Conroe Support

Necrosis · May 24, 2006, 04:55 AM

Do you folks know of any current boards that support this up coming processor?

CDsDontBurn · May 24, 2006, 05:14 AM

i thought it was going to be the 975 chipset series boards

???

Tipstaff · May 24, 2006, 05:28 AM

You don't know how well timed this question is, Necrosis. I just went through a couple weeks of research on this.

"Supposedly" the Asus P5WD2-E Premium board supports the Conroe (Core 2 Duo), however not one person I've talked with (Asus or Intel directly) can say for sure it will. All talk about it being "supposedly" able to support it is based on the fact that the board supports the 65nm current chips.

As for Intel direct boards, the Intel D975xbx board does support the Conroe (Core 2 Duo) chip as long as you get a revision 304 board or higher. Problem is that most of the boards out there are revision 302. So, if you can find one that is 304 or higher then your set.

Of note, an Intel rep mentioned that the 965 based boards "should" be out within 2 - 3 months, and those will support the Core 2 Duos.

Ferret_Style · May 24, 2006, 05:46 AM

i sure hope the asus board does

that way this 930 pentium D can go to the wife

Tipstaff · May 24, 2006, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferret_Style

i sure hope the asus board does

that way this 930 pentium D can go to the wife

Well, no matter what, if you push off that processor to the wife you'll need to buy a new motherboard for her anyways since hers doesn't support that chip. So, if your P5WD2-E doesn't support the Core 2 Duo then you can push off both parts to her.

Right now I'm in a bit of a spot. I have a 975xbx sitting at the store, and I can't get rid of it at the moment. I would have kept it for myself, but since it's a revision 302 board... no deal. I don't want to upgrade my motherboard AGAIN in less than a year just to change CPUs. Thankfully I'm in no rush, and I can wait to see what the 965 boards will be like. I'm just pissed cuz I have an X1600XT that is just sitting here doing nothing. Such a shame.

CDsDontBurn · May 24, 2006, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Right now I'm in a bit of a spot. I have a 975xbx sitting at the store, and I can't get rid of it at the moment. I would have kept it for myself, but since it's a revision 302 board... no deal. I don't want to upgrade my motherboard AGAIN in less than a year just to change CPUs. Thankfully I'm in no rush, and I can wait to see what the 965 boards will be like. I'm just pissed cuz I have an X1600XT that is just sitting here doing nothing. Such a shame.

you can pass off the board and gfx card to the man with no job, no car, and has a baby. he would greatly appreciate it!

. he would just buy the remaining parts when he gets a job or somehow comes across extra money.

<--------- and he's right there

mike2h · May 24, 2006, 07:53 AM

i just got stuck with one of those 302 boards. the 304 were released into channels 16th of last month but unless the co you are dealing with has fast turnover/knows what their speciific stock is you are rolling the die. your best bet is to go into a store, it will say 302/304 on the box so you dont hvae t obuy 1st.

~~Alien1~~ · May 24, 2006, 11:41 AM

I would advice avoid buying any any new CPU\system until Vista appears
Except if you have a OLD Pc system and you really need something new

There will be better sollutions for Core when it starts to mature a little
(and for AMD also)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff
I don't want to upgrade my motherboard AGAIN in less than a year just to change CPUs. Thankfully I'm in no rush, and I can wait to see what the 965 boards will be like.

Nicely said
Plus you will need to buy DDR2 memories also with that

It's like creating a new PC from the start and that surely will cost a pretty big amount of money
Core is surely not going to be cheap...we are talking about Intel right ?

There will be better sollutions next year for CORE and Quad Core CPU

and for AMD also because AM2 is not what i would call next gen sollution and surely not a so great sollution compared the current 939 sollutions...
something tells me AMD will change socket and chipset again to compete with Core

Lowfat · May 24, 2006, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alien1

I would advice avoid buying any any new CPU\system until Vista appears
Except if you have a OLD Pc system and you really need something new

New tech is constantly available, with that type of thinking it is never a good time to upgrade. And Vista is a good 8-10 months away anyways.

If you have an Intel i975X board rev 302, it is possible to mod the board yourself to support Conroe if you are good at soldering. All it needs is a couple of resistors added to the board.

Necrosis · May 24, 2006, 04:34 PM

From what I've read, and yes I did read about the 304 board. The Asus board should have a version out in 2-3 weeks which will support Conroe. I'm not moving to Vista until 2008, and normally do a system upgrade every year. Currently have I have $1,500 set aside for this. Just thought it would be nice to get as much as I can now so I'll only have to wait on the processor. Guess it wouldn't kill me to wait a bit longer. I plan on doing some overclocking too, so one reason I'm not keen on the Intel board.

CDsDontBurn · May 24, 2006, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowfat

And Vista is a good 8-10 months away anyways.

it's being launched by this coming holiday season. so, that means 6 months or less, but not earlier than july. i've heard it's being launched sometime in mid october.

