Phenom II on am2+ Mobo

[stevepoolstock]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a processor to replace my current Athlon X2 6000+. The latest BIOS update(5001) for my motherboard, an ASUS M2A-VM (non-HDMI), offers support for am3 CPUs.

Now I know that the am3 Phenom II X4 945 is supported as well as am2+ Phenom II processors, like the 920/940.

My question is: will the 955 work on my mobo? I've seen some tests in which the 955 works, but runs at 800mHz. However these were all done before the release of the 5001 BIOS, which is the first BIOS update that offers official support for am3 processors.

Thanks!

 

[stormy13]

Probably not as there isn't a single CPU in the supported list,

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards - M2A-VM

that is over 95W, and the 955 is a 125W CPU,

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUSideBySide.aspx?id=619&id=682

 

[stevepoolstock]

Here are the supported CPUs, including Phenom II: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

Currently I'm using the Athlon X2 6000+, which is 125w, so that's shouldn't be the problem.

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[stormy13]

Then the best anyone can say is maybe, unless someone has the same board and tried the same CPU on it. At best it will be detected and work fine, at worst it won't be detected as a 955 but should still work fine.

 

[stevepoolstock]

Ok, I guess I'll just have to buy a 955 and if it doesn't work I'll return it to the store and swap it for the 945.

I will post my findings.

Feel free to keep sharing ideas and experiences here.

 

[PooMan UK]

Personally I'd wait a bit and save up for a new MB and CPU .... A Descent MB isn't so expensive nowadays whilst CPU's are still a bit on the pricey side

 

[Mellon Head]

Be careful which stepping version of 955 you get. I picked up an ASUS M4A78 PRO to go with my new 955. It was C3 stepping, and the board didn't support it, and it ran at 800 MHz even though it said it supported the 955.

I gave up and took it back and picked up a new AM3 board (M4A79XTD EVO) and there was no screwing around. With the DDR3 the performance is quite a lot better and everything just works.

As mentioned, it really isn't worth sticking a 955 into that old board. Better to save and get a new AM3 board IMO.

 

[bassfisher6522]

Hey RS, I'll take your old CPU off your hands....I have the exact same CPU but different Asus mobo. It will work just fine on my old mobo. Let me know we'll work something out.

 

[stevepoolstock]

Ok, I'm considering buying a new mobo, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on just a mobo. Does anyone know any good, inexpensive boards. The one Mellon Head named isn't expensive, but it's more than I'd like to spend.

Memory isn't a problem, enough to choose from.

 

[Mellon Head]

Ok, I'm considering buying a new mobo, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on just a mobo. Does anyone know any good, inexpensive boards. The one Mellon Head named isn't expensive, but it's more than I'd like to spend.

Memory isn't a problem, enough to choose from.

A friend has this one and he likes it:

Newegg.ca - ASUS M4A77T/USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

This is also a fairly good buy:

Newegg.ca - ASUS M4A88T-M AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard


My wife has one of these and it's just unreal how good it is for almost no money:

Newegg.ca - ASRock N68-S UCC AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

And this is the DDR3 version of her board:

Newegg.ca - ASRock N68C-S UCC AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

I was really impressed with my wife's board. For a budget board, it's really solid. The trick is, you would need to buy a 95 Watt 955 to use in that one. I've heard that there is one that's just come out.

 

[stevepoolstock]

Thanks a bunch Mellon Head! That ASUS M4A77T looks great and it sells for only 72 euros here in the Netherlands.

I think my upgrade will be like this:
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955BE - €159,99
Mobo - ASUS M4A77T - €71,99
RAM - Corsair DDR3 1333-2G - €51,99

Resulting in about €284,- Is this a fair deal?

Edit: Also, how big will the performance boost be compared to my current system? (See system specs)

 

[Wallonn7]

Thanks a bunch Mellon Head! That ASUS M4A77T looks great and it sells for only 72 euros here in the Netherlands.

I think my upgrade will be like this:
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955BE - €159,99
Mobo - ASUS M4A77T - €71,99
RAM - Corsair DDR3 1333-2G - €51,99

Resulting in about €284,- Is this a fair deal?

If you really plan to upgrade it, I suggest you invest in a mobo with a 8-series chipset, like this one for exemple: Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

 

[stevepoolstock]

What would be the advantage of investing in a mobo with a 8-series chipset?

 

[Wallonn7]

What would be the advantage of investing in a mobo with a 8-series chipset?

Besides the fact you have a chipset with native support for SATA 600?! It is the chipset that was developed to better deal with the ATI HD 5000 series ... At most, you will have support for the technologies that are still to come, without having to make major investments in this area... I forgot to mention 2 x 3.0 USB ports... For more info: GA-880GA-UD3H (rev. 2.0) - GIGABYTE

 

[stevepoolstock]

I see. I didn't know about that. I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

 

[Wallonn7]

I see. I didn't know about that. I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

You're welcome!

 

[stevepoolstock]

I promised to update you guys with my findings.

Okay so I bought the Phenom II x4 955 and I put it on my M2A-VM (BIOS flashed to version 5001).

As I aspected, the 955 runs at 4x800Mhz instead of 4x3200Mhz. The CPU is recognized correctly in CPUID aswell as in BIOS. I tried both disabling and enabling Cool 'n' Quiet and Ganged mode, without any affect.

I can now officially say that the Amd Phenom II X4 955 does not work correctly on the Asus M2A-VM motherboard, even with the latest BIOS update.

Hope this helps some people.

PS.

I ordered an Asus M4A77(sAM3, DDR2), with Hypertransport 3.0 and it will be delivered tomorrow.

 

[Moose3]

I just bought a brand new 965 Phenom II BE on Friday

My PC (Win 7 64 bit) booted flawlessly but it is running @800mhz; Running the beta 5001 BIOS from AMD's support site. make sure in the BIOS you set the CPU multiplier manually.

First of all, I have set in my bios:
CPU V.1.2500,
CPU multiplier @17,
disabled CnQ and C1E

Then,

1. I install and open Nvidia Control Panel;
Save my current profile nvsutil.nsu to desktop and open in Notepad, edited the [ClockSettings] section adding the lines
CpuCore0Mul= 17.0
CpuCore1Mul= 17.0
CpuCore2Mul= 17.0
CpuCore3Mul= 17.0
CpuCore4Mul= 0.0
CpuCore5Mul= 0.0
CpuCore6Mul= 0.0
CpuCore7Mul= 0.0

set to load when windows starts. Save and reboot

it took me a while (4+ hours) but it's working now

P.S. might need multiplier set at 16 for the 955 chip


Source: Phenom II now "supported" on M2N-SLI Deluxe - Page 13 - Guru3D.com Forums