am2 phenom upgradability? FORGET IT!!!

[psymanproductions]

gigabyte said they will not be giving bios updates for its am2 boards (atleast ones based on the n-force550 chipset) to allow us to upgrade to phenom!

last year i spent £150 on an amd processor and a gigabyte am2 motherboard knowing intels core architecture was capable of gigving me more processing power.

i did this because i was lead to belive by amd that ALL current AM2 boards will support a phenom drop in upgrade so my plan was buy a cheapish dual core athlon and upgrade to quad core when the phenoms come out and become cheap.

however i emailed gigabyte to see when they will be doing a bios update for phenom and they said NEVER!

to make matters worse they lied saying that the n-force 550 chipset doesnt support phenom. i know it does... it just wont be able to clock cores up & down individualy.

i am angry at both amd and gigabyte for this, amd promised upgradability... gigabyte refused to deliver it and they lied to me. amd also kind of lied claiming that you WILL be able to upgrade. all this would have been avoided if amd had made it known that the upgrade is dependent on mobo manufactures not being cum rags.

i will not be buying gigabyte mobos again and amd can forget it unless they bring a processor to market wich rapes intel core quads and costs pennies (unlikely for the next 1/2 years i think)

ahh... feel better after getting that off my chest, hope you enjoyed my rant lol

 

[cfvh600]

lol...I feel for you.

 

[BaronMatrix]

i will not be buying gigabyte mobos again and amd can forget it unless they bring a processor to market wich rapes intel core quads and costs pennies

I think you're asking for too much. That's like saying Intel should charge less for chips that are faster than Q6600.

 

[boduke]

I got the same feedback from Giga-byte for my AM2 based board as well....so much for backwards compatability indeed...I think I'll just upgrade my desktop quad to a Penryn in Jan and put the Q6600 in my VMWare server...I'll be able to get a decent board for it by then for <$100 I'm sure, and my existing P35 board that holds my Q6600 is already certified for 45nm procs...

 

[MU_Engineer]

gigabyte said they will not be giving bios updates for its am2 boards (atleast ones based on the n-force550 chipset) to allow us to upgrade to phenom!

last year i spent £150 on an amd processor and a gigabyte am2 motherboard knowing intels core architecture was capable of gigving me more processing power.

i did this because i was lead to belive by amd that ALL current AM2 boards will support a phenom drop in upgrade so my plan was buy a cheapish dual core athlon and upgrade to quad core when the phenoms come out and become cheap.

however i emailed gigabyte to see when they will be doing a bios update for phenom and they said NEVER!

to make matters worse they lied saying that the n-force 550 chipset doesnt support phenom. i know it does... it just wont be able to clock cores up & down individualy.

i am angry at both amd and gigabyte for this, amd promised upgradability... gigabyte refused to deliver it and they lied to me. amd also kind of lied claiming that you WILL be able to upgrade. all this would have been avoided if amd had made it known that the upgrade is dependent on mobo manufactures not being cum rags.

i will not be buying gigabyte mobos again and amd can forget it unless they bring a processor to market wich rapes intel core quads and costs pennies (unlikely for the next 1/2 years i think)

ahh... feel better after getting that off my chest, hope you enjoyed my rant lol

That sucks. Perhaps somebody will hack the BIOS to support the Phenoms- it will take some work but it may be possible.

 

[epsilon84]

Damn, that sucks.

I hope other mobo manufacturers don't follow suit...

 

[torcida_kutina]

I'm general after the battle. I always said - don't buy gigabyte and asus mobos! he, he
Buy ABIT

 

[epsilon84]

I'm general after the battle. I always said - don't buy gigabyte and asus mobos! he, he
Buy ABIT

What's wrong with Asus mobos? They seem pretty good to me, especially in terms of releasing BIOS updates for older chipsets to run the newer chips.

I'm currently running a P965 based P5B Deluxe and it will support 45nm via a BIOS update, so I'm pretty happy about that.

 

[exit2dos]

According to Anand, the 550 isn't even designed for a dualcore - let alone a quad.

the nForce 550 is recommended for Athlon 64 (single core) and Sempron users.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2764&p=2

 

[epsilon84]

Dont feel bad, the new EE Intel quads wont work on the new X38's or P35's. Thats the way it goes with technology.

Just because it is not officially supported does not mean it won't WORK. Guess what the QX9770 previews were run on? That's right, X38 boards! Owned.

Also, I love how you fail to mention any of the the other 45nm quads? Like the Q9300/Q9450/Q9550/QX9650 which all on P35/X38 and EVEN my 1.5 year old P965 P5B Deluxe!