Lowfat · May 25, 2006, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

it's being launched by this coming holiday season. so, that means 6 months or less, but not earlier than july. i've heard it's being launched sometime in mid october.

That is really old news (November 2005). They have released newer stuff that says it will likely be a March 2007 release.

CDsDontBurn · May 25, 2006, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowfat

That is really old news (November 2005). They have released newer stuff that says it will likely be a March 2007 release.

lol...you're right

. how about this 13hr. old report (at time of my posting) for newer info stating it will be AFTER the holiday season in early to mid january?

Tipstaff · May 30, 2006, 05:16 AM

Yes.. the last post was 6 days ago, so sue me.

Edit: BTW, this is all in regards to the Intel D975XBX board... forgot to mention that fact.

Anways, this seemed like the best place to answer this since people keep asking me different variations on this question, but it's always the same damn question, "I'm using version <such and such> bios which is above version 304, does this mean my motherboard will accept the Core 2 Duo?"

No.

End of discussion.

LOL.. seriously, bios version and board revision are 2 different things. Yes, you will need the latest bios in order to support the Core 2 Duo, however, you will also need a board with a revision that is at or higher than 304. You can find this out 1 of 2 easy ways: look for a large white label on the box for your mobo. What you are looking for is a number starting with AA, is 8 numbers/letters long, and ends with a -xxx number. It's that last number you are interested in. Also, you can find this very same number on the board itself, and infact THIS should be the number you go by, cuz the number on the outside may not match the number on the inside (trust me, I've already seen at least 3 labels that said 304 on them, yet were actually lower version boards). Anything with a board revision of -304 or higher is what you want inorder to support the Core 2 Duo/Conroe.

I surely hope for your.. I mean... my sake that this stops the PMs.

Pff.... probably not...

mike2h · May 30, 2006, 05:16 PM

lol! good luck!!!!

~~hackerx~~ · May 31, 2006, 03:42 AM

I guess this is the place to ask.
Is the upcoming merom chip,compatable with aOpens i975x-YDG?Apparently both yonah and merom have the same number of pins and are in the same pattern.So if i were to put a merom chip into the specified board,will it work(provided the bios is up to date)?

Tipstaff · May 31, 2006, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hackerx

I guess this is the place to ask.
Is the upcoming merom chip,compatable with aOpens i975x-YDG?Apparently both yonah and merom have the same number of pins and are in the same pattern.So if i were to put a merom chip into the specified board,will it work(provided the bios is up to date)?

To quote X-Bit Labs, "I would like to draw your attention to the fact that first-generation Merom processors supporting 667MHz bus will be compatible with mainboards and chipsets designed to support Yonah. For example, the desktop AOpen i975X a-YDG needed just a BIOS update to start working with Merom."

That article was pointed out to me by an Intel rep. One thing to point out is that they don't mention which of the 2 current bioses they used, OR if they used a newer one.

Lowfat · Jun 2, 2006, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hackerx

I guess this is the place to ask.
Is the upcoming merom chip,compatable with aOpens i975x-YDG?Apparently both yonah and merom have the same number of pins and are in the same pattern.So if i were to put a merom chip into the specified board,will it work(provided the bios is up to date)?

With the newest bios yes, however the bios it shipped with does not. Many people are running Merom's over @ XS.org, however they all have the same FSB limit as Yonah's do

mike2h · Jun 2, 2006, 02:06 AM

got my asus mb today, rev 02g so i guess im S.O.L as far as conroe goes. just as well i guess. if i had tried to convince my wife i needed a new cpu in the year or 2 she would have...... well, you cant have a comp in icu, & it would be hard to type without hands anyway

Tipstaff · Jun 2, 2006, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike2h

got my asus mb today, rev 02g so i guess im S.O.L as far as conroe goes. just as well i guess. if i had tried to convince my wife i needed a new cpu in the year or 2 she would have...... well, you cant have a comp in icu, & it would be hard to type without hands anyway

Wait a while, then send it in for RMA with Asus.

Right now I'm seriously debating whether to mod the Inte D975xbx rev. 302 board I have here. I can easily do the mod, but then again... poof goes the warranty. Tough decision...

Lowfat · Jun 3, 2006, 01:49 AM

Ya i need a new mobo for my 630 right now, but am not about to spent a few hundred if i need to spend a few hundred more in a month or two. I'll likely just hold off till a decent SLI board is out.

Necrosis · Jun 3, 2006, 02:57 AM

Kinda off topic so what is the difference in the 975 vs the 965?

BTW, do you guys know if they make 2gig 800MHz DDR2 modules?

CDsDontBurn · Jun 3, 2006, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Wait a while, then send it in for RMA with Asus.

