it. Personally I think AM2 was a complete waste of time and money unless one was still suffering with an old P4 or Athlon XP system, then it was a decent move to at least get into the DDR2 phase, but anyone with a 939 system that is decent should be skipping the AM2 thing altogether unless money is no issue and wait for AM3/K8L or 775/Core Duo
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Good plan. Yeah, I was stuck on a 4 year old Dell with a P4 2.4GHz and RDRAM. It was time for something decent and home-built. :)
 
Jason711 said:
why are they refering to processors as sockets?
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People need to stop spamming with this shit.

The only thing that differentiates it from a s939 chip is the socket and the memory support.

I am sure as hell not going to type out "Athlon 64 on socket AM2 with DDR2 support" every time I say it.

AM2. Enough said. Good lord. Find a hobby.
 
Adionik said:
I guess i'll just wait for AM3...
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When you are done waiting, just wait for AM4, but then might just as well wait for AM5.... :rolleyes:
 
mwarps said:
People need to stop spamming with this shit.

The only thing that differentiates it from a s939 chip is the socket and the memory support.

I am sure as hell not going to type out "Athlon 64 on socket AM2 with DDR2 support" every time I say it.

AM2. Enough said. Good lord. Find a hobby.
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im sorry you find accuracy annoying. saying am3 will fit into am2 sounds stupid.
 
Jason711 said:
im sorry you find accuracy annoying. saying am3 will fit into am2 sounds stupid.
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Who cares? As long as you understood what people are saying, does it really matter that much to you? :p
 
Ockie said:
When you are done waiting, just wait for AM4, but then might just as well wait for AM5.... :rolleyes:
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You're right. I should go buy an FX-62 RIGHT NOW! I'd rather have a huge ass performance gain for my money. I don't like waiting as much as the next guy, but what the hell...AM3 when AM2 just came out? And yes, I do understand this concept of switching components and it not being a FULL upgrade. But whatever.

AM5 it is!
 
Why not just stick to a socket for a long time like they did with Socket A?
 
Darundal said:
Why not just stick to a socket for a long time like they did with Socket A?
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Because Socket A chips didnt have a memory controller. That makes things tricky.
 
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