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AMD Phenoms hit compatibility glitch

Chipset mismatch
Tue Apr 29 2008, 09:55

IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT POURS. Beleaguered chipster AMD, fresh from the upset of losing a five-year old exclusive deal with supercomputer maker Cray yesterday, is facing problems getting its 9750 and 9850 125W Phenom parts to work with the 780G chipset. The result is that some manufacturers are having trouble making the quad core parts work in their mobos.

The problem isn't AMD's fault of course, according to err, AMD, which says there are no problems using the 125W parts with the 790 chipset but that manufacturers are trying to build systems on the cheap by using 780G mobos.

"What people have done, mistakenly, is paired a 780G motherboard with the higher frequency Phenom - the 125-watt Phenom," Jake Whitman, an AMD spokesperson, told CNET. "Not all motherboard manufacturers have tweaked their boards to support a 125-watt TDP. We've never made claims that 780G motherboards are enthusiast-class motherboards." µ

L'Inq
CNET

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Comments
gold plated phono plugs

In the same way that gold plated phono plugs is a misnomer and "army intelligence" is such a stupid phrase, I think "perfume on a turd" is the right phrase in this instance..

posted by : 99flake, 30 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Lipstick on a pig

Putting the fastest Phenoms on a 780G board is like putting lipstick on a pig = mismatch made in hell. Any IGP-board = cheap pricecutting stuff. In my opinion anyone using a combination of IGP and high performance chips (jokes aside) have themselves to blame. You combine lowcost parts with other lowcost parts. If you want performance you combine performance parts (more expensive) with other performance parts. 

A different analogy: putting a turbo on a 60'ies volkswagen bus = silly, stupid and bound to blow the engine.

posted by : Scyphe, 30 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Narrowness Vs. SalesLit.

When first Researching Mainboard/CPU Combo, one gets very Wide range of Possibilities, Mostly anything that will fit into socket. Although one era may use same socket, sometimes even Voltage Cossbar Pins change, which means Death to Switcho Chango.

Here, SLOW Integrated Graphics cann't take pressure from Hot CPU. So it sends out that ole Warning: BSOD, please. Or won't even light up, same thing.
You Simply Have To Accept That Just Because Pins Fit, System Can Still Be Way Off. CPU/Mainboards are Like Fighters, Each in Their Own Class is Good Contest.
Silly ME, Why Do I Address Those Whom BUY Less Than Best?
Drashek

posted by : Ultie_Ultie, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Yeah, well Pt II

Appauls to Alexko.....

The appeal to me for an AMD platform is to get good performance for an overwall lower TCO. I can or at least thought I could buy a nice 780G MB for 89$ US, lower cost AMD CPU and run it all as my server. If I have to spend more on an gamer board then F* that. I will go out and buy myself a nice Intel setup instead. AMD better start pulling their collective head out of their back ends. Relative to performance the 3870's are already somewhat over priced against both the 9600 and the 8800GT .....

posted by : jdmc, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Yeah, But...

You'd have to be an enthusiast TO buy it!!! lol.

posted by : craig, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
ENthusiast chip?

It became one when it is shown by owners to hit 3GHz., a 25% OC. And one guy at xtremesystems got his to 3.2GHz on water.
I'm sure TE cooling would get it even higher.

So when those 95W Denebs ship they should be able to do 3.5GHz on water, maybe more.

Doom and Gloom

posted by : Some Guy, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Sensationalist

This article is perhaps trying to be a bit sensationalist. There is nothing wrong with the chipset itself. If you send a few minutes over at xtremesystems, you'll find people with 9850s happily chugging along on 780G boards. The problem is with the CPU power supply circuits on many 780G boards not being beefy enough. This is entirely the fault of the motherboard manufacturer, as they could spend a bit extra and give it a more robust supply. Not all boards suffer from this problem, as some manufacturers were decent enough to not cut off five cents in that area.

Bottom line: Chipset = Perfectly Compatible. MOSFETs = Too Cheap.

posted by : Luke, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Misleading subtitle...

Well, that's awkward, especially since a fast chip on an integrated graphics board is what's called for in a 'business class' desktop. However, the subtitle was a bad choice here and had me rereading the article a few times; obviously there's no 'chipset' incompatibility, just power delivery issues.

AMD are fond of binning for low TDP of late, so presumably the eventual "low power" bin at that clock speed should work.

posted by : A. Peon, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Lol

@Alexko: rofl completely agree with you. Making a general statement that 780G isnt an enthusiast mobo doesn't in any sense convey that 125W phenoms wont work :/

posted by : buBleZ, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Yeah, well...

And since when is Phenom an enthusiast chip?

posted by : Alexko, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
Known issue

This is a well known issue (Anandtech reported it on the 5th April http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3279&p=2) - basically the motherboard manufacturers put cheaper components on the 780G boards to save a few pennies and the power circuitry can't handle 125W CPUs...

posted by : MT, 29 April 2008 Complain about this comment
I'd Agree W/Luke....

Only Prob with Likes theory is, if power supplied to CPU is too low, why would boards burn out? Maybe, Crybaby Controllers?(another New semi-ultie Invention?)

If not integrated Graphics, as someone stated all rest of Controllers between 780G/790FX are same, entire controller set wasn't updated. Also thers 145 Watt Phenom tha'll fit. Other articles on subject claim 125Watt will work, yet I doubt that with so many well known articles agreeing 890FX & 125 Watt Phenom don't Mix.However, Each Manufacturer does their own Joy Jobing.Some May, Others NOT So Much?
von Drashek

posted by : Second_Opinion_ultie, 31 January 2008 Complain about this comment
On the other hand...

My Phenom 9550 - Gigabyte 780G HTPC works great. It is on for like 10 hours a day downloading and playing stuff with no problems whatsoever.
The chipset is great for HTPCs but it was never meant to be a work/game station product after all.

posted by : Philippos, 31 January 2008 Complain about this comment
Phenom Non-Glitch

So, let me get this straight... Some wanna-be do-it-yourselfers buy a motherboard and CPU duo without checking to make sure that said CPU is supported by said motherboard and then whine about the fact that something that wasn't supposed to work doesn't and you see this as news... Hmmmm... I'm not sure who has the bigger problem, you, or the DIY'ers...

posted by : Scott, 31 January 2008 Complain about this comment
That cheap MSI 790X board isn't compatible either

Which is why it's so cheap. Several people posting on forum.msi.com.tw have burned out the boards because MSI didn't clearly disclose the limitation. 

MT is right. It's not the chipset, it's the cheaper power circuitry. The mobo makers should have put limits in the BIOS to prevent the use of high-wattage CPUs.

posted by : InvestorEngineer, 30 January 2008 Complain about this comment
What are they talking about?

You can get an incompatible Gigabyte 780G Chip mobo for £55 or a compatible MSI 790X for £58 and aside from the IGP the difference is £3! If that’s the price hike they are talking about then they should be taking steps to ensure that the quad core works on the 780G even if it has to work quite a bit slower.

Having said that I never got an Intel quad core processor for an IGP board, I got it for one of their X38 pressure cooker chipsets instead and to keep it cool I had to install 140mm fan right next to the mobo. Oh and while I’m still AMD fan boying - Intel heat sink brackets are sh** get it together and come up with a new design.

posted by : Alex, 30 January 2008 Complain about this comment
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