Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Fusion processors currently use 40nm or 32nm process, and use a variety of BGA-based
processor sockets.
“Bulldozer” is the code name for AMD's replacement for the current K10 architecture.
Processors based on Bulldozer are scheduled for release by the beginning of 2012. Each
Bulldozer core combines two processor cores, 2MB of L2 cache, L1 data and instruction
caches, and two 128-bit two-way floating-point and SIMD math units that work together
ina256-bitwidearray.Upto8MBofL3cachecanbesharedbythecores.Bulldozerwill
use Socket AM3+ motherboards.
To learn more about AMD Fusion, see the AMD Fusion website at
http://sites.amd.com/
Processor Upgrades
Since the 486, processor upgrades have been relatively easy for most systems. With the
486andlaterprocessors,Inteldesignedinthecapabilitytoupgradebydesigningstandard
sockets that would take a variety of processors. This trend has continued to the present,
with most motherboards being designed to handle a range of processors in the same fam-
ily.
To maximize your motherboard, you can almost always upgrade to the fastest processor
your particular board will support. Because of the varieties of processor sockets and
slots—not to mention voltages, speeds, and other potential areas of incompatibility—you
should consult with your motherboard manufacturer to see whether a higher-speed pro-
cessor will work in your board. Usually, that can be determined by the type of socket or
slot on the motherboard, but other things such as the voltage regulator and BIOS can be
deciding factors as well.
For example, if your motherboard supports Socket AM2+, you might be able to upgrade
from a dual-core Athlon X2 or quad-core processor in the Phenom II family, because they
all can use the same socket. Before purchasing a new CPU, you should verify that the
motherboard has proper bus speed, voltage settings, and ROM BIOS support for the new
chip. Visit the motherboard or system manufacturer's website to obtain the most up-to-
dateprocessorcompatibilityinformationandtodownloadBIOSupdatesthatmightbene-
cessary.
Tip
If you are trying to upgrade the processor in a preassembled or retail store-bought system,
you might have few processor upgrade options using the BIOS provided by the system
vendor. If you can figure out who made the motherboard (and if it is not a proprietary
unit), you might be able to contact the motherboard manufacturer for a more updated
