Date:
Tuesday , May 23, 2006
Author:
Kyle Bennett
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AMD's New Socket AM2 CPU

Even though AMD is today launching a new processor, we are actually not getting a new processor at all. [H] Enthusiast gives the information you need to know about the AMD's new socket AM2 CPUs.

What You Need to Know About AMD’s AM2 Processors

Today AMD is launching its socket AM2 processors and we have already seen them available online. As usual, let us cut to the chase and tell you all you need to know while keeping focus on not under-informing you with too little information. Below we outline just what is different about AMD’s new socket AM2 processors.

The Memory Controller

While this may seem a little out of place for opening up with, the memory controller is at the heart of AMD’s change to socket AM2. Remember that AMD pulled the memory controller in from the motherboard chipset and started building it on the processor die. So now when you buy an AMD processor, you are not only buying a CPU, but a memory controller for your system as well. AMD has been using DDR memory technology for a good while now, and while it is getting a bit long in the tooth, AMD has and is still leveraging it quite successfully, but more on that later. AMD’s new socket AM2 processors now have an integrated DDR2 memory controller that operates at specified speeds of DDR2-667 and DDR2-800.

For all intents and purposes, the DDR2 memory controller is all that is “new” with socket AM2. We will get more in-depth on performance on the following pages, but this can be seen as a lateral move for AMD in terms of high-end processor performance. If you are already running a robust Socket 939 (or 940) gaming machine or video editing box, there is currently no compelling performance reasons to “upgrade” to AM2 processor. Of course there are other factors to be considered here, and we will cover those in the conclusion.

The Socket

In the past AMD has referred to its sockets by the number of pins on the processor. Currently AMD’s socket 939 (desktop) and socket 940 (server) are most popular and have the associated number of pins on them. So why the diversion to “AM2?” The new socket AM2 processors have 940 pins. The new socket AM2 processor will not fit into a socket 940 and a 940-pin AMD processor will not fit into a socket AM2. Obviously, to avoid confusion in the marketplace, AMD needed to bring a new nomenclature to the table. Currently, the 940-pin socket AM2 is applicable to desktop configurations only. And just to be clear, an AM2 processor will only work in a motherboard built with a socket AM2.

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The New AM2 Processor

In terms of performance the new AM2 processor cores have not changed outside of its given product line up. This of course overlooks GHz scaling and L2 cache configurations as is normal with new processor launches. The new AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 and AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5000+ processors are the new AMD flagship processors will we be showing you here today. The FX-62 clocks in at a healthy 2.8GHz while the 5000+ comes in close at 2.6GHz. They are both dual core processors. They are however not the only processors that will take advantage of AMD’s new socket AM2.

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Below is a full list of new AM2 processors.

AMD Athlon 64 FX processor: FX-62

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core processors: 5000+, 4800+, 4600+, 4400+, 4200+, 4000+, and 3800+

AMD Athlon 64 processors: 3800+, 3500+

AMD Sempron processors: 3600+, 3500+, 3400+, 3200+, and 3000+

Core Power Reductions

While there is nothing new in terms of core performance, AMD has made some great strides when it comes to power consumption in their non-FX line of processors. This of course is good for everyone as we are seeing major wattage drops with AM2. This means cooler running processors not dumping so much heat into our cases which house other components. Also these are not small decreases in wattage as you can see below. Some of these wattage drops can be be described as incredible.

All the regular X2 processors now have a new, lower maximum power specification of 89 watts (down from 110) for socket AM2. All the regular Athlon 64 processors also have a lower max power spec… 62 watts (down from 89). Semprons also have the 62 watt maximum specification. Better still, AMD is offering a line of Energy Efficient processors available on Socket AM2 for the desktop that have maximum wattage specifications of 65 watts and even 35 watts for a small premium over the regular model numbers. Energy efficient processors deliver the same performance (frequency, cache, etc.) with lower heat and power.

New Heatsink Mounting

While the heatsink mounting is changing with the AM2 socket, we should see this change be easy on those using air cooling systems as the socket 939 heatsinks we have are easily attaching to the new mounting apparatus. (Of course you mileage may vary on this due to size and configuration changes of certain heatsinks.)

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Obviously the bracket that holds the heatsink in place now uses four mounting holes instead of the previous two to secure itself to the motherboard. As pointed out above with the red circles, the mounting points for the actual heatsink have remained the “same” while the bracket itself seems to be a bit more robust. Also, the configuration of this new mounting bracket should do more to keep the no-mount zone around the CPU clear of components that have interfered with larger heatsinks in the past.

Also, if you look on either side current heatsink mounting points you will see that there are more mounting points that we will likely see used in the very near future for cooling system other than air. That said, for those of you water cooling your AMD processors, you will likely not be able to move your exact configuration over to a new AM2 processor based system without a new motherboard mounting bracket.