Upgrading fail

T

Tiberius

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
1,110
So,

I currently have a Phenom II X4 940 BE with 4GB DDR2. I wanted to use the the DDR3 8GB for $55 that I bought from the deal on the Hot Deals forum last week. At the same time, I was going to upgrade one of my kids PC (from a 939 X2 4200+) to a Athlon X3 435.

I was in the middle of several things and wasn't paying too much attention when I ordered...

I ordered a motherboard (BIOSTAR A770E3 AM3) and the CPU.

Of course, I get my stuff and realize that my AM2 cpu will not fit on the AM3 MB and the AM3 cpu will not fit the AM2 MB...

Any suggestions on what to do? I'd like to keep the 8GB of DDR3 and the Athlon X3's 4th core unlocks but the OS freezes when its enabled.

Is there a noticeable different in performance between the Athlon X3 435 DD3 and a Phenom II X4 940 BE (DDR2)?
 
See if you can return the items first, many places will charge a restocking fee if the package is opened but if you were smart enough to realize the incompatibility PRIOR to opening it, you can at least get most of your money back (minus s&h).
Also many places may NOT accept returns if its opened, but this is pretty rare and definately not an issue (to my knowledge) when using the official [H]ard|Forum (TM) approved vendors from the vendor list here. If you aren't using any of those vendors, then Your Milage May Vary.

If all else fails and you're unable to return the items at all, then just resell them here (rather than using CraigsList) since you can usually find a better breed of people here. Just be sure to see how long they've been a member, how active they are, read some of their posts to guage their expertise, etc.

And next time, post your intended upgrades here PRIOR to ordering and the people here will tell you incompatibilities like that to save you the trouble!
 
Not sure with your board but a lot of AM2+ motherboards will take an AM3 cpu. You just can't run an AM2 cpu in an AM3 motherboard like you said. Check with your AM2 motherboards website page and see if it will accept any AM3 cpu's.
 
I knew better just was doing a million things at once. I bought the items from Newegg. I'm not sure about their return policies for CPUs.

I'll check to see if I can use the AM3 CPU on the AM2 motherboard. That would leave my kid upgraded.

I'm thinking of trying to sell my PII X4 940BE and the 939 dual core setup and use that to get a better AM3 cpu. Not sure if dual core 939s still sell well.

You guys think I can get decent money for the 940 and the 939 setup? (cpu/mb/2gb ram)
 
And next time, post your intended upgrades here PRIOR to ordering and the people here will tell you incompatibilities like that to save you the trouble!
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If you notice he said "I was in the middle of several things and wasn't paying too much attention when I ordered..." so what does that have to do with us helping him. No offense to the OP but he made the mistake so he will have to pay to ship it back or contact the company & see what they can do to help.

You might get stuck with both restocking fee & shipping back because you said "I get my stuff and realize that my AM2 cpu will not fit on the AM3 MB"

Which mean you opened it & tried to use it

I'm not sure about their return policies for CPUs.
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You cant return an open CPU
 
Newegg rapes you on restocking fees plus you have to pay to ship it back. Probably as well off to keep it as a spare or Craigslist it.
 
The motherboard is not bad for what I paid for. I don't think newegg will take back an open CPU. I think they only exchange it if its defective.

It was my mistake, I just wanted to hear people's suggestions/opinions on the matter.

I'll try to go the route of selling my AM2 CPU and the 939 X2 setup. Money is tight so I hope to be able to offset the cost of another AM3 cpu that is at least equal or better than the 940 (new or used).
 
Best bet for the AM3 is a 955BE if you want similar/better performance. I have seen them for between $130 and $145.
 
I tried an AM3 Athlon II 645 on an AM2 board with no bios update to support this CPU. The result - NO post.
The board is an ECS GeForce6100SM-M V1.0 for the curious ones. I tried the initial bios and the latest (2008 :)) bios to no avail :(.
 
zorobabel said:
I tried an AM3 Athlon II 645 on an AM2 board with no bios update to support this CPU. The result - NO post.
The board is an ECS GeForce6100SM-M V1.0 for the curious ones. I tried the initial bios and the latest (2008 :)) bios to no avail :(.
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All of the 1.0 versions of the ECS GeForce6100 boards, for some odd reason do not support any Phenom II or Athlon II chips including the 720, 920 and 940
Posted via Mobile Device
 
I didn't get the chance to try the AM3 CPU in the AM2 motherboard but based on your posts...the AM3 CPU physically fits in the AM2 socket right?
 
Tiberius said:
I didn't get the chance to try the AM3 CPU in the AM2 motherboard but based on your posts...the AM3 CPU physically fits in the AM2 socket right?
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Yes, it does.... I'm currently running an X3 740BE in a Biostar TA770 A2+ with no problems.... though it is an AM2+ board....
 
Roberty said:
Not sure with your board but a lot of AM2+ motherboards will take an AM3 cpu. You just can't run an AM2 cpu in an AM3 motherboard like you said. Check with your AM2 motherboards website page and see if it will accept any AM3 cpu's.
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wait... you can drop an AM3 cpu into some AM2+ setups? Doesn't the integrated memory controller on the AM3 only support DDR3 and not DDR2?
 
Yes AM3 processors have both DDR2 and DDR3 controllers. they will fit and work in some AM2boards,most AM2+ and all AM3 boards.
 
that is damn nice. Just changed my upgrade plans & timetable significantly. I need to get an AM3 phenom II but no idea which one, at least I know I can afford it.
 
I have been wanting to upgrade as well. Ever since my 4850 died in January I have been wanting to get a new video card to replace it, and a new processor to feed the new video card. This Phenom 9600 black edition is a little tired, although it overclocks well. Once I get my post count up and a little more tenure here I will hit up the for sale section, and pick something up. Although I have been reading HardOCP since 2005 or 2006 I finally got a verified email recently lol.
 
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