CPU/Mobo AMD Bulldozer Discussion Thread

Hades.

Hades.

Skilled
Source: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards - Softpedia

Things seems to take an interesting turn in the Bulldozer story as it appears that, contrary to what we previously knew, AMD's upcoming high-performance desktop chips will be compatible with older AM3 motherboards via a simple BIOS update.

The news comes from the Hardware-Infos website that spoke with various motherboard makers present at CeBIT and found out that Bulldozer will be compatible with AM3 motherboards.

Furthermore, at least one AMD board partner has managed to run a Bulldozer sample inside a socket AM3 board by simply building a special BIOS version.

No details regarding the performance of the Bulldozer processor when paired together with an AM3 motherboard were provided, but it is expected that there will be some sort of performance penalty as AM3+ boards are expected to support higher HyperTransport and memory speeds as well as a wider connection between the Northbridge and Southbridge.

The news is extremely surprising considering that just last year AMD said that retaining AM3 compatibility for Bulldozer wasn't possible without having to drop some of its features.

All that AMD was capable of doing, in order to ease its users' transition to the new architecture, was to make the AM3+ socket compatible with existing AM3 CPUs.

Other details are not available at this moment regarding Bulldozer's compatibility with AM3 motherboards, and we don't know if going this route (if the news is indeed true) will disable any of the CPU's features, such as Turbo Core 2.0 or its advanced power gating technology.

Bulldozer is AMD's next-generation high-performance CPU architecture that was designed from the ground up in order to eliminate some of the redundancies that come with traditional multi-core designs and a Bulldozer module should be able to deliver about 92% of the throughput of a similar native dual-core chip.

The processor is expected to be released during the CeBIT fair, as we reported just yesterday.
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Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

woooowww :O

way to go AMD with backward compatiblity:cool2:

lets just hope this rumor isn't a rumor,:) rather a fact
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

This is excellent news! Bulldozer is very different from Thuban and Deneb. So if this is true it makes Intel's engineers look like amateurs!
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

I had argued with JF_AMD @ XS that this is easily possible with a simple cpu code and AGESA update, then why is AMD denying us AM3 adopters a Bulldozer update and then he had outrightly denied this being possible.

They had earlier lied about AM2+ processors not working on AM2 boards (AM2+ boards were all but the same as AM2 boards with a similar simple bios update) like on my M2N PV-VM but with the help of a very small team of like minded bios modders, I had succeeded in making my own bios with AM2+ support upto Thubans on my 6 year old M2NPV-VM :D

This is possible but I don't know whether this announcement is just another prelaunch rumor. Waiting for BD to come out soon :p

Will take a look at the 9xx series Award bios modules on Giga boards to see whether my 880GM-UD2H is amenable to porting if Gigabyte doesn't give me a bios update like Asus did.
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

..:: Free Radical ::.. said:
I had argued with JF_AMD @ XS that this is easily possible with a simple cpu code and AGESA update, then why is AMD denying us AM3 adopters a Bulldozer update and then he had outrightly denied this being possible.

They had earlier lied about AM2+ processors not working on AM2 boards (AM2+ boards were all but the same as AM2 boards with a similar simple bios update) like on my M2N PV-VM but with the help of a very small team of like minded bios modders, I had succeeded in making my own bios with AM2+ support upto Thubans on my 6 year old M2NPV-VM :D

This is possible but I don't know whether this announcement is just another prelaunch rumor. Waiting for BD to come out soon :p

Will take a look at the 9xx series Award bios modules on Giga boards to see whether my 880GM-UD2H is amenable to porting if Gigabyte doesn't give me a bios update like Asus did.
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did you seriously upgrade your AM2 mobo to an AM2+ via bios update? :O

i didn't know that it was possible
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

Yep. I am an idiot :D

Flashed my board hundreds of times to research and had to rma it twice (contemplate me facing Rashi).

M2NPV-VM to support Phenom II ?

A week after we made a successful port, Asus released a new bios after 3 years with official AM2+ support (still limited to the 95W quads at max) even though the original bios didn't even support Phenom 1, let alone quads and hexacores :rofl:
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

^^

Wow kewl man!

And this is great news..Now I can happily switch from my old C2D to a new AMD 965BE setup without worrying about losing bulldozer compatibility!
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

ram_dante said:
^^

Wow kewl man!

And this is great news..Now I can happily switch from my old C2D to a new AMD 965BE setup without worrying about losing bulldozer compatibility!
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AMD is gonna officially showcase bulldozer CPUs tomorrow... So we wud get some more info about Bulldozer CPUs... AND BTW AMD will start shpping Bulldozer CPUs in april...
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

Hades. said:
AMD is gonna officially showcase bulldozer CPUs tomorrow... So we wud get some more info about Bulldozer CPUs... AND BTW AMD will start shpping Bulldozer CPUs in april...
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Yuppy then its time for me to switch my 955 to Bulldozer...... with out changing my existing 790FX-GD70 MSI board...... hurray
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

the big issue if u have older athlon1 or phenom 1 old version so u cannot use am3 board with ddr3 cause it has some bios bug

cause i even test at my friend am3 board with ddr3 ram it fail to boot no screen and even i test on am2+ board 790 gx with ddr2 it work perfect no issue i wonder why does amd board mix different bios for support latest cpu version for phenom 2 and bulldozer :|

so now selling the atholn 6000 x/2 that i don't need cause it will not work on am3 board :|
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

thats awesome news. i hope there is not a huge performance hit on the am3 boards as compared to am3+
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

AMD's upcoming FX series "Zambezi" desktop processors based on the "Bulldozer architecture are also expected to bring with them compatible motherboards, as AMD, on a number of occassions, stated that the chips will require a new socket (referred to as AM3+) and compatible chipset, and that the chips will be incompatible with existing AM3 socket and existing chipset. Information available with SweClockers points to the contrary.

