AMD CPU & MoBo Questions...

Wishiwasdead · March 18, 2016

so i understand the Intel side of this... i can tell the generation, which socket for which CPU is used, core count... hyper-threading etc... (the TechQuickie videos about this are great)

but i know nothing about the AMD side... and i would like to know what i know about Intel for AMD... (unfortunately I couldnt find any videos that explain the AMD product line up...)

is there some sort of guide that explains the AMD product line? that shows what is 'current generation' and what sockets go with what CPU... and how to tell that is the low end and high end of the product line up... etc...

-rascal- · March 19, 2016

On 3/18/2016 at 5:16 PM, Wishiwasdead said:

so i understand the Intel side of this... i can tell the generation, which socket for which CPU is used, core count... hyper-threading etc... (the TechQuickie videos about this are great)

but i know nothing about the AMD side... and i would like to know what i know about Intel for AMD... (unfortunately I couldnt find any videos that explain the AMD product line up...)

is there some sort of guide that explains the AMD product line? that shows what is 'current generation' and what sockets go with what CPU... and how to tell that is the low end and high end of the product line up... etc...

The naming scheme for AMD, just like Intel, has changed a bit over the years...but let's get going.

I won't go back alll the way since day one but....here we go.

The "tier" naming scheme hasn't changed too too much over the years. This is like Inte's Atom, Celeron, Pentium, Xeon, Core i3 / i5 / i7.

Keep in mind, I am just covering the Desktop portion of chips, and not any Mobile versions,

Socket A, AKA Socket 462 (1999 ~ 2003) -- 7th generation Processors, K7

Low-Budget CPU -- Duron
Budget "everyday use" CPU -- Sempron
Mainstream CPU -- Athlon
Top-of-the-line CPU -- Athlon XP (around the time Windows XP came out so...)

Socket 754 (2003 ~ 2005/2006) -- 64-bit compatible CPUs started rolling out -- 8th generation, K8

** Low-end to High-end CPUs for the K8 generation **

Budget -- Sempron
Mainstream -- Athlon 64

Socket 939 (2003 ~ 2005/2006) -- 64-bit compatible CPUs started rolling out -- 8th generation, K8

** Similar to Intel's modern Enthusiast platform if you will (i.e. X58, X79, X99) **

** You kind of see where the current "FX" naming scheme came from **

SOME Budget CPU's (i.e. non-perfect Silicon with some parts disabled) -- Sempron
Mainstream (higher clocked) -- Athlon 64
Server CPUs -- Opteron
Mainstream Dual-Core -- Athlon 64 X2
High-end / Enthusiast -- Athlon 64 FX

Socket AM2 (2005 ~ 2007) -- Mix of K8 and K10 (K9 naming was "skipped")

Budget -- Sempron
Mainstream -- Athlon 64
Mainstream Dual-Core -- Athlon 64 X2
High-end -- Athlon 64 FX
Server -- Opteron
Enthusiast / Overclocking -- Phenom

Socket AM2+ (2007 ~ 2009) -- step in between AM2+ and AM3 -- mostly all K10 or K10 "revision"

Budget -- Sempron
Mainstream -- Athlon 64
Mainstream Dual-Core -- Athlon 64 X2
Mainstream Multi-core (2 to 4) "versoin 2" -- Athlon II
Server -- Opteron
Enthusiast / Overclocking -- Phenom
Enthusiast / Overclocking "version 2" -- Phenom II (early Phenom II...like the Phenm II X4 940)

Socket AM3 (2009 ~ 2011) -- mostly all K10 "revision"

Budget -- Sempron
Mainstream, Multi-Core (2~4) -- Athlon II
Server -- Opteron
High-end / Enthusiast -- Phenom II (these included the "Black Edition" Quad-cores and Six-core chips...Phenom II X4 955, or Phenom II X6 1090T)

Socket AM3+ (2011 ~ 2016) -- Successor to K10

** All socket AM3 Processors worked on the AM3+ socket**

High-end / Enthusiast -- AMD FX "Bulldozer"
- Quad-Core (i.e. like core i3 tier) -- FX-41xx (i.e. FX-4100)
- Six-Core (i.e. like Core i5 tier) -- FX-61xx (i.e. FX-6100)
- Eight-Core (i.e. like Core i7 tier) -- FX-81xx (i.e. FX-8150)
High-end / Enthusiast -- AMD FX "Piledriver" -- refresh
- Quad-Core (i.e. like core i3 tier) -- FX-43xx (i.e. FX-4300 and FX-4350)
- Six-Core (i.e. like Core i5 tier) -- FX-63xx (i.e. FX-6300 and FX-6350)
- Eight-Core (i.e. like Core i7 tier) -- FX-83xx and FX-9xxx (i.e. FX-8350, FX-8370, and FX-9590)

