Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please.

Wavelabs · Apr 3, 2009, 02:46 PM

I am in Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s. Would like to know if there is any difference in "performance/speed" between these 2 processors. 1. - AMD Phenom QuadCore x64 9500. and 2. - AMD Phenom II X4 940 AM2+ black edition. Would like to know from the experts, if there would be any kind of difference. and IF you can, can you please post the differences spec & pics between these 2 processors. thank you. wavelabs

**kris23** · Apr 3, 2009, 03:04 PM

the 9500 is a 65nm chip that is still affected by the TLB errata as far as i know(a bug that causes unstable operation in server and 64-bit environments.) and is discontinued.

the closest thing thats still around is the 9600 and that has the TLB errata as well

9 series chip that no longer have errors are the 9X50 chips eg. 9650, 9750, 9850, 9950

the Phenom II 940 is a much newer chip that is much faster and more stable. running at 3.0Ghz stock and highly OCable. it is a 45nm chip and has a heavily revised architecture compared to the 9 series. though it is a bit more expensive than the whole 9 series

Wavelabs · Apr 3, 2009, 03:23 PM

ok, so if I have the 9500 in the computer, and I exchange it to the Phenom II 940. Will I see major improvement in speed and performance difference.. Is there a data comparing the 2. just between the 9500 and the 940. thanks.

IvanV · Apr 3, 2009, 04:25 PM

I think that a direct comparison would be hard to find, but DH has a comparison of Phenom II X4 940 and Phenom X4 9950 right here. The 9950 is similar to 9500, only it is not affected by the mentioned TLB bug and it's clocked higher than your CPU (2.6GHz instead of 2.2GHz).

On the overall, Phenom II X4 940 is highly preferable to your CPU, it's bug free, it has faster architecture, higher frequency, lower power consumption and it's more overclockable. My estimate is that it's about 40% faster than your current CPU on average, and that's in case the TLB bug fix hasn't been applied on your CPU, if you have, then your CPU is even slower (AMD delivered a fix for the bug which disabled a part of the processor; depending on the situation, that reduced the performance by up to 20%).

Still, it all falls down to whether you're happy with your current CPU. If you are, no need to change it, but if you're looking for an upgrade, the new X4 940 would bring a significant boost in performance.

Wavelabs · Apr 3, 2009, 04:44 PM

Ok, I just ordered the 940. I did not even know 9500 had a (TLB) bug. I've been experiencing crappy performance on my 9500. many times, I have to wait up to a minute for a dar-n application to open. and experiencing weird performance issues. just odd things. So, I want to upgrade my AM2 computer. As I mentioned in another post, Im building a brand new (AM3) computer. thats different.! This is entirely for another computer, I can not bare to let it go to waste. and only really needs a better CPU. I was also told that the 9500 can not tolerate the 1066 memory chips. Every time I go into the BIOS and change it to 1066mhz, the system freezes. It defaults back to 800Mhz. And I know its not my motherboard, because the mobo box says it supports 1066. So, I was told it was the CPU itself not accepting 1066 for some reason. So im also hoping that the new 940 lets me change it to 1066 so I can use the full potential of my DDR2 memory. Other than that, this box is sweet. just laggs alot.

OldBuzzard · Apr 3, 2009, 06:43 PM

Make sure that your mainboard/bios supports the PhII 940. You may have to flash the bios before you install the new CPU.

I had to do that when I replaced my 4800+ with a PhII 940, on my ASRock board.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wavelabs

... I was also told that the 9500 can not tolerate the 1066 memory chips. Every time I go into the BIOS and change it to 1066mhz, the system freezes. It defaults back to 800Mhz. And I know its not my motherboard, because the mobo box says it supports 1066. So, I was told it was the CPU itself not accepting 1066 for some reason. So im also hoping that the new 940 lets me change it to 1066 so I can use the full potential of my DDR2 memory. Other than that, this box is sweet. just laggs alot.

That's because the AMD processors have the memory controller on the CPU.

