Bulldozer/Phenom compat help

[Anti-Skub]

Can anyone help me? I'm trying to find out what the fastest processor I can stick in my old motherboard is. Problem is it seems like rather an obscure model and I can't find any documentation on it. It's an Asus M3n72-T Deluxe.

Will it take a Bulldozer or a hex core Phenom? I'm looking specifically at the 1100T and the 6100. Assuming either of them will work is there anything else I need to be thinking about that I've overlooked?

 

[Anti-Skub]

This is your board right? http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM2Plus/M3N72T_Deluxe/#CPUS

Strange that there's only three CPUs listed in the CPU support list... but it seems it can support the X4 965 C2 revision though. Unfortunately all new Phenom chips are C3 revisions, so you may have to try find a second hand one.

I'm quite confused why the CPU list is like that, might be a site error. Looking at the date of the latest BIOS release shows 2009, which is before the hex core release. Looks like you're limited to the Phenom II X4.

I get the impression that they made about 10 of these boards, their support is terrible because I think I'm the only person on the planet that has one. Try and find one for sale, it's like they don't exist. With them being so rare it's pretty impossible to find anyone who's got one and tried out other CPUs.

Anyway I'm still pretty confused, got about as many yes-it-will-works as no-it-wonts. Can anyone give me a catagorical answer as to whether or not those two specific CPUs will work? I get the impression that the Bulldozer is a no go, but people seem pretty devided on the 1100T. If the 1100T isn't going to work will an X4 980?

 

[Anti-Skub]

It is likely that the X4 980 will work but just not report what the CPU name is.

Is there any problem with doing that? There's nothing else I need to think about is there like ram or anything?

 

[Anti-Skub]

That sounds the safes bet, actually get the 965 as its only £4 more and stock clocks 200Mhz more.

I'd rather not have to overclock if I can just buy a faster CPU. I'd really like to know the 980 definitely doesn't work before I fall back to the 955.

 

[Anti-Skub]

Fall back to the 965 if you have too.

Well yes, that was what I was saying But the question is...do I have to?

 

[Anti-Skub]

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...ard_id=1&model=M3N72-D&SLanguage=en-us&page=1

Found that, get the 965

All those posts were made before they released the bios that worked with Phenoms...no quad cores worked back then so I'm not sure what part of that thread you're reffering to when you get the 965.

 

[Anti-Skub]

Theres not much difference between the two if you overclock it I believe.

I'd rather not have to rely on clocking if I can buy a faster stock CPU. This motherboard is notoriously bad for clocking. It's got a 7850 BE in it at the moment, which were supposed to be great for clocking and I hit a wall at 3ghz (stock is 2.8).

The reason I'm asking if the 980 works is there are obviously more than 3 processors that work with this board (the one I'm using right now for example) so I don't think that compat list is a particularly valid source of information to base my decision on. I was hoping someone had either tried or knew if the 980 or 1100T worked.

 

[Anti-Skub]

Well I got an email back from Asus technical support saying the 1100T definitely wont work, but they would not confirm or deny that the 980 would. They basically said something along the lines of there are more processors that work with the board than are on the list but we've not tested the 980 ourself so we can't tell you.

Kind of annoying that they havn't bothered to test it (or release a single new bios for the board that improves compatibility). Anyway I'd still really like to hear from someone who has tried the M3N72-T Deluxe/Phenom 980 combo and can tell me if it works/doesn't work.

 

[Anti-Skub]

OK what the hell Asus...I just looked at the compat list for that board again, and they've changed it. Same bios, but now it doesn't support the 965?

 

[Anti-Skub]

Seems they must've fixed it. Looks like it's the 940 that's the best CPU to have...

Dude no offence, but I was looking for a little more than "Just get the fastest one on that list".

This is the fourth time they've changed the list, and the first time it's ever included the two CPUs I have that I know work with this board. There are also several people on the Asus forums using 955s and 965s perfectly well. which up until now have been "compatible" but now apparently aren't. It's pretty fair to say that the list might not be entirely accurate.

With that in mind, as I stated already, I'm trying to find someone who has either tried the 980 in this board and got it working or had it not work, or someone who knows any good reason why the C2 revision, 140w, 45nm SOI Phenom 980 wouldn't work when the C2 revision, 140w, 45nm SOI Phenom 965 does?

 

[Anti-Skub]

Well a C2 revision of the 965 will most likely work. The 980 is only C3, they moved to the C3 revision shortly after the 965 release and stopped with C2 production. So far the C2 965 is the safest bet if you want the best CPU for your board.

According to the old compat list C3 Athlons worked.

AMD Athlon II X4

620 2.6 GHz, 512 KB L2, Rev. C2, 95W, Socket AM3, ADX620WFK42GI 1102 Any
620 2.6 GHz, 512 KB L2, Rev. C3, 95W, Socket AM3, ADX620WFK42GI 1102 Any
630 2.8 GHz, 512 KB L2, Rev. C3, 95W, Socket AM3, ADX630WFK42GI 1102 Any

Also, this guy here bought a C3 965 after asking if it would work and then made no follow up comments, which kinda suggest that it did, but maybe I'm just being overly optimistic and he actually just sent it straight back.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=20334439#post20334439

Bit of a side note but assuming the C3 X4s do work, which is likely to clock higher, the 125w 965 or the 140w 970?

 

[Anti-Skub]

Thanks a lot for the reply Mart. So there you go, someone running a C3 965 125w on my board, now can anyone tell me any reason why a C3 980 BE 125w wouldn't work?

Can I ask a question of my own I have been out of the loop for awhile, can I stick a bulldozer in my Crosshair Formula IV ?

I don't think the Bios is out yet but I assume it's in the works. Unlike this piece of crap I've got, Asus aren't about to drop their flagship AMD board into a support black hole.

Edit - Oh by the way Mart, you didn't have to do anything special to get the 965 working on the M3N72-T did you? It just dropped in and ran at the correct speed? Were you able to set your ram to the correct frequency? And are you absolutely positive it was the T and not the M3N72-D?

 

[Anti-Skub]

I actually installed that beta bios by mistake when it came out, my system worked ok but obviously I never tried a Bulldozer in it, I cant afford to upgrade this side of Christmas anyway, but when I do I think I will buy a Bulldozer flash my board with the test bios again and try it, if it doesent work I will buy a new motherboard.

Hey you can hijack my thread after you answer my questions

 

[Anti-Skub]

My c3 965 worked no problem in that board with the 1102 bios and I would go for a 125w cpu

Mart are you absolutely certain that it is a C3 965 and not the old C2? And did the board recognise the CPU when you dropped it in, you just installed it and it worked, no messing around?

 

[Anti-Skub]

Well I took a gamble and bought a 980BE...guess what...it works fine. Recognised by the board, working at the right speed, everythings fine.

Pro support Asus...