AM3 on-wards is where the Server grade "Opteron" chips were on a separate socket, and started to use a LGA (Land Grid Array) socket for all their Server counterparts. This is where you see crazy stuff like 16-core Opterons.

Keep in mind LGA is NOT Intel only. Intel did not create it. Pins on the motherboard is LGA, while pins on the Processor is PGA. Intel used PGA on their earlier Pentium 4's until when they rolled out LGA 775. Intel's socket 478 was PGA (I still have a socket 478 Intel Pentium 4 computer haha)

The APU's came into play at around 2011, and those had their own sockets; socket FM1, FM2, and FM2+.

Usually the major CPU change is with the socket change -- just like with Intel.

Socket A (aka socket 462)
Socket 754 (754 pins)
Socket 939 (939 pins after all)
Socket AM2 (940 pins...like intel, one pin change)
Socket AM2+ (940 pins)
Socket AM3 (938 pins on the CPU; socket itself had 941 pins)
Socket AM3+ (942 pins on the socket)

Up until AM3+, the separation between the ranges of CPUs were pretty consistent

Sempron were the single-core, low power, budget-level chips
Athlon were the mainstream parts
Opteron is the server grade chips
Phenom and FX were the high-end enthusiast, overclocking parts

Maybe I have been using AMD for too long, I am able to follow their changes over the years. Heck I still have the Socket A (AKA socket 462) Athlon XP 1700+....and the key bit is...it is a "Thoroughbred Revision B." Unlock CPU multiplier chip, baby!

Intel naming scheme is a bit easier to follow, especially in the last few years. Then again, the LGA 775 days were a little chaotic; LGA 775, but not all chips works because of the different FSB speeds. LGA 775 had gone through several CPU architecture revisions.

I am some-what an "AMD fanboy", but I have used Intel CPUs as well throughout my life-time. I will give credit, where credit is due. I have recommended and built systems with Intel Processors -- heck, one of my current systems uses and Intel i5-4690K.

Nena Trinity · March 19, 2016

1 hour ago, -rascal- said:

The naming scheme for AMD, just like Intel, has changed a bit over the years...but let's get going.

I won't go back alll the way since day one but....here we go.

The "tier" naming scheme hasn't changed too too much over the years. This is like Inte's Atom, Celeron, Pentium, Xeon, Core i3 / i5 / i7.

Keep in mind, I am just covering the Desktop portion of chips, and not any Mobile versions,

Socket A, AKA Socket 462 (1999 ~ 2003) -- 7th generation Processors, K7

Low-Budget CPU -- Duron

Budget "everyday use" CPU -- Sempron

Mainstream CPU -- Athlon

Top-of-the-line CPU -- Athlon XP (around the time Windows XP came out so...)

Socket 754 (2003 ~ 2005/2006) -- 64-bit compatible CPUs started rolling out -- 8th generation, K8

** Low-end to High-end CPUs for the K8 generation **

Budget -- Sempron

Mainstream -- Athlon 64

Socket 939 (2003 ~ 2005/2006) -- 64-bit compatible CPUs started rolling out -- 8th generation, K8

** Similar to Intel's modern Enthusiast platform if you will (i.e. X58, X79, X99) **

** You kind of see where the current "FX" naming scheme came from **

SOME Budget CPU's (i.e. non-perfect Silicon with some parts disabled) -- Sempron

Mainstream (higher clocked) -- Athlon 64

Server CPUs -- Opteron

Mainstream Dual-Core -- Athlon 64 X2

High-end / Enthusiast -- Athlon 64 FX

Socket AM2 (2005 ~ 2007) -- Mix of K8 and K10 (K9 naming was "skipped")

Budget -- Sempron

Mainstream -- Athlon 64

Mainstream Dual-Core -- Athlon 64 X2

High-end -- Athlon 64 FX

Server -- Opteron

Enthusiast / Overclocking -- Phenom

Socket AM2+ (2007 ~ 2009) -- step in between AM2+ and AM3 -- mostly all K10 or K10 "revision"

