CPU/Mobo Help picking out AMD processor

[Tridon]

Hi !

I would appreciate any help I can get in upgrading my CPU. I have a ThinkCentre M75e 5044 A12, currently running AMD Sempon 145. I was wondering whether my upgrade options are limited by my M/B VRM and if so, what is mine. Will I be able to use a 125 W TDP processor ? Or only one that is rated 95 W TDP ? I do understand that I'll also have to upgrade my PSU as well. Please advise me on the best possible CPU upgrade path that I can take. I'm considering the FX-4100 which will physically fit the AM3 socket, but I'm unsure whether my BIOS would recognise it. Is there a BIOS workaround where I can use a BIOS modded to support AMD's Bulldozer processors ? Or could someone recommend me a CPU that is supported by my M/B without having to replace it ?



M/B: Lenovo Tilapia CRB
Chipset : AMD 780G Rev: 00

Southbridge: AMD SB700 Rev: 00
BIOS : 9IKT14A
PSU: 280W (I believe)
ThinkCentre M75e 5044 A12


CPUz mainboard info: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-imag [...] oardx.png/
CPUz current processor info: ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

I'm considering a processor from the AMD Phenom II X4 line-up but I'm not sure which will be compatible and the best pairing for my mainboard.
Could someone help me decide between the Phenom II X4 955 C3 95W and the Phenom II X4 960T 95W ? Will my mainboard/BIOS support either of these processors ? Perhaps a dealer as well ?


TIA

 

[sudhanshu123]

no man BD won't run on any AM3 board,i am sorry.your options will be the Phenom II quad core's or the thuban six cores(if their TDP is supported).also between the 960 T and 955 be go for 960T,you may be able to unlock its 2 cores to make it a six core proccy,not sure how the TDP will be affected though.the mainboard link aint working.

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

The highest TDP proc they've used is 95W - http://shopap.lenovo.com/id/en/pdf/ThinkCentre-M75e-Datasheet.pdf , so safe to stick to that limit.

 

[ALPHA17]

no man BD won't run on any AM3 board,i am sorry.your options will be the Phenom II quad core's or the thuban six cores(if their TDP is supported).also between the 960 T and 955 be go for 960T,you may be able to unlock its 2 cores to make it a six core proccy,not sure how the TDP will be affected though.the mainboard link aint working.

Once the 960T unlocks to a hexa-core then it will consume ~125W of power. Simple.

 

[Tridon]

Guys, thank you for the responses, I'm really grateful. I've decided to settle on the Phenom II X4 955 C3 95W. Any idea where I will be able to purchase this ? I tried flipkart but they've discontinued it. Also, I need to be sure of the stepping (C3) else it will be incompatible. Any ideas ?

- - - Updated - - -

no man BD won't run on any AM3 board,i am sorry.your options will be the Phenom II quad core's or the thuban six cores(if their TDP is supported).also between the 960 T and 955 be go for 960T,you may be able to unlock its 2 cores to make it a six core proccy,not sure how the TDP will be affected though.the mainboard link aint working.

Your right, it won't able to run. I didn't think about that, as it's rated 95W I just assumed that it wouldn't go higher, more so because the manufacturer itself declares it.

The highest TDP proc they've used is 95W - http://shopap.lenovo.com/id/en/pdf/ThinkCentre-M75e-Datasheet.pdf , so safe to stick to that limit.

Yes, I'm safe and stuck upto 95W TDP but I hope my choices are not limited by the BIOS...

Once the 960T unlocks to a hexa-core then it will consume ~125W of power. Simple.

Yes, but it's an unlikely that a manufacturer would market a product at 95W TDP, knowing that it can unlocked and have it TDP rise to 125W. I mean it's just my two cents, you may even be right. But thanks.

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

The X4s seem to have been replaced with Bulldozer and Fusion models. Where are you from? You can try checking your local dealers if they have any old stock lying around. Another option is ebay. The X4 620 is available : AMD Athlon II X4 620 95W AM3 2MB 2600MHz Quad-Core Processor | eBay . Might be a better bet since the lack of L3 cache isn't a significant performance tradeoff and the power consumption ends up being lower than the 95W TDP rating.

A C3 stepping 955 is not a safe bet, since there were C3 steppings rated at 125W TDP as well.

Yes, I'm safe and stuck upto 95W TDP but I hope my choices are not limited by the BIOS...

Yes, but it's an unlikely that a manufacturer would market a product at 95W TDP, knowing that it can unlocked and have it TDP rise to 125W.

Worst case scenario if the model is not recognised by the BIOS, it will show an invalid CPU model number but will run fine. Unlocking CPUs is not supported by AMD, so any higher TDPs as a result are not their responsibility.

 

[m0h1t]

Phenom II 560 BE is also there, it should provide a decent jump from the semp145, but you wont be able to unlock this to a quad on your current board I think
AMD 3.3 GHz AM3 Phenom II 560 Processor | Processor | Flipkart.com

 

[ALPHA17]

Yes, but it's an unlikely that a manufacturer would market a product at 95W TDP, knowing that it can unlocked and have it TDP rise to 125W. I mean it's just my two cents, you may even be right.

The TDP will rise, you will have to pump in extra vcore and vcpu-nb (v -- voltage) for all the cores to run stably.

In the end, no one can really predict what will happen.

 

[buddingwhizkid]

Quite pricesly put.

