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AMD Athlon64 FX-62 and X2 5000+ Socket AM2 Processors Reviewed
AMD Athlon64 FX-62 and X2 5000+ Socket AM2 Processors Reviewed  - PCSTATS
AMD Athlon64 FX-62 and Athlon64 X2-5000+ are both dual core, support DDR-2 667/800 MHz RAM, virtualization, and install into a new 940-pin socket called 'AM2'.
Filed under: CPU / Processors Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: AMD May 24 2006   Max Page  
Home > Reviews > CPU / Processors > AMD Athlon64 FX-62 / X2 5000+

Socket AM2 Heatsinks and Retention Frame

When AMD introduced the new 940-pin socket AM2 Athlon64 processor to the world, it also effectively retired hundreds of different socket 754/939/940 K8 heatsinks which are not compatible with the new four-post heatsink retention frame. While physically speaking the AM2 processor is nearly identical to the previous generations of socket 754, socket 939 and socket 940 AMD K8 processors, the way heatsinks attach to it is different in one very significant aspect.

The socket AM2 processor series uses newly designed plastic heatsink retention frame that attaches to the motherboard with four screw holes, to a newly designed four-post metal PCB stiffener backplate. The new socket AM2 heatsink retention frame and metal backplate are not compatible with the previous socket 754/939/940 heatsink retention frame and metal back plates, and vice-versa.

AM2 motherboards will ship with the new AM2 heatsink retention frame, and that means many existing Athlon64 heatsinks will be unuseable on the AM2 platform.

All existing K8 heatsinks that screw directly into the two-post metal backplate of the socket 754/939/940 series are not usable with the socket AM2 retention module because its four-posts are positioned differently. Unfortunately, most heatsinks that use this installation method are the high-end, heavy copper coolers that offer the best performance qualities. The weight of these expensive enthusiast level heatsinks dictated a firmer attachment method than the plastic tabs of the old retention frame, and sadly their useful life is now over.

K8 heatsinks like the Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 and AMD retail AVC Z7U741001 heatsink that clip onto the socket 754/939/940 heatsink retention frame center tabs will continue to be compatible with the socket AM2 heatsink retention frame. The center tabs survived the transition to socket AM2, alongside with a new type of four-post socket 478-like integrated clip points. Existing K8 heatsinks which use a cam-lock to apply pressure on the spring clip after it has been attached to the retention frame tab will also work with AM2 motherboards, though there are no lock tabs built into the retention cage.

Three tab K8 heatsink clips should also work with AM2, but it depends on how well the load forces are balanced. Uneven loading is usually associated with the very inexpensive thermal solutions of lower quality standards, so if you can avoid this type of heatsink with AM2, we'd recommend doing that. The socket AM2 standard also introduces Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) fan speed control, as identified by four-pin fan power cords. For the moment, both fan and motherboard fan header remain backwards compatible with 3-pin RPM sensing fan power cables.

Next up, overclocking each of the socket AM2 processors....

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Contents of Article: AMD Athlon64 FX-62 / X2 5000+
 Pg 1.  AMD Athlon64 FX-62 and X2 5000+ Socket AM2 Processors Reviewed
 Pg 2.  Complete Socket AM2 CPU Family
 Pg 3.  Behind the Heatspreader - Common AM2 CPU Features
 Pg 4.  AMD Virtulization Technology
 Pg 5.  Performance-Per-Watt Metrics
 Pg 6.  Socket AM2 System Power Draw
 Pg 7.  Hello DDR-2, the AM2's Memory of Choice
 Pg 8.  VIA / SIS Chipsets for Socket AM2
 Pg 9.  nVIDIA, the AMD chipset market leader
 Pg 10.  — Socket AM2 Heatsinks and Retention Frame
 Pg 11.  Overclocking the Athlon64 X2 5000+ and FX-62!
 Pg 12.  Flagship AMD Athlon64 FX-62 Overclocking
 Pg 13.  Prelude to Benchmarks - Test System Configuration
 Pg 14.  Pure 32-bit Benchmarks: SYSMark 2004
 Pg 15.  Pure 32 bit Benchmarks: Office Productivity, SiSoft Sandra 2005
 Pg 16.  Pure 32-Bit Benchmarks: Maya Render Test, Super Pi
 Pg 17.  Pure 32-Bit Benchmarks: PCMark05
 Pg 18.  Pure 32-Bit Benchmarks: 3DMark05
 Pg 19.  Pure 32-Bit Benchmarks: 3DMark06
 Pg 20.  Pure 32-Bit Benchmarks: Doom 3
 Pg 21.  Pure 32-Bit Benchmarks: Quake 4
 Pg 22.  Pure 32-Bit Benchmarks: FarCry
 Pg 23.  Pure 32-Bit Benchmarks: FEAR
 Pg 24.  64 Bit Benchmarks: ScienceMark 2.
 Pg 25.  64 Bit Benchmarks: Mini-GZip, DiVX Encoding
 Pg 26.  Multi-Threaded Benchmarks: 3DMark05
 Pg 27.  Multi-Threaded Benchmarks: Doom 3
 Pg 28.  Multi-Threaded Benchmarks: FEAR
 Pg 29.  Welcome to the family Socket AM2!

 
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