Wavelabs · Apr 4, 2009, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBuzzard

Make sure that your mainboard/bios supports the PhII 940. You may have to flash the bios before you install the new CPU.

I had to do that when I replaced my 4800+ with a PhII 940, on my ASRock board.

That's because the AMD processors have the memory controller on the CPU.

Really, I did not know that.
I have a Asus M3A motherboard.
Do you think my motherboard supports it.?
I went on Asus website and found nothing about updating for Ph II 940.

If some one can help me find the right flash, I would really appreciate it very much.

Wavelabs · Apr 4, 2009, 02:09 AM

I just found this.
I think I have to buy a new motherboard - damn-it I was afraid of that.

http://i42.tinypic.com/sy71o2.png

**kris23** · Apr 4, 2009, 03:02 AM

a board i recommend would be....

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

i built a system with the DS4H board and it is excellent, the above board supports the 940

Wavelabs · Apr 4, 2009, 05:09 AM

I was looking at this one.
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

This one has both AM2 and AM3 capabilities.
Which is cool if I ever want to upgrade this computer to a future AM3 chipset.

On the other hand,

Also NOTE:
I installed a new BIOS for my motherboard M3A called:
1102.ROM from Asus website just now.

It says the following: - I can't copy the same text as website is undergoing maintenance.
But, in whole it something to the fact of;

"[New CPU is supported]"
but for some reason, it does not specify.
I hate when people do that, they don't specify exactly.

It does not exactly say which new CPU is supported.

But its a new BIOS update.
in BETA form - I know., I know.

But i'm running it right now and seems to work fine with AM2 Phenom 9500.

Have not tried the new BIOS 1102.ROM for M3A Mobo on the Ph-II 940 yet.

Don't know if the new BIOS for the M3A Mobo from Asus website will work
on my motherboard.
But it does say, New CPU's are supported.
and the only new CPU's that came out is the Ph-II 940 that I know of so far.

Can anyone inform me or confirm if this new BIOS 1102.ROM
is intended for Phenom II 940 series.

thanks

OldBuzzard · Apr 4, 2009, 05:28 AM

You might want to take a look at this MB as well.

Newegg.com - ASRock AOD790GX/128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

I just put a system together using that board, a PhII 940, and 8GB of Corsair RAM. It's a well designed board, and made the installation dead easy. I had no issues what so ever during the install.

In fact, I'm thinking of upgrading from my older ASRock board in my sig to this one, since I have a PhII 940 now, and I know that it's being bottlenecked to a certain amount due to my DDR2 800 RAM.

**kris23** · Apr 4, 2009, 05:32 AM

id wait for the Phenom II before buying a new mobo just to see if you can save a few bucks.... if it supports it, then you're in luck!

Wavelabs · Apr 4, 2009, 07:11 AM

Exactly what I was thinking.......lol

Also the reason why I asked if anyone could confirm it,
just in case someone knew that the BIOS file was intended for AMD Ph-II 940 or not.

BIOS Image Information:
Model: M3A
Version: 1102
Chipset: RX780
Date: 11.13.2008
BIOS Type: AMI
BIOS Size 1024 K

for M3A Asus Motherboard.

Wavelabs · Apr 4, 2009, 02:40 PM

ATTENTION.!!

It is now confirmed, Phenom-II 940
DOES work with Asus M3A Motherboard

with the new
Beta: 1102.ROM BIOS update.

I'm running it as I type this.
I have not yet fully tested its speed:
and it feels sorta the same as the 9500.
because I did not notice any jump in speed.

But again, I have not fully tested the 940 yet.

I am thinking of really buying this:
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

I need the USB & SATA inputs

By the way:
I'm running a steady ( 33.5c ) on temperature of the Phenom-II 940

**kris23** · Apr 4, 2009, 04:15 PM

790X has all the features you need to sure why not?

Wavelabs · Apr 5, 2009, 02:34 AM

I also like it alot because it can do AM2 and AM3.