According to the source, motherboard major ASUS is planning to provide support to AM3+ processors to some of its existing AM3 motherboards using mere BIOS updates. That's right, Zambezi will indeed be backwards compatible with AM3 and existing chipset, only what remains to be seen is if the processors will perform to their full potential and overclock well on existing platform. Amongst ASUS' Schindler's list are top of the line AM3 models, such as ROG Crosshair IV Formula and Extreme, M4A89TD PRO/USB3, and even AMD 890GX-based motherboards such as M4A89GTD PRO. The list also shows certain AM3+ motherboards that use dated chipsets such as 760G, probably the entry-level of ASUS' M5A series of motherboards.
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AMD FX Zambezi Processors Compatible with ASUS AM3 Motherboards Using BIOS Update | techPowerUp
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

I hope MSI and GIGABYTE stop relaxing after this announcement and start working! I would be extremely angry if my mother board does not support Bulldozer.
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

Great News but i actually wanna see a bulldozer proccy running on an AM3 motherboard... This will clear a lot ov ppl doubts... ;)
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

Hahahahaha.

Gotta pull JF_AMD's leg next time he shows up.

Anyone got a link to such a mobo's bios (preferably Award) please do pm me asap.
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

Damn this is indeed awesome news! Got to give this one to AMD - although they may be losing to Intel sheer performance wise, as far as VFM and socket compatibility goes, these guys emerge as winners.

If not for the SNB i2500K, I'd have banked on one of the Bulldozer chips - alas I cannot wait. Have waited enough already!

@Free Radical: You sir, deserve respect for that feat! :D
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

Many other 890G and 890 FX chips say the same. Look out for Rev 3.1 version of the Gigabyte 870, 880 and 890 chipsets :)
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

Arun.P said:
the big issue if u have older athlon1 or phenom 1 old version so u cannot use am3 board with ddr3 cause it has some bios bug

cause i even test at my friend am3 board with ddr3 ram it fail to boot no screen and even i test on am2+ board 790 gx with ddr2 it work perfect no issue i wonder why does amd board mix different bios for support latest cpu version for phenom 2 and bulldozer :|

so now selling the atholn 6000 x/2 that i don't need cause it will not work on am3 board :|
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Arun.

Athlon X2 6000+ and Phenom I have only a DDR2 IMC and won't ever work on an AM3 board which are strictly DDR3!!

That's no bios bug, its missing memory controller :p

@Thanks Gannu
 
Re: AMD Bulldozer Said to Be Compatible with AM3 Motherboards

..:: Free Radical ::.. said:
Hahahahaha.

Gotta pull JF_AMD's leg next time he shows up.

Anyone got a link to such a mobo's bios (preferably Award) please do pm me asap.
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u want BIOS u can download it from here (ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS/mb/socketAM3/) but make sure u have the bulldozer compatible motherboard :p

Softpedia said:
Asus has just made an announcement that seems to confirm the fact that AMD's upcoming Bulldozer processors will indeed be compatible with regular AM3 motherboards after the boards go through a simple BIOS update.

“Asus, the worldwide leader in motherboard design and sales, today announced the release of the industry's first AM3+ CPU enabled motherboard solution based on the existing AMD 8-Series Chipsets.

“Current owners of an AM3-based board can make their AMD 8-Series motherboards compatible with the latest AM3+ CPUs with a simple BIOS update from the official ASUS website,” reads an Asus statement that was cited by Nordic Hardware.

This is the second time that news regarding Bulldozer's supposed compatibility with the AM3 socket surface.

The previous report also cited some motherboard makers that said AM3 boards only require a BIOS update to become compatible with AMD's yet unreleased CPUs, but these rumors were quickly put to rest by a company official.

According to the same source, only the Crosshair IV Extreme, Crosshair IV Formula, M4A89TD PRO/USB3, M4A89TD PRO, M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 and M4A89GTD PRO motherboards are compatible with Bulldozer CPUs.

The BIOS-es are in beta and are available for download from Asus' FTP which can be accessed by following this [link="ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS/mb/socketAM3/"]link[/link].

Together with these new BIOS versions, Asus has also announced that it will introduce no less than 10 M5A series motherboard models that will feature AM3+ CPU support out of the box.

Bulldozer is AMD's next-generation high-performance CPU architecture that was designed from the ground up in order to eliminate some of the redundancies that come with traditional multi-core designs.

As a result, the chip uses a modular construction and each module is made of two 128-bit FMA floating point units, which can be combined into one 256-bit FPU, two integer cores, with four pipelines each, as much as 2048KB of L2 cache, and 8MB of shared L3 cache.

The first Zambezi chips will see the light of day in June 2011.
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