The reason a quad is sold as a dual , or a hexa as quad is that IT doesnt match all the rquirements of the particular processor (maybe is 99.99% all right) .

usually AMD lock cores and sell because the CPU being black edition won't handle overclock , Or uses more power than required at the base clocks (what it comes from factory) .
So they "bin" the processors with lower/cheaper ones .
This process is called binning .

Once you unlock cores you cannot say how much voltage / power itll consume . Youll have to manually check via a multimeter .

I have a x2 555 unlocked to a x4 955 .
Mine turned out to be a pretty well :- unlocked (cores wise) and undervolted .
But it cant handle overclocks with 4 cores running above 3.6ghz . That was probably the reason why AMD sold it as a dual .

I'd suggest you to get Athlon ii x4 640 . will be quite an upgrade for you . decent processor for everyday work and would last you a while .

get the 960t if you plan to change the motherboard in future and would be able to unlock cores .

The TDP will rise, you will have to pump in extra vcore and vcpu-nb (v -- voltage) for all the cores to run stably.

In the end, no one can really predict what will happen.

 

[Tridon]

The X4s seem to have been replaced with Bulldozer and Fusion models. Where are you from? You can try checking your local dealers if they have any old stock lying around. Another option is ebay. The X4 620 is available : AMD Athlon II X4 620 95W AM3 2MB 2600MHz Quad-Core Processor | eBay . Might be a better bet since the lack of L3 cache isn't a significant performance tradeoff and the power consumption ends up being lower than the 95W TDP rating.

A C3 stepping 955 is not a safe bet, since there were C3 steppings rated at 125W TDP as well.


Worst case scenario if the model is not recognised by the BIOS, it will show an invalid CPU model number but will run fine. Unlocking CPUs is not supported by AMD, so any higher TDPs as a result are not their responsibility.

Your right, the Athlon II X4 620 is a good option but considering that upgrading to better processor from it won't make sense a year and half from now, as all the upgrade options would be even older. I really like the worst case scenraio that you describe, as then I could BET on the 960T running but not being recognisable. Since the 960T is around Rs 7000, it would end up being a terrible bet for me if I'm unable to use it.

Phenom II 560 BE is also there, it should provide a decent jump from the semp145, but you wont be able to unlock this to a quad on your current board I think
AMD 3.3 GHz AM3 Phenom II 560 Processor | Processor | Flipkart.com

Yes, the 560 BE is a decent jump but I feel the 955 C3 95W would be an even better options. thanks for your time !

The TDP will rise, you will have to pump in extra vcore and vcpu-nb (v -- voltage) for all the cores to run stably.

In the end, no one can really predict what will happen.

Maybe if I could just manually change the VRM capacitors to supoort 125W.... Yes, what your saying is true, I'd best use a processor at 95W and not fiddle too much with over clocking/ unlocking cores.

Quite pricesly put.

The reason a quad is sold as a dual , or a hexa as quad is that IT doesnt match all the rquirements of the particular processor (maybe is 99.99% all right) .

usually AMD lock cores and sell because the CPU being black edition won't handle overclock , Or uses more power than required at the base clocks (what it comes from factory) .
So they "bin" the processors with lower/cheaper ones .
This process is called binning .

Once you unlock cores you cannot say how much voltage / power itll consume . Youll have to manually check via a multimeter .

I have a x2 555 unlocked to a x4 955 .
Mine turned out to be a pretty well :- unlocked (cores wise) and undervolted .
But it cant handle overclocks with 4 cores running above 3.6ghz . That was probably the reason why AMD sold it as a dual .

I'd suggest you to get Athlon ii x4 640 . will be quite an upgrade for you . decent processor for everyday work and would last you a while .

get the 960t if you plan to change the motherboard in future and would be able to unlock cores .

Thanks, that really helped clear my mind a bit. I was hoping I'd be able to get this particular model, AMD Phenom II X4 955 - HDX955WFK4DGM but availablity scarce, almost non existent. Else, I'd be forced to go for the 960T, which is available on flipkart. Even though, it would be a bet, choosing a processor not officially stated byt Lenovo to be supported.




If only I could find some utility that can extract the CPU support code from my BIOS file/ ROM file, I would be most grateful. This is my BIOS file, download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/thinkcentre_bios/9ijy15usa.exe , if there's some one with the expertise in BIOS modding, who can determine the processors supported, I'd be most grateful.

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

If only I could find some utility that can extract the CPU support code from my BIOS file/ ROM file, I would be most grateful. This is my BIOS file, download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/thinkcentre_bios/9ijy15usa.exe , if there's some one with the expertise in BIOS modding, who can determine the processors supported, I'd be most grateful.

This guide can help you : [How To] View a BIOS before Flashing (and Add CPU Support) . I tried it and it looks like your BIOS has support for all CPU codes upto the Thubans/X6.

Maybe if I could just manually change the VRM capacitors to supoort 125W.... Yes, what your saying is true, I'd best use a processor at 95W and not fiddle too much with over clocking/ unlocking cores.

Changing the capacitors wont do anything. You need to upgrade the MOSFETs, and possibly the PWM controller, and the heatsinks which is not easy.

BTW the 960T is listed as discontinued on Flipkart. Online stores rarely keep inventory on hand, so you're going to find it very hard to find an X4/X6 online, so you should probably visit your local store to see if he's got anything on hand. Just out of curiousity, why the need for so many cores? I would assume even a dual core upgrade from a Sempron should be huge. Don't buy any proc with the assumption of unlocking cores, it wont work on your motherboard, and I doubt you will upgrade to any supporting motherboard in the future just to use the extra cores.