I can alway upgrade the CPU a year from now or 6 months from now
when the prices drop, to AM3 Phenom-II on the board when prices drop.
USB and SATA As well as the PCI slots onboard connections is a huge plus for me.

I also just might purchase the new Diamond ATI HD4890 GPU while im at it,
like buy 2 of them and run them both on this board.

I currently have the ATI Diamond HD 3870 512mb DDR4 GPU Card

I really like this Mobo.
And the thing is its only 109 bucks.

Compared to the Asus M3A,
This UD4P 790X Mobo is way newer than the M3A.

If im not mistaken,
the FSB is faster than my M3A too.
All the parts on the UD4P is newer too.

Its like a win win.

But at least I found out that Phenom-II 940 works on M3A.
and posted it on DriverHeaven.net
So other will know if they also come to the same situation as I did.

So I hope I helped someone.

Apr 3, 2009, 02:46 PM	#1
Wavelabs HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. I am in Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s. Would like to know if there is any difference in "performance/speed" between these 2 processors. 1. - AMD Phenom QuadCore x64 9500. and 2. - AMD Phenom II X4 940 AM2+ black edition. Would like to know from the experts, if there would be any kind of difference. and IF you can, can you please post the differences spec & pics between these 2 processors. thank you. wavelabs __________________ Pro-Tools v8 / Reason v4.1 / CubaseSX v4 / Wavelabs v6.1 / M-Audio 1814 / GT-66 MIC / TC Electronic Triple C / DBX Gate Event 20-20 Powered / Genelec 1030A / Pioneer EFX-1000 / Avalon VT-737sp Mic-Pre / Aphex Aural Exciter 104-C2

Apr 3, 2009, 03:04 PM	#2
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. the 9500 is a 65nm chip that is still affected by the TLB errata as far as i know(a bug that causes unstable operation in server and 64-bit environments.) and is discontinued. the closest thing thats still around is the 9600 and that has the TLB errata as well 9 series chip that no longer have errors are the 9X50 chips eg. 9650, 9750, 9850, 9950 the Phenom II 940 is a much newer chip that is much faster and more stable. running at 3.0Ghz stock and highly OCable. it is a 45nm chip and has a heavily revised architecture compared to the 9 series. though it is a bit more expensive than the whole 9 series __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Apr 3, 2009, 03:23 PM	Thread Starter #3
Wavelabs HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. ok, so if I have the 9500 in the computer, and I exchange it to the Phenom II 940. Will I see major improvement in speed and performance difference.. Is there a data comparing the 2. just between the 9500 and the 940. thanks. __________________ Pro-Tools v8 / Reason v4.1 / CubaseSX v4 / Wavelabs v6.1 / M-Audio 1814 / GT-66 MIC / TC Electronic Triple C / DBX Gate Event 20-20 Powered / Genelec 1030A / Pioneer EFX-1000 / Avalon VT-737sp Mic-Pre / Aphex Aural Exciter 104-C2

Apr 3, 2009, 04:25 PM	#4
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. I think that a direct comparison would be hard to find, but DH has a comparison of Phenom II X4 940 and Phenom X4 9950 right here. The 9950 is similar to 9500, only it is not affected by the mentioned TLB bug and it's clocked higher than your CPU (2.6GHz instead of 2.2GHz). On the overall, Phenom II X4 940 is highly preferable to your CPU, it's bug free, it has faster architecture, higher frequency, lower power consumption and it's more overclockable. My estimate is that it's about 40% faster than your current CPU on average, and that's in case the TLB bug fix hasn't been applied on your CPU, if you have, then your CPU is even slower (AMD delivered a fix for the bug which disabled a part of the processor; depending on the situation, that reduced the performance by up to 20%). Still, it all falls down to whether you're happy with your current CPU. If you are, no need to change it, but if you're looking for an upgrade, the new X4 940 would bring a significant boost in performance. __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever).

