Page 1 of 1

Can I upgrade an AMD model 9100e to a AMD model 940?

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:10 pm
by CoreTemp-User140
My current motherboard will support any AMD socket AM2+ (95W). I would like to upgrade from my current Phenom AMD model 9100e (65W) 1.8 GHz to the new Phenom II AMD model 940 (125W) 3.0 GHz. Everything looks good except the board will only support (95W). I have read some reviews where similar upgrades have been done but I don't want to spend the $$ without knowing that the upgrade can be done with no problems. Would appreciate anyone's experience and comments.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:47 pm
by The Coolest
If you don't intend to overclock, then most likely you won't have much problem. Especially if you add some extra cooling to the CPU power supply parts on the motherboard.
Although, I nor anyone here can guarantee that you won't encounter problems, so do that at your own risk.

My suggestion would be to sell of both cpu and board and buy a compatible motherboard.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 7:50 pm
by CoreTemp-User140
At this time I don't plan on overclocking, as going from a 1.8 GHz to a 3.0 GHz would be a big improvement. So if I understand correctly, the new CPU running at 125W should not be a problem running on a MoBo that only supports 95W as long as there is a good heatsink/fan (aftermarket?) to keep it running cool? Mac

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 8:24 pm
by The Coolest
Well, I was talking about cooling the mosfets (power regulators) on the motherboard, as there may be more stress on them with a more powerful CPU.
On the other hand, the 45nm chips really don't pull that much power.
So I think it should work.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:01 pm
by CoreTemp-User140
Adding another fan or two to cool the motherboard shouldn't be a problem as there are openings available. Obviously, I'm not the smartest guy in dealing with this particular problem. I think I need to have it explained to me just exactly what is the difference between the 95W that my current board will support and the 125W that it seems the new CPU needs. I am assuming that this is the power (volts x amps) that is required to run the CPUs? Or is it something else? Mac

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:52 pm
by The Coolest
CPUs have TDP (Thermal Design Profile). This means that motherboard and cooler manufacturers must comply to the processor's TDP for their product to be approved by the company.

Now TDP is a constant value, set by the CPU manufacturer. It tells you the power draw by the CPU that the motherboard must withstand without failing.

But there is a rating and there is the actual power that processor uses.
When a processor is rated at 125W TDP, it doesn't actually mean that it will draw that much power under normal conditions, maybe under some sort of extreme condition it could come close.
On the original Phenom that problem was real, and those CPUs were really power hungry, but Phenom IIs cut power consumption by about 30-40%.

So all in all, I don't believe there should be a problem. But I don't know for sure. I still stand by my original suggestion of replacing both processor and motherboard if you want to be 100% sure that you won't have a problem.