What is AMD Spider platform?

[jimmiekain]

I was reading up on the AMD Spider platform and I cant find a website to give me clear cut information on what the spider platform is. I think I have it but dont know.

Here is what I have

Amd Phenom x4 9950 be
Sapphire Radeon 4870
MSI mobo with 790fx nb

Is that the spider platform? Can someone please tell me exactly the spider platform is and also what the advantage having it is?

 

[Just_An_Engineer]

I was reading up on the AMD Spider platform and I cant find a website to give me clear cut information on what the spider platform is. I think I have it but dont know.

Here is what I have

Amd Phenom x4 9950 be
Sapphire Radeon 4870
MSI mobo with 790fx nb

Is that the spider platform? Can someone please tell me exactly the spider platform is and also what the advantage having it is?

What you have is better than the Spider platform. The Spider Platform was a marketing tool used by AMD when the first Phenom processors were released. Basically it was pitched as a system that was comprised of a Phenom processor, a motherboard with one of the AMD 700 series chipsets, and an ATI 38XX graphics card. There is no real advantage to having all of the elements of the platform as it was purely a marketing tool. AMD's current platform "Dragon" is the same type of marketing tool using updated products by replacing the Phenom Processor with a Phenom II and the 38XX graphics card with a 48XX card. Again, it is purely a marketing tool to encourage people to build systems comprised of as many AMD products as possible. (The "Dragon" platform does make a pretty darn nice system BTW)

 

[jimmiekain]

What you have is better than the Spider platform. The Spider Platform was a marketing tool used by AMD when the first Phenom processors were released. Basically it was pitched as a system that was comprised of a Phenom processor, a motherboard with one of the AMD 700 series chipsets, and an ATI 38XX graphics card. There is no real advantage to having all of the elements of the platform as it was purely a marketing tool. AMD's current platform "Dragon" is the same type of marketing tool using updated products by replacing the Phenom Processor with a Phenom II and the 38XX graphics card with a 48XX card. Again, it is purely a marketing tool to encourage people to build systems comprised of as many AMD products as possible. (The "Dragon" platform does make a pretty darn nice system BTW)

thanks for clearing that up for me... I know this isnt the best forum to post this question in but it was the closest to what i needed... again thanks for answering. Here is another one though... If i want to say i have the dragon platform will i need a new motherboard or just a phenom II chip? my current mobo takes am2+ its the msi k9a2 platinum. Is it a good mobo? the guy at the computer shop talked me into buying it because it had a sticker on it that said toms hardware buyers pick or approved or something like that.

 

[Amg]

yes the dragan platform is a boody nice system, it really is, the spider platform was well rubbish

 

[Just_An_Engineer]

thanks for clearing that up for me... I know this isnt the best forum to post this question in but it was the closest to what i needed... again thanks for answering. Here is another one though... If i want to say i have the dragon platform will i need a new motherboard or just a phenom II chip? my current mobo takes am2+ its the msi k9a2 platinum. Is it a good mobo? the guy at the computer shop talked me into buying it because it had a sticker on it that said toms hardware buyers pick or approved or something like that.

Just pop in a Phenom II 920 or 940 and you now have the "Dragon" platform. The MSI K9A2 motherboard is okay but not ideal due to the use of the SB600 southbridge. The SB600 southbridge is known to have some issues with running the USB ports and SATA ports at reduced speeds which is why it has been largely replaced by the SB700 and SB750 southbridges. When the first Phenom's were released the general consensus was that the MSI K9A2 was the best board out there for them but that changed when boards with the 790FX northbridge and SB750 southbridge arrived on the scene. The SB750 really helped out the Phenom I's in the overclocking department but the Phenom II's are apparently fairly indifferent as to what southbridge is used with them.

I wouldn't bother replacing it with a current motherboard at the moment as any additional performance you'd get would be fairly insignificant. You may want to look into upgrading in another 6 months or so when the 800 series chipsets come out (assuming that they will be available in AM2+ sockets), but I'd sit tight until then.

I would point out however that your motherboard does not "officially" support Phenom II yet. There is a Beta BIOS available for your board on the MSI website that adds Phenom II support but I would personally wait until the final BIOS is released before upgrading.

Good Luck!

 

[Just_An_Engineer]

yes the dragan platform is a boody nice system, it really is, the spider platform was well rubbish

Sadly I'm going to have to agree with you on the "Spider " platform. It would have been a success had the 9850's and 9950's been available upon release, but as it was the Phenom 9500's and 9600's just couldn't hang with their Intel equivalents. By the time the 9850 and 9950 arrived on the scene the 38XX graphics cards had already been supplanted by the far superior 48XX cards.

I think they definitely did hit the sweet spot with the "Dragon" platform however. It's a platform that can be built rather inexpensively and is capable of handling any of the games currently out there.

 

[Amg]

none of the first gen of AM2 Quad could keep up with intel unlike the PII. the 9950 closed the gap through but still no go, they done it this time through I wonder if the DDR3 "dragon" platform can punch teh I7s