 

[The_OGS]

To quote (thank you exit2dos) that review:
"Rounding out the chipset offerings, the nForce 550 is the "value mainstream" product, taking over from the nForce4 4X. Several of the higher end options have been dropped from the 550 chipset... Whereas the other three chipsets are recommended for Athlon 64/FX/X2 users, the nForce 550 is recommended for Athlon 64 (single core) and Sempron users."
So this was an inexpensive mobo, even 18 months ago...
Don't worry friend - you don't want to put a Phenom in it, anyway.
Regards

 

[chunkymonster]

Well, I would never buy gigabyte mobos to beign with, but in this case, you really only have yourself to blame.

While Phenoms are backwards compatible with the socket AM2 mobos, AMD did not hide the fact that they were really socket AM2+ and would need a newer chipset to take full advantage of the proc.

It's really up to the mobo maker's discretion whether to ultimately decide if they are going to offer BIOS updates to their products. Case in point, gigabyte offers a BIOS update for their 520LE mobos to accept phenom but not their (your) 550 mobos.

I would also refer you to your mobos and gigabytes OFFICIAL cpu compatibility chart.

 

[itotallybelieveyou]

Gigabyte = idiots for doing this

 

[Rohmaan]

I just bought a new gigabyte AM2+ motherboard I hope AM2+ mobo will support AM3 chips.

 

[xrider]

Dont feel bad, the new EE Intel quads wont work on the new X38's or P35's. Thats the way it goes with technology.

This guy has said this on a bunch of threads. For the last time this is not true stop spreading F.U.D

 

[speedbird]

Dont feel bad, the new EE Intel quads wont work on the new X38's or P35's. Thats the way it goes with technology.

You have mentioned this on numerous threads, but you are wrong.

 

[cnumartyr]

Are you really dumb enough to think that someone who starts there screen name with MRS is a guy?? LOL.
Its not fud bud, there is currently no chipset in the market that (officially) supports FSB1600.

Yes and No. Intel does not officially support the QX9770 on the X38 chipset. However both Asus and Gigabyte *DO* offer manufacturer support on their X38 boards for the 1600 MHz FSB QX9770.

 

[caamsa]

I hate to say it............

But that is life in the big city.........................

Stop your griping. Some people are born without legs, or arms. You hear them bitching (Booooo! Hoooo!) I want my money back I got ripped off........no they deal with it and move on.........

You make your own bed.......so lay in it.

No one owes you anything.

 

[turpit]

Well, I would never buy gigabyte mobos to beign with, but in this case, you really only have yourself to blame.

While Phenoms are backwards compatible with the socket AM2 mobos, AMD did not hide the fact that they were really socket AM2+ and would need a newer chipset to take full advantage of the proc.

It's really up to the mobo maker's discretion whether to ultimately decide if they are going to offer BIOS updates to their products. Case in point, gigabyte offers a BIOS update for their 520LE mobos to accept phenom but not their (your) 550 mobos.

I would also refer you to your mobos and gigabytes OFFICIAL cpu compatibility chart.

Thats quite true, AMD didnt hide that fact, but then, they havent exactly come out and publically expounded on the limitations of using an AM2+/AM3 cpu in an AM2 board.

On the other hand, we have the fanboys and certain sites hyping the interchangability to the point that I worry poeple dont understand that there are limitations.

 

[WR]

Dont feel bad, the new EE Intel quads wont work on the new X38's or P35's.

The new EE Intel quad model QX9650 is the only one available and it works on X38 and P35 and even some P965s, though not officially supported by Intel. You don't know if an unreleased product will or will not work.

What do you do if you have one of those P965s and the board manufacturer gets Penryn to work on it? You don't buy X38/P35. Simple?

 

[jimmysmitty]

Are you really dumb enough to think that someone who starts there screen name with MRS is a guy?? LOL.
Its not fud bud, there is currently no chipset in the market that (officially) supports FSB1600.

Just because it is not officially supported does not mean it won't WORK. Guess what the QX9770 previews were run on? That's right, X38 boards! Owned.

Yeah thats right, but the X38 is not officially supported. Wanna guess why? hmmmm....? Because they want you to buy another one of their outrageously prices mobos at $250+ just like they did for C2D. Then in 2 months it wont be upgradeable either like the 975.

Ok you need to stop spreading false info. I for one am getting sick of it really. All Penryns(Yorkfeild for the Quad version) will work on P35/X38 and even Asus will have them running on P965. The P35 does not officially support the FSB of 1333 but is very capable and the X38 is not an official supporter of 1600 FSB but can. The only reason Intel is "suggesting" the use of the X48 is due to its higher thermal envelope but we all know that the QX9650 even when Oc'ed to 3.8GHz didn't hit near the 130watt TDP. Check Asus website and look at the CPU support for the Commando which is a P965 chipset mobo.

BTW Intel doesn't price the mobos its the manufactuer. I wounder what you will be saying once Nehalem comes out and there is a IMC instead. Right now I have a P35 mobo and can plug anything from a Celeron 420 all the way up to a QX9650 into it without a problem.

Now just to fill you in you cannot pop a Phenom into a older AM2 mobo and expect better performance. In order to get the best performance, latest technology and features you need a newer mobo with guess waht... the newest chipset to support it. Its the same. The IMC does change the memory frequency but still everything else in still on a chipset.

