Is there anywhere I can check if my mobo supports this CPU?

The_B_Man

Specs:
MSI K9AGM3-FD (MS-7367)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+

I'm just having a feel around about upgrading the CPU. Trying to price etc.

Was looking at the max my mobo will support and was hoping I could get this:
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AMD-Phenom%20II%20X4%20980%20Black%20Edition.html

However, the 980 CPU linked there isnt listed on the MSI site, but the lesser 940 is, as can be seen here: (The MSI site is acting up at the mo so not sure if this link will work. Just search MS-7367 up top right)
http://uk.msi.com/product/mb/K9AGM3-FD.html#?div=CPUSupport

So, basically I'm wondering is there a way I can tell before spending money if the 980 is supported. I've looked at comparisons of the two and they both support AM2+ slots. Its really just the fact that its not listed on the MSI thats throwing me, but it could just be that they never updated their list once the newer 980 was released.

Here's the two compared side by side:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/93/AMD_Phenom_II_X4_940_vs_AMD_Phenom_II_X4_980.html

Any theories?

Cheers.

PS, any links to where I can get one for cheap would be appreciated too.

Eboggles

Get this
You can get it in other places if you're not ordering there, but its a good step up from what you already have. I was in the same situation as you but Monotype recommended this so you know its good .

marco_polo

The_B_Man wrote: »

Specs:
MSI K9AGM3-FD (MS-7367)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+

I'm just having a feel around about upgrading the CPU. Trying to price etc.

Was looking at the max my mobo will support and was hoping I could get this:
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AMD-Phenom%20II%20X4%20980%20Black%20Edition.html

However, the 980 CPU linked there isnt listed on the MSI site, but the lesser 940 is, as can be seen here: (The MSI site is acting up at the mo so not sure if this link will work. Just search MS-7367 up top right)
http://uk.msi.com/product/mb/K9AGM3-FD.html#?div=CPUSupport

So, basically I'm wondering is there a way I can tell before spending money if the 980 is supported. I've looked at comparisons of the two and they both support AM2+ slots. Its really just the fact that its not listed on the MSI thats throwing me, but it could just be that they never updated their list once the newer 980 was released.

Here's the two compared side by side:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/93/AMD_Phenom_II_X4_940_vs_AMD_Phenom_II_X4_980.html

Any theories?

Cheers.

PS, any links to where I can get one for cheap would be appreciated too.

Don't think so I'm afraid looking at the support page the last bios update was in Jan 2010 and it looks to me like the last update that added new CPU support (This is what an 'update CPU ID' note on the bios version usually means) was in May 2009. The fact that the Phenom II BE 965, which released in August 2009 and yet is missing from the list adds weight to this theory. The 980 didn't appear until early 2011.

I'd be inclined to play it safe and stick to the list, problem is few of them will be easily sourced nowadays

Monotype

It worries that there's no AM3 CPUs listed there at all.

The 940 is very different from the 980 in that it's an AM2+ CPU.

The 840 is a good choice when athlon II is supported but you don't have enough power for the high end phenoms. The best choice for upgrading at the moment is the 960t, built on the slightly more efficient Thuban architecture so more suitable for motherboards that are designed for lower power. There's also a possibility that it can unlock too. However, given that there's no AM3 CPUs on the list, I'd be cautious in buying any. Luckily AM3 CPUs still have DDR2 controllers so there's still a chance.

Is there any AM3 CPU that you could get a loan of to test?

Nothingbetter2d

no that cpu is not supported but you may need to update your motherboard's bios to use an athlon x4 phenom II 940 cpu which is supported

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/K9AGM3-FD.html#/?div=CPUSupport

The_B_Man

Why is the 965 a lot cheaper than the 960T?


I suppose if I can find a 940 anywhere, I might go with that. Its just a pity I don't know anyone nearby with an AM3 CPU I can test first, coz the 960T looks nice.

I suppose if I can't find one over the summer, I could probably just look into upgrading the whole motherboard. May work out cheaper in the end.

Monotype

Depends on where you're buying. It's £94.75 on scan.co.uk. It actually looks like the 960Ts are drying up a little; it's not on hardwareversand or dabs.
The 960T would be better as it has the possibility of unlocking to a 6 core and performance + efficiency is slightly better.
However, neither of them might be compatible.

Tea_Bag

if you're in limerick at some point, ive an AM3 phenom x4 chip lying around here you could borrow to test?

The_B_Man

Monotype wrote: »

Depends on where you're buying. It's £94.75 on scan.co.uk. It actually looks like the 960Ts are drying up a little; it's not on hardwareversand or dabs.
The 960T would be better as it has the possibility of unlocking to a 6 core and performance + efficiency is slightly better.
However, neither of them might be compatible.

Ye, it all keeps coming back to compatibility!

Out of curiosity, if my motherboard did support the 960T, would it by default support the 6 cores if I could unlock them? OR are some motherboards only able to support a pre-defined number of cores?

Monotype

Actually, it looks like that motherboard is a bit too old for core unlocking. It has the SB600 chipset whereas you'd need SB710 or greater or alternatively some of the nVidia boards do it.

Motherboards will usually support any number of cores, assuming that they are compatible with that generation and the power consumption isn't too high.

The_B_Man

oh is it? That's a pity.

I suppose the safest bet is to just keep looking for a cheap 940....or else look at a full upgrade when I get more money!

Monotype

I could send you on my AM3 sempron? I'm not using it anyway and it wouldn't be worth much.

The 940 would be pretty good anyway as it's a black edition so it will have an unlocked multiplier. You should be able to overclock to the 980 frequency of 3.7GHz and if you had 3.8GHz, it would probably make up for performance gain of the revisions since then.