Apr 3, 2009, 04:44 PM	Thread Starter #5
Wavelabs HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. Ok, I just ordered the 940. I did not even know 9500 had a (TLB) bug. I've been experiencing crappy performance on my 9500. many times, I have to wait up to a minute for a dar-n application to open. and experiencing weird performance issues. just odd things. So, I want to upgrade my AM2 computer. As I mentioned in another post, Im building a brand new (AM3) computer. thats different.! This is entirely for another computer, I can not bare to let it go to waste. and only really needs a better CPU. I was also told that the 9500 can not tolerate the 1066 memory chips. Every time I go into the BIOS and change it to 1066mhz, the system freezes. It defaults back to 800Mhz. And I know its not my motherboard, because the mobo box says it supports 1066. So, I was told it was the CPU itself not accepting 1066 for some reason. So im also hoping that the new 940 lets me change it to 1066 so I can use the full potential of my DDR2 memory. Other than that, this box is sweet. just laggs alot. __________________ Pro-Tools v8 / Reason v4.1 / CubaseSX v4 / Wavelabs v6.1 / M-Audio 1814 / GT-66 MIC / TC Electronic Triple C / DBX Gate Event 20-20 Powered / Genelec 1030A / Pioneer EFX-1000 / Avalon VT-737sp Mic-Pre / Aphex Aural Exciter 104-C2

Apr 4, 2009, 02:09 AM	Thread Starter #8
Wavelabs HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. I just found this. I think I have to buy a new motherboard - damn-it I was afraid of that. http://i42.tinypic.com/sy71o2.png __________________ Pro-Tools v8 / Reason v4.1 / CubaseSX v4 / Wavelabs v6.1 / M-Audio 1814 / GT-66 MIC / TC Electronic Triple C / DBX Gate Event 20-20 Powered / Genelec 1030A / Pioneer EFX-1000 / Avalon VT-737sp Mic-Pre / Aphex Aural Exciter 104-C2

Apr 4, 2009, 03:02 AM	#9
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. a board i recommend would be.... Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards i built a system with the DS4H board and it is excellent, the above board supports the 940 __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Apr 4, 2009, 05:09 AM	Thread Starter #10
Wavelabs HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. I was looking at this one. Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards This one has both AM2 and AM3 capabilities. Which is cool if I ever want to upgrade this computer to a future AM3 chipset. On the other hand, Also NOTE: I installed a new BIOS for my motherboard M3A called: 1102.ROM from Asus website just now. It says the following: - I can't copy the same text as website is undergoing maintenance. But, in whole it something to the fact of; "[New CPU is supported]" but for some reason, it does not specify. I hate when people do that, they don't specify exactly. It does not exactly say which new CPU is supported. But its a new BIOS update. in BETA form - I know., I know. But i'm running it right now and seems to work fine with AM2 Phenom 9500. Have not tried the new BIOS 1102.ROM for M3A Mobo on the Ph-II 940 yet. Don't know if the new BIOS for the M3A Mobo from Asus website will work on my motherboard. But it does say, New CPU's are supported. and the only new CPU's that came out is the Ph-II 940 that I know of so far. Can anyone inform me or confirm if this new BIOS 1102.ROM is intended for Phenom II 940 series. thanks __________________ Pro-Tools v8 / Reason v4.1 / CubaseSX v4 / Wavelabs v6.1 / M-Audio 1814 / GT-66 MIC / TC Electronic Triple C / DBX Gate Event 20-20 Powered / Genelec 1030A / Pioneer EFX-1000 / Avalon VT-737sp Mic-Pre / Aphex Aural Exciter 104-C2 Last edited by Wavelabs; Apr 4, 2009 at 05:15 AM.

