In a very difficult situation in 2006, AMD announced the socket for installing the AM2 CPU. The processors for sockets 754 and 939 at that time completely exhausted themselves and could not show an adequate level of performance. As a result, it was necessary to offer something new with higher speed for a worthy answer to the eternal competitor in the person of Intel Corporation.
How and why did this computing platform appear?
In 2006, sales of a new type of RAM, called DDR2, started on the personal computer market. AMD connectors at that time for installing CPU 754 and 939 from AMD were oriented towards using the outdated, but the most common type of RAM - DDR.
As a result, the last socket was redesigned and became AM2. The processors for this socket received a 30% increase in speed compared to their predecessors. The main factor that made it possible to increase productivity was the increased RAM bandwidth.
Sockets up to AM2. Subsequent processor sockets
As noted earlier, the predecessors for this processor socket can be considered sockets 754 and 939. Moreover, from the standpoint of organizing the functioning of RAM, the second of them, which also had a 2-channel RAM controller, was closer to the hero of this review. But also server socket 940 can be attributed to the predecessors of AM2. The processors in this case had the identical organization of the RAM subsystem and a similar number of contacts, which was equal to 940 pieces.
In one form or another, AM2 lasted until 2009. At this time, instead of him and his updated version in the person of AM2 +, a new processor socket AM3 was released, the key innovation of which was the use of a new modification of the RAM - DDR3. Physically, AM2 and AM3 are compatible with each other. Moreover, even AM2 + CPUs can be installed in AM3. But the reverse use of the CPU is unacceptable due to the incompatibility of the microprocessor controllers of RAM.
Models of central processors for AM2
AMD Socket AM2 processors were targeted at the following segments of the PC market:
- The products of the Septron line made it possible to assemble budget system units. Such CPUs had only one computing module and a two-level cache. Technologically, these semiconductor solutions were made according to the norms of 90 nm (the frequency range of the CPU was limited to 1.6-2.2 GHz) and 65 nm (1.9-2.3 GHz). These chips had a very, very democratic cost and an acceptable level of performance for solving office tasks, and it was for these two reasons that they could often be found in the budget segment of the PC.
- Mid-end solutions included all Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 X2 CPUs. The performance level in this case was provided by an increase in the cache memory size, higher clock frequencies, and even the presence of 2 computing modules at once (processors with the X2 prefix).
- The most productive products on this platform were Phenom chips. They could include 2, 3 or even 4 computing units. Also, the cache was significantly increased.
- Socket AM2 was aimed at creating entry-level servers. Processors of the Opteron family could also be installed in it. They were available in 2 versions: with 2 computing modules (based on the Athlon 64 X2 CPU and marked 12XX) and with 4 cores (in this case, Phenom chips acted as a prototype, and such products were already designated 135X).
Chipsets for this platform
AMD AM2 processors could be used in combination with motherboards based on such AMD chipsets:
- The maximum level of functionality provided 790FX. It allowed you to connect 4 video cards in 8X mode or 2 in 16X mode at once.
- The niche of mid-range products was occupied by 780E, 785E and 790X / GX. They allowed you to install 2 graphics accelerators in 8X mode or 1 in 16X mode. Also, solutions based on 790GX were equipped with an integrated Radeon 3100 video adapter.
- Even lower by a step in terms of functionality were solutions based on 785G, 785G / V and 770. They allowed using only 1 discrete graphics accelerator.
RAM and its controller
The AM2 socket was oriented towards installing the most recent DDR2 modules at that time. Processors, as noted earlier, due to this important innovation received an additional 30% performance. As in the case of sockets 939 and 940, the RAM controller was integrated into the central processor. This engineering approach allows you to increase performance with the RAM subsystem, but limits the number of types of RAM modules supported by the CPU.
The appearance of new modifications of the slats in the future leads to the fact that the architecture of the RAM controller needs to be reworked. It is for this reason that the intermediate solution AM2 + appeared between AM2 and AM3 +. It did not receive cardinal differences from its predecessor, and the only difference was that support for the DDR2-800 and DDR2-1066 RAM modules was added. In its pure form, AM2 could fully work with the DDR2-400, DDR2-533 and DDR2-667 brackets. You can install more high-speed RAM modules in such a PC, but in this case their speed automatically decreased to the level of DDR2-667, and there was no particular benefit from using a higher-speed RAM.
The current situation with this platform
Today, Socket AM2 is completely outdated. Processors and motherboards for this platform can still be found in new condition in warehouses. But it is not recommended to consider this connector as the basis even for assembling the most budget PCs: the difference in price with the most affordable processor solutions of the entry-level more recent sockets is insignificant, but the difference in terms of performance will be noticeable.
Therefore, it is possible to use such components in the event that a PC based on AM2 is out of order and it is urgently necessary to restore it at a minimum cost.
To summarize
Significant in 2006 for the world of computer technology was the output of the socket for installing the AM2 CPU. The processors in this case received a very substantial increase in speed and made it possible to solve more complex problems. But now products based on this platform are outdated, and it is not recommended to consider them as the basis for assembling a new system unit.