What cpu?

[Vasily87]

Hi, I have an amd phenom II x2550be processor, Its on a really poor foxconn mobo with 4gb of ddr2 ram. I was looking at the posibility of buying a new motherboard and unlocking the "dormant" cores. Upon investigation Amd's overclock tool told my my processor was socket am2+ (940) and cpu z told me it was Socket am3 (938) Why is this and is there anyone who can specifically tell me which i have. Its a callisto also if it helps shed any light. Also i was looking at this motherboard ASUS M5A78L-M LX AMD 760G uATX Motherboard It said that it supports AMD AM3+ FX™/Phenom™ II/Athlon™ II/Sempron™ 100 Series Processors. Also ddr3 ram so i would need to upgrade that also?
Would this motherboard be compatible and what is the difference between am3 and am3+? thanks!

 

[o1die]

That board is am3+. You can order it, but it's a full size atx board. Your current board may be micro atx, so this board may be too large for your case. This board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131758 will fit your case for sure, and is am3+ ready. I got my 8 gb of ddr3 for only $23.50 after rebate. Wait for a similar deal. I've tried nearly all brands of ddr3; just be sure it's 1.5 or 1.65 volts, and it will work fine.

 

[Vasily87]

Yeah, My case is pretty big to be honest, defo not a micro. So im sure it will fit, this is my system. http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/pcs/276940/advent-centurion-cbe1401. Also will my am3 chip be compatible on an am3+ board?

 

[holdingholder]

Your current mb is probably an old am2+ mb which supports am3 processors, the phenom II 550 is definitely an am3 cpu. Am3+ is the new AMd socket type which is backwards compatible with older am3 cpus so it will work with your 550be and have the possibility of unlocking the extra cores (it's not a guarantee though). And yes you would need to buy new DDR3 ram to go with an am3 or am3+ mb. AM3+ supports the new FX series of AMD cpu's and AM3 does not, not really relevant for you so you could probably save a few bucks by just buying an AM3 mb.

 

[Vasily87]

nice one thanks for the feedback!