Just give it up really. You are so wrong its getting funny now.

As for this guy I feel sorry for you. Just like how the 680i was set to support the Penryn chips and they are having issues. Well mainly Gigabyte. I guess they aren't that good.

 

[techguy911]

I bought my 975x board had a 6600 dual, then bought the q6600 dropped it in no problems thats another reason why i won't go back to amd.

I have had an amd up to the point where core 2 duo was released, i bought the 6600 and found its performance better than all amd cpu's out there.

Now that the true quad cores are out and i have witnessed 1st hand that the q6600 still outperforms it , the q6600 is the starter quad core if amd can't beat it without resorting to dual cpu motherboards they might as well give up.

Amd is going in wrong direction people don't want to buy a mother board with 2 or 4 cpu scockets, having to buy cpu's in pairs ,the price point gets out of control, they need a FAST chip, this spider thing is silly , i run a computer store nobody is remotely interested in buying one.

 

[boner]

HA HA!!!

 

[pete4r]

BTW Intel doesn't price the mobos its the manufactuer. I wounder what you will be saying once Nehalem comes out and there is a IMC instead. Right now I have a P35 mobo and can plug anything from a Celeron 420 all the way up to a QX9650 into it without a problem.

do you really think Intel give out those P965, P975, P35, X38 and X48 to the manufacturers for free? why would the manufacturers making Intel chipset based motherboards more expensive than those of AMD/ATI and NVIDIA chipset based?

AnandTech have a review on the X48, Intel is charging $20 more for the chipset (i could be wrong but the figure is on the review) for practically the same chipset except for FBS1666 and tri-SLI or some minor improvements.

Not saying these chipsets are crap, but they are pricy and certainly not free.

 

[MU_Engineer]

I bought my 975x board had a 6600 dual, then bought the q6600 dropped it in no problems thats another reason why i won't go back to amd.

You can upgrade CPUs in AMD motherboards as well. In fact, it's usually much more foolproof than on an Intel setup. The rule is pretty much that if the chip fits, it'll run. AMD also guarantees that you can put any AM2/AM2+/AM3 chip in an AM2 motherboard and it will run. There are exceptions, such as some Gigabyte NF550-based AM2 boards not getting the needed BIOS update to run Phenoms. But if you get the right BIOS, it'll run them. This is not true for Intel setups, where the chipset and VRMs often prevent newer chips from working.

I have had an amd up to the point where core 2 duo was released, i bought the 6600 and found its performance better than all amd cpu's out there.

That was true when the C2D was released, but an X2 6400+ is faster in most tests. And you don't mean *all* AMD CPUs as an E6600 or Q6600 would be handed its rear by a dual, quad, or 8-way Opteron setup in most things that are not games.

Now that the true quad cores are out and i have witnessed 1st hand that the q6600 still outperforms it , the q6600 is the starter quad core if amd can't beat it without resorting to dual cpu motherboards they might as well give up.

That's a pretty poor attitude. Just like sports teams, IC manufacturers will "win" some and "lose" some. If you use that line of reasoning, the Intel should have given up when the Athlon debuted and showed the PIII Coppermine taillights, not to mention beating it to the 1 GHz milestone. They also should have give up when their new P4 Willamette was beaten not only by the Athlon XP but by the PIII Tualatins. And if those were too minor, then the quadruple whammy of Prescott, Smithfield, Cedar Mill, and Presler should have had Intel give up. Not to mention Intel's big Itanium plans sinking like the ship the chip is nicknamed after. But Intel succeeded almost in spite of itself to bring the Core architecture chips to the market and regain the performance crown. I am sure that AMD will do the same.

Amd is going in wrong direction people don't want to buy a mother board with 2 or 4 cpu scockets, having to buy cpu's in pairs ,the price point gets out of control, they need a FAST chip, this spider thing is silly , i run a computer store nobody is remotely interested in buying one.

It depends on what your market is. If it's primarily gamers- and many mom-and-pop stores' clientele is- you'll see people going for whatever has the absolute highest performance in a single socket. Right now, that's Intel. However, most people want a decent buy for a moderate amount of money. AMD has been fulfilling that portion of the market rather well recently and has sold a *ton* of chips. They can do very well as a company by selling chips to that market, as long as they can do so profitably.

The Spider platform is actually rather interesting and sounds like it could be a real winner for AMD. The chipset and platform has about as much to do with the functionality of a system as the CPU does, perhaps even more. A wonderful CPU with a mediocre chipset isn't as effective as a mediocre CPU with a wonderful chipset, especially if you are an enthusiast and run several HDDs, overclock, or use multiple GPUs.

I seem to remember Intel pulling such a platform stunt a while back for notebooks. They called it something like Cantrino, Centrina, or something like that...too bad that didn't pan out for them :lol: