Socket AM2

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Socket AM2

The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 (to prevent using the same name as Cyrix

Cyrix

Cyrix was a Central processing unit manufacturer that began in 1988 in Richardson, Texas as a specialist supplier of high-performance math coprocessors for Intel 80286 and Intel 80386 systems....
MII processors), is a CPU socket

CPU socket

A CPU socket or CPU slot is a connector on a computer's motherboard that accepts a central processing unit and forms an electrical interface with it....
designed by AMD for desktop processors, including the performance, mainstream and value segments. It was released on May 23, 2006, as a replacement for Socket 939

Socket 939

Socket 939 is a CPU socket released by AMD in June 2004 to supersede the previous Socket 754 for Athlon 64 processors. Socket 939 was succeeded by Socket AM2 in May 2006....
& Socket 754

Socket 754

Socket 754 is a CPU socket originally developed by AMD to succeed its Athlon XP platform . Socket 754 was the first socket developed by AMD to support their new consumer version of the 64 bit microprocessor family known as AMD64....
.

Technology
AM2 processors are incompatible with 939 motherboards and vice versa, and although it has 940 pins, it is incompatible with Socket 940

Socket 940

Socket 940 is a 940-pin socket for 64-bit AMD server processors. The socket is entirely covered with leads, except for four key pins used to align the processor....
.

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The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 (to prevent using the same name as Cyrix

Cyrix

CPU socket

Socket 939

Socket 939 is a CPU socket released by AMD in June 2004 to supersede the previous Socket 754 for Athlon 64 processors. Socket 939 was succeeded by Socket AM2 in May 2006....
& Socket 754

Socket 754

Technology

AM2 processors are incompatible with 939 motherboards and vice versa, and although it has 940 pins, it is incompatible with Socket 940

Socket 940

Socket 940 is a 940-pin socket for 64-bit AMD server processors. The socket is entirely covered with leads, except for four key pins used to align the processor....
. Socket AM2 supports DDR2

DDR2

DDR2 can refer to:* DDR2 SDRAM* discoidin domain receptor tyrosine kinase 2...
memory but not DDR

DDR SDRAM

DDR SDRAM is a class of memory integrated circuits used in computers. It achieves nearly twice the bandwidth of the preceding "single data rate" SDRAM by double data rate without increasing the clock frequency....
memory, which the previous Socket 939

Socket 939

Socket 939 is a CPU socket released by AMD in June 2004 to supersede the previous Socket 754 for Athlon 64 processors. Socket 939 was succeeded by Socket AM2 in May 2006....
supported. AnandTech

AnandTech

AnandTech is one of the largest online computer hardware journals in the English-speaking world. AnandTech was founded in 1997 by then 14-year-old Anand Lal Shimpi....
reported that Socket AM2 system performance was up to 7% faster than Socket 939 equivalents, with most applications about 2% faster , despite having over 30% greater memory bandwidth due to DDR2 support.

The first processor cores to support socket AM2 are the single-core Orleans (Athlon 64

Athlon 64

The Athlon 64 is an eighth-generation, AMD64-architecture microprocessor produced by AMD, released on September 23, 2003. It is the third processor to bear the name Athlon, and the immediate successor to the Athlon XP....
) and Manila (Sempron

Sempron

Sempron has been the marketing name used by AMD for several different entry level desktop CPUs, using several different technologies and CPU socket formats....
), and the dual-core Windsor (Athlon 64 X2

Athlon 64 X2

The Athlon 64 X2 is the first multi-core desktop computer Central processing unit designed by AMD. It is essentially a processor consisting of two Athlon 64 cores joined together on one Die with additional control logic....
and Athlon 64 FX). Most processors on Socket AM2 include SSE3

SSE3

SSE3, also known by its Intel code name Prescott New Instructions , is the third iteration of the Streaming SIMD Extensions instruction set for the IA-32 architecture....
instructions and were developed with 90 nanometer technology. Recent models feature 65 nanometer technology (to compete with Intel and their 65nm CPUs).

Socket AM2 supports AMD Phenom

Phenom (processor)

Phenom is the Advanced Micro Devices desktop processor line based on the AMD K10 microarchitecture, or Family 10h Processors, as AMD calls them....
processors but some motherboard manufacturers did not supply newer bios files required to operate a Phenom processor.

Socket AM2 is a part of AMD's current generation of CPU sockets, along with Socket F

Socket F

Socket F is a CPU socket designed by AMD for its Opteron line of Central processing unit, and released on August 15 2006. The socket has 1207 pins, and is referred to as "Socket F " in all AMD literature....
for servers and Socket S1

Socket S1

Socket S1 is the CPU socket type used by AMD for their Turion 64, Athlon 64 and later Sempron processors, which debuted with the Multi-core Turion 64 X2 CPUs on May 17, 2006....
for mobile computing.

There are also single-socket Opteron

Opteron

The Opteron is Advanced Micro Devices's x86 server Central processing unit line, and was the first processor to implement the AMD64 instruction set architecture ....
processors available for AM2.

While technical documentation was readily available for earlier generations of AMD processor sockets, the "AM2 Processor Functional Data Sheet" (AMD document number 31117) has not been made publicly available.

Successors

Multiple sockets have been announced which are pin-compatible with socket AM2, but which differ in terms of features.

Socket AM2+ Socket AM2+ is an intermediate successor to socket AM2, which features split power planes, and HyperTransport

HyperTransport

HyperTransport , formerly known as Lightning Data Transport , is a bidirectional serial/parallel high-bandwidth, Memory latency Point-to-point that was introduced on April 2 2001....
3.0. Socket AM2+ chips can plug into a socket AM2 motherboard, but operate only with HyperTransport

HyperTransport

HyperTransport , formerly known as Lightning Data Transport , is a bidirectional serial/parallel high-bandwidth, Memory latency Point-to-point that was introduced on April 2 2001....
2.0.

Socket AM3 AMD has announced that Socket AM3 processors will be able to run on Socket AM2 motherboards, but not vice-versa. AM3 processors will have a new memory controller supporting both DDR2

DDR2 SDRAM

DDR2 SDRAM or Double Data Rate two synchronous dynamic random access memory is a random access memory technology used in electronic engineering for high bandwidth storage of the working data of a computer or other digital electronics device....
and DDR3 SDRAM

DDR3 SDRAM

In electronic engineering, DDR3 SDRAM or Double data rate three synchronous dynamic random access memory is a random access memory interface technology used for high bandwidth storage of the working data of a computer or other digital electronics devices....
, allowing backwards compatibility with AM2 and AM2+ motherboards. Since AM2 processors lack the new memory controller, they will not work on AM3 motherboards.

External links

(AnandTech
AnandTech

AnandTech is one of the largest online computer hardware journals in the English-speaking world. AnandTech was founded in 1997 by then 14-year-old Anand Lal Shimpi....
)
(Tom's Hardware Guide
Tom's Hardware Guide

Tom?s Hardware is an online publication focused on technology that was founded in 1996 by . Tom's Hardware is owned by Bestofmedia Group company, one of the top three online publishers for technology in the world....
)

Socket AM2

Technology

Successors

See also

External links