Apr 4, 2009, 05:28 AM	#11
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. You might want to take a look at this MB as well. Newegg.com - ASRock AOD790GX/128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards I just put a system together using that board, a PhII 940, and 8GB of Corsair RAM. It's a well designed board, and made the installation dead easy. I had no issues what so ever during the install. In fact, I'm thinking of upgrading from my older ASRock board in my sig to this one, since I have a PhII 940 now, and I know that it's being bottlenecked to a certain amount due to my DDR2 800 RAM. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Apr 4, 2009, 05:32 AM	#12
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. id wait for the Phenom II before buying a new mobo just to see if you can save a few bucks.... if it supports it, then you're in luck! __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Apr 4, 2009, 07:11 AM	Thread Starter #13
Wavelabs HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. Exactly what I was thinking.......lol Also the reason why I asked if anyone could confirm it, just in case someone knew that the BIOS file was intended for AMD Ph-II 940 or not. BIOS Image Information: Model: M3A Version: 1102 Chipset: RX780 Date: 11.13.2008 BIOS Type: AMI BIOS Size 1024 K for M3A Asus Motherboard. __________________ Pro-Tools v8 / Reason v4.1 / CubaseSX v4 / Wavelabs v6.1 / M-Audio 1814 / GT-66 MIC / TC Electronic Triple C / DBX Gate Event 20-20 Powered / Genelec 1030A / Pioneer EFX-1000 / Avalon VT-737sp Mic-Pre / Aphex Aural Exciter 104-C2 Last edited by Wavelabs; Apr 4, 2009 at 07:25 AM.

Apr 4, 2009, 02:40 PM	Thread Starter #14
Wavelabs HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. ATTENTION.!! It is now confirmed, Phenom-II 940 DOES work with Asus M3A Motherboard with the new Beta: 1102.ROM BIOS update. I'm running it as I type this. I have not yet fully tested its speed: and it feels sorta the same as the 9500. because I did not notice any jump in speed. But again, I have not fully tested the 940 yet. I am thinking of really buying this: Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards I need the USB & SATA inputs By the way: I'm running a steady ( 33.5c ) on temperature of the Phenom-II 940 __________________ Pro-Tools v8 / Reason v4.1 / CubaseSX v4 / Wavelabs v6.1 / M-Audio 1814 / GT-66 MIC / TC Electronic Triple C / DBX Gate Event 20-20 Powered / Genelec 1030A / Pioneer EFX-1000 / Avalon VT-737sp Mic-Pre / Aphex Aural Exciter 104-C2 Last edited by Wavelabs; Apr 4, 2009 at 04:11 PM. Reason: Updated CPU Temperature Information:

Apr 4, 2009, 04:15 PM	#15
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. 790X has all the features you need to sure why not? __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Apr 5, 2009, 02:34 AM	Thread Starter #16
Wavelabs HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Need Knowledge Help on CPU\s Please. I also like it alot because it can do AM2 and AM3. I can alway upgrade the CPU a year from now or 6 months from now when the prices drop, to AM3 Phenom-II on the board when prices drop. USB and SATA As well as the PCI slots onboard connections is a huge plus for me. I also just might purchase the new Diamond ATI HD4890 GPU while im at it, like buy 2 of them and run them both on this board. I currently have the ATI Diamond HD 3870 512mb DDR4 GPU Card I really like this Mobo. And the thing is its only 109 bucks. Compared to the Asus M3A, This UD4P 790X Mobo is way newer than the M3A. If im not mistaken, the FSB is faster than my M3A too. All the parts on the UD4P is newer too. Its like a win win. But at least I found out that Phenom-II 940 works on M3A. and posted it on DriverHeaven.net So other will know if they also come to the same situation as I did. So I hope I helped someone. __________________ Pro-Tools v8 / Reason v4.1 / CubaseSX v4 / Wavelabs v6.1 / M-Audio 1814 / GT-66 MIC / TC Electronic Triple C / DBX Gate Event 20-20 Powered / Genelec 1030A / Pioneer EFX-1000 / Avalon VT-737sp Mic-Pre / Aphex Aural Exciter 104-C2 Last edited by Wavelabs; Apr 5, 2009 at 02:45 AM.