Asus M4 Motherboards Do AMD Phenom II X6
Asus is loading M4 motherboards with 6-core processor compatibility thanks to some tasty firmware.
While we have yet to wrap our fingers around the upcoming hexacore AMD Phenom II X6 "Thuban" processors, Asus isn't wasting any time getting primed and ready for the big reveal. The company said on Friday that its M4 series motherboards will receive a BIOS update providing compatibility with the new processor.
Asus provided a list of motherboards, shown below (model – chipset – bios):
- M4A89GTD PRO - AMD 890GX/SB850 - 1104
- M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 - AMD 890GX/SB850 - 1104
- Crosshair III Formula - AMD 790FX/SB750 - 1503
- M4N72-E - NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI - 2005
- M4N82 DELUXE - NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI with NVIDIA NVCC and ESA support - 1803
- M4N75TD - NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI supports NVIDIA Clock Calibration (NVCC) function - 0903
- M4N98TD EVO - NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI supports NVIDIA Clock Calibration(NVCC) function - 0603
- M4A79 Deluxe - AMD 790FX/SB750 - 3204
- M4A79T Deluxe - AMD 790FX/SB750 - 3004
- M4A78T-E - AMD 790GX/SB750 - 3204
- M4A78-E - AMD 790GX/SB750 - 2405
- M4A78-E SE - AMD 790GX/SB750 – 1405
Outside its 6-core readiness, Asus also pointed out another fine feature in the series: the Core Unlocker. This feature should take advantage of the Phenom II X6's overclocking abilities.
"Core Unlocker was developed by ASUS to easily activate latent AMD CPU cores," the company said in this press release. "Without requiring any additional upgrades, ASUS motherboards with Core Unlocker deliver more performance by unlocking extra CPU cores—providing more value. To experience an instant processing boost, users simply turn on a switch on the new M4A89 Series or intuitively press the number "4" key during the power-on self test in existing M4 series motherboards."
Although AMD hasn't officially announced a release date, the Phenom II X6 chips are expected to feature a starting price of $199 for the 2.8 GHz Phenom II X6 1055T. The meatier 3.2 GHz Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition should cost around $295, however nothing is officially etched in stone.
AMD's Phenom II X6 chips are expected to hit the market sometime around April 26.
beats the hell out of intels 6 core prices
From that lineup, it would appear Thuban's are fully capable of being dropped into existing AM3, as well as AM2+ motherboards, provided they have the 790GX/FX and SB750 chipsets. Though, I see no mention specifically of the 790X Northbridge, as found in the M4A79XTD EVO.
beats the hell out of intels 6 core prices
I cant afford to spend more then $300 on a cpu; and I do a lot of rendering, so extra cores do provide a noticeable benefit. That 3.2 6 core to replace my old 4 core 2.6, sounds dreamy.
I wonder if it can OC on air to 4ghz stable.
I haven't purchased a quad core yet, and six 2.8 GHz cores might be worth while for video editing... but $$$ is a factor (just don't have $800 to build an i7 system right now).
From that source and a few others, it seems these cpus will have individual core clocking as a feature similar to turbo boost on the Intel cpus. If thats true, the 3.2ghz (3.6ghz) cpu should easily take down some i7s and *maybe* come close to the 980x.
If I were to build a computer in the next two months I would certainly look into this. I mean, sure, Core i5 750 is all good and the i7's too, but this looks so good you almost don't have to think much. Unless there is some unforseen caveat, if we can extrapolate from the Phenom II X4 955 architecture, like I said, this will be value for money!
better than what happened with my M2NSLI-DELUXE (NO PII support officially)