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ignitionxvi
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2004
- Messages
- 324
This FAQ is being maintained by ignitionxvi.
A big thanks to ingnitionxvi and all of our FAQ contributors
Special thanks to Strictly AMD forum junkies DocFaustus, Cheeta05r and ViriiK for their contributions to the AMD Processor forum
-relic
Q&A
Q.) How do I;
Unlock/voltage mod/multiplier mod my AMD CPU?
read my AMD product code?
voltage mod my mobo?
find out if my CPU is a Palamino/Tbred/Barton?
A.) Try OC Inside's workshop for an easy to follow guide.
A.) To just decipher you CPU ID code you can also go here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.) How fast will my CPU go?
A.) Check out the CPU Database .
A.) For Athlon64's check out the A64 OC Data
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.) How do I contact AMD? (Yes people actually ask me this)
A.) www.amd.com There is a Technical Support and a "Contact Us" page on the site.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.) Why is my <higher speed rated CPU> running/reported at <lower speed than rated>
A.) Because you forgot to set your motherboard's FSB to the proper speed for your CPU. See Doc's post below for the right FSB setting for your CPU.
FSB settings:
The first number is the BIOS FSB setting the second in ()'s is the actual memory and CPU bus speed.
Spitfire Durons: 100 (200)
Morgan Durons 100 (200)
AppleBred Durons: 133 (266)
TBirds: 100 or 133 (200 or 266)
TBreds: 133 (266)
Bartons: 166 or 200 (333 or 400)
Athlon64 / AthlonFX / Opteron: 200 (400)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.) What do the new Opteron model numbers mean?
A.) Check out AMD's Understanding Opteron Processor Numbers.
(From DocFaustus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I just bought a new Barton 2500+ to overclock and the multiplier is locked . What do I do now?
A: The most common overclock for that chip was to turn the FSB to 200 making it an instant 3200+. A locked Multi will not prevent that from happening. Although, good quality ram will make a big difference here.
(DocFaustus again)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I tried overclocking my AMD CPU too far, now my computer will not post. What do I do?
A: Lots of boards have safety features built in for just this reason. Consult you motherboard's documentation to see how to get around this. Here are some common solutions:
1) When you power on the computer, try holding down the "Insert" key
2) Some motherboards will default to a slow safety speed if you power the system on and off 3 times. Try that.
3) If you have exausted all other solutions, then it is time to clear the CMOS. Here is how:
a)Unplug the power cord to the computer.
b)Push the power button to make sure all caps are discharged.
c)Pop out the battery built into the motherboard.
d)Find the CMOS jumper pins and short it out(a screwdriver can be used if the tiny jumper isn't available).
e)Move the jumper back to its original setting (that means remove the short).
f)Pop the battery back in.
g)Plug the power cord back in.
h)Turn on computer.
i)Go into the BIOS and redo all of your settings.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What is each socket for?
A: This is basically how its been set up:
Socket 754 - mainstream
Socket 939 - enthusiust
Socket 940 - Server
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What is special about each socket?
A: Each has there own pluses and minuses.
Socket 754:
The cheapest socket and currently AMD produces the most S754 chips, so there are no supply problems. Socket 754 chips originally came with 1mb L2 cache, but now most ship with 512kb of cache. Socket 754 chips DO NOT support dual channel memory.
Socket 939:
Socket 939 is priced much higher than socket 754, and there have been some supply problems with the S939 chips. Socket 939 comes with 512kb L2 Cache, but supports dual channel memory. Socket 939 is the best if you're looking for future proofing, because AMD will be switching to socket 939 for many of its new processors. This is also the chipset that the current and future FX runs on, and does not need registered memory.
Socket 940:
Socket 940 is for AMD's server processors, known as the Opteron. This socket also ran the FX-51 and FX-53 processors, but needed registered memory to work.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What does the Onboard Memory Controller do?
A: It gives the Athlon64 a big performance boost. It works by allowing the CPU to directly interact with the RAM, instead of going through the northbridge like the K7 series and the P4 series. This greatly increases memory bandwidth and latency (i believe?). It also lowers the importance of onboard cache, and dual channel memory. It also allows the system to run at asyncronous bus speeds, and take a much smaller performance hit than in the K7 series.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I need an analogy to explain the difference between AMD and Intel
A: Think of it as a pick-up vs. semi. Some rigs can hit 100MPH with 40 tons, while a pick-up could hit about 150MPH with 1 ton. The pickup is able to make more runs back and forth because it is faster than the rig, but it hauls less each time around.