Budget -- Sempron

Mainstream -- Athlon 64

Mainstream Dual-Core -- Athlon 64 X2

Mainstream Multi-core (2 to 4) "versoin 2" -- Athlon II

Server -- Opteron

Enthusiast / Overclocking -- Phenom

Enthusiast / Overclocking "version 2" -- Phenom II (early Phenom II...like the Phenm II X4 940)

Socket AM3 (2009 ~ 2011) -- mostly all K10 "revision"

Budget -- Sempron

Mainstream, Multi-Core (2~4) -- Athlon II

Server -- Opteron

High-end / Enthusiast -- Phenom II (these included the "Black Edition" Quad-cores and Six-core chips...Phenom II X4 955, or Phenom II X6 1090T)

Socket AM3+ (2011 ~ 2016) -- Successor to K10

** All socket AM3 Processors worked on the AM3+ socket**

High-end / Enthusiast -- AMD FX "Bulldozer"
Quad-Core (i.e. like core i3 tier) -- FX-41xx (i.e. FX-4100)

Six-Core (i.e. like Core i5 tier) -- FX-61xx (i.e. FX-6100)

Eight-Core (i.e. like Core i7 tier) -- FX-81xx (i.e. FX-8150)

High-end / Enthusiast -- AMD FX "Piledriver" -- refresh
Quad-Core (i.e. like core i3 tier) -- FX-43xx (i.e. FX-4300 and FX-4350)

Six-Core (i.e. like Core i5 tier) -- FX-63xx (i.e. FX-6300 and FX-6350)

Eight-Core (i.e. like Core i7 tier) -- FX-83xx and FX-9xxx (i.e. FX-8350, FX-8370, and FX-9590)

AM3 on-wards is where the Server grade "Opteron" chips were on a separate socket, and started to use a LGA (Land Grid Array) socket for all their Server counterparts. This is where you see crazy stuff like 16-core Opterons.

Keep in mind LGA is NOT Intel only. Intel did not create it. Pins on the motherboard is LGA, while pins on the Processor is PGA. Intel used PGA on their earlier Pentium 4's until when they rolled out LGA 775. Intel's socket 478 was PGA (I still have a socket 478 Intel Pentium 4 computer haha)

The APU's came into play at around 2011, and those had their own sockets; socket FM1, FM2, and FM2+.

Usually the major CPU change is with the socket change -- just like with Intel.

Socket A (aka socket 462)

Socket 754 (754 pins)

Socket 939 (939 pins after all)

Socket AM2 (940 pins...like intel, one pin change)

Socket AM2+ (940 pins)

Socket AM3 (938 pins on the CPU; socket itself had 941 pins)

Socket AM3+ (942 pins on the socket)

Up until AM3+, the separation between the ranges of CPUs were pretty consistent

Sempron were the single-core, low power, budget-level chips

Athlon were the mainstream parts

Opteron is the server grade chips

Phenom and FX were the high-end enthusiast, overclocking parts

Maybe I have been using AMD for too long, I am able to follow their changes over the years. Heck I still have the Socket A (AKA socket 462) Athlon XP 1700+....and the key bit is...it is a "Thoroughbred Revision B." Unlock CPU multiplier chip, baby!

Intel naming scheme is a bit easier to follow, especially in the last few years. Then again, the LGA 775 days were a little chaotic; LGA 775, but not all chips works because of the different FSB speeds. LGA 775 had gone through several CPU architecture revisions.

I am some-what an "AMD fanboy", but I have used Intel CPUs as well throughout my life-time. I will give credit, where credit is due. I have recommended and built systems with Intel Processors -- heck, one of my current systems uses and Intel i5-4690K.

This but what about APU & FM2+?

Wishiwasdead · March 19, 2016

4 hours ago, -rascal- said:

The naming scheme for AMD, just like Intel, has changed a bit over the years...but let's get going.

I won't go back alll the way since day one but....here we go.

The "tier" naming scheme hasn't changed too too much over the years. This is like Inte's Atom, Celeron, Pentium, Xeon, Core i3 / i5 / i7.

Keep in mind, I am just covering the Desktop portion of chips, and not any Mobile versions,

wow thanks man... that must have taken a while to come up with all of that, and type it out... much appreciated!