Thanks Brad4321!
A big thanks to ingnitionxvi and all of our FAQ contributors
Special thanks to Strictly AMD forum junkies DocFaustus, Cheeta05r and ViriiK for their contributions to the AMD Processor forum
-relic
Q&A
Q.) How do I;
Unlock/voltage mod/multiplier mod my AMD CPU?
read my AMD product code?
voltage mod my mobo?
find out if my CPU is a Palamino/Tbred/Barton?
A.) Try OC Inside's workshop for an easy to follow guide.
A.) To just decipher you CPU ID code you can also go here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.) How fast will my CPU go?
A.) Check out the CPU Database .
A.) For Athlon64's check out the A64 OC Data
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.) How do I contact AMD? (Yes people actually ask me this)
A.) www.amd.com There is a Technical Support and a "Contact Us" page on the site.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.) Why is my <higher speed rated CPU> running/reported at <lower speed than rated>
A.) Because you forgot to set your motherboard's FSB to the proper speed for your CPU. See Doc's post below for the right FSB setting for your CPU.
FSB settings:
The first number is the BIOS FSB setting the second in ()'s is the actual memory and CPU bus speed.
Spitfire Durons: 100 (200)
Morgan Durons 100 (200)
AppleBred Durons: 133 (266)
TBirds: 100 or 133 (200 or 266)
TBreds: 133 (266)
Bartons: 166 or 200 (333 or 400)
Athlon64 / AthlonFX / Opteron: 200 (400)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.) What do the new Opteron model numbers mean?
A.) Check out AMD's Understanding Opteron Processor Numbers.
(From DocFaustus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I just bought a new Barton 2500+ to overclock and the multiplier is locked . What do I do now?
A: The most common overclock for that chip was to turn the FSB to 200 making it an instant 3200+. A locked Multi will not prevent that from happening. Although, good quality ram will make a big difference here.
(DocFaustus again)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I tried overclocking my AMD CPU too far, now my computer will not post. What do I do?
A: Lots of boards have safety features built in for just this reason. Consult you motherboard's documentation to see how to get around this. Here are some common solutions:
1) When you power on the computer, try holding down the "Insert" key
2) Some motherboards will default to a slow safety speed if you power the system on and off 3 times. Try that.
3) If you have exausted all other solutions, then it is time to clear the CMOS. Here is how:
a)Unplug the power cord to the computer.
b)Push the power button to make sure all caps are discharged.
c)Pop out the battery built into the motherboard.
d)Find the CMOS jumper pins and short it out(a screwdriver can be used if the tiny jumper isn't available).
e)Move the jumper back to its original setting (that means remove the short).
f)Pop the battery back in.
g)Plug the power cord back in.
h)Turn on computer.
i)Go into the BIOS and redo all of your settings.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What is each socket for?
A: This is basically how its been set up:
Socket 754 - mainstream
Socket 939 - enthusiust
Socket 940 - Server
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What is special about each socket?
A: Each has there own pluses and minuses.
Socket 754:
The cheapest socket and currently AMD produces the most S754 chips, so there are no supply problems. Socket 754 chips originally came with 1mb L2 cache, but now most ship with 512kb of cache. Socket 754 chips DO NOT support dual channel memory.
Socket 939:
Socket 939 is priced much higher than socket 754, and there have been some supply problems with the S939 chips. Socket 939 comes with 512kb L2 Cache, but supports dual channel memory. Socket 939 is the best if you're looking for future proofing, because AMD will be switching to socket 939 for many of its new processors. This is also the chipset that the current and future FX runs on, and does not need registered memory.
Socket 940:
Socket 940 is for AMD's server processors, known as the Opteron. This socket also ran the FX-51 and FX-53 processors, but needed registered memory to work.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What does the Onboard Memory Controller do?
A: It gives the Athlon64 a big performance boost. It works by allowing the CPU to directly interact with the RAM, instead of going through the northbridge like the K7 series and the P4 series. This greatly increases memory bandwidth and latency (i believe?). It also lowers the importance of onboard cache, and dual channel memory. It also allows the system to run at asyncronous bus speeds, and take a much smaller performance hit than in the K7 series.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I need an analogy to explain the difference between AMD and Intel
A: Think of it as a pick-up vs. semi. Some rigs can hit 100MPH with 40 tons, while a pick-up could hit about 150MPH with 1 ton. The pickup is able to make more runs back and forth because it is faster than the rig, but it hauls less each time around.
Thanks Brad4321!