Right now I'm seriously debating whether to mod the Inte D975xbx rev. 302 board I have here. I can easily do the mod, but then again... poof goes the warranty. Tough decision...

in this scenario, i would weigh your cost of the board vs. likley potential outcome of the support

Tipstaff · Jun 3, 2006, 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

in this scenario, i would weigh your cost of the board vs. likley potential outcome of the support

That's exactly it. If it doesn't work I can eat the cost of the board, but I'm really in no rush. I can wait to buy a revision 304 board with proper support, and with that Intels full warranty service.

Necrosis, think of the 965 boards as a "stripped down" version of the 975 . The 965 is really meant to replace the 915 boards, and the thing is that "most" of Intels 915 boards are very basic. I have yet to get one single answer from any Intel source, be it a rep, a tech, or what not, on what exactly the 965 boards will come with. They can't tell me if they will have dual PCIE, HD audio, firewire, whatever. All I can get from them is that the boards will support up to 667mhz DDR2, have ICH8, supports all current 775 processors, and Core 2 Duos. That's it. Thing is that the 975 board uses ICH7, comes with firewire, has 5 audio connectors for 5.1 (the audio comes with some Dolby Digital stuff), spdif optical/coax out, 3 PCIE slots, and a ton of extra things in the box (3 1/2" audio/usb bay, UV activated rounded IDE/floppy cables, 4 UV activated SATA cables). Sort of like buying one of Asus' Deluxe Edition boards.

As for 2GB DDR2 800Mhz stick of ram.. yes.. they do make it. So far I've only seen Samsung sticks though, and they usually run about $250-300 Canadian per stick... that's IF you can find them.

CDsDontBurn · Jun 3, 2006, 06:31 AM

man....all this talk about hardware and the new conroe/core 2 CPU coming out, makes me want to upgrade my rig already! but alas....i cannot in the current situation i am in

Necrosis · Jun 3, 2006, 07:02 PM

So the 965= 865, and the 975 the 875. If I remember my chipsets correctly. The last P4 I had was /w an Asus board w/ the 865.

Tipstaff · Jun 3, 2006, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necrosis

So the 965= 865, and the 975 the 875. If I remember my chipsets correctly. The last P4 I had was /w an Asus board w/ the 865.

Actually that's a great analogy. Just as the 865 was Intels mainstream chipset so too is their intentions with the 965.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that even though the 965 will "supposedly" support the Extreme series the 975 is the one intended for the Extreme and Core 2 Extreme processors.

Also, there will be a mid-level series based on a 946 chipset, which is intended to replace the 915 chipset. What's really funny about this is that Intel has 2 chipsets that are intended to replace the 915, and so far the only difference I can tell between the 965 and 946 chipset is that the 965 will have ICH8, while the 946 will have ICH7. Otherwise they are pretty much the same (although I don't know if the 946 will support the EE/Core2E).

Necrosis · Jun 3, 2006, 08:15 PM

So the 946 is like the 845 which I remember didn't have dual channel support.

PangingJr · Jun 3, 2006, 08:58 PM

GA-965P-DQ6 - http://www.giga-byte.com/Products/Mo...me=GA-965P-DQ6
Supports Intel® Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Duo / Intel® Pentium® D processor
First Quad BIOS solution for Multiple protection
Supports new generation Microsoft operation system Windows VISTA
Industry's first all solid capacitor motherboard design
Unique 0dB cooling design with Crazy Cool and Silent-Pipe
Quad-Triple phase power design for ultimate system stability
Dual PCI-E graphics interface for extreme gaming performance
Supports high performance Dual Channel DDR2 800 memory
Features SATA 3Gb/s with Quad eSATA II interface
Home theater quality 8-channel High Definition Audio
Supports both Dolby and DTS high quality audio functions.
Optimized PCI-E Gigabit LAN and IEEE 1394 connection
Ready for next generation Quad Core processor

Necrosis · Jun 3, 2006, 09:44 PM

Nice board too bad it doesn't have any IDE. I have three IDE drives.

Update: Don't mind me I'm a dumb ass. It does have an IDE controller on it. Honestly that is all I'll need. I have three IDE optical drives.

DVD-Rom
DVDRW
CDRW

I really don't need the CDRW. I like to keep the DVD-Rom as my work horse.

Looks like I have my first board option.

Think I'm just going /w 2Gig would of liked 4Gig for eventually when I upgrade to Vista. However, I'm not making that move for a long time.

May 24, 2006, 04:55 AM	#1
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Conroe Support Do you folks know of any current boards that support this up coming processor?

May 24, 2006, 05:14 AM	#2
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	i thought it was going to be the 975 chipset series boards ??? __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

May 24, 2006, 05:28 AM	#3
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	You don't know how well timed this question is, Necrosis. I just went through a couple weeks of research on this. "Supposedly" the Asus P5WD2-E Premium board supports the Conroe (Core 2 Duo), however not one person I've talked with (Asus or Intel directly) can say for sure it will. All talk about it being "supposedly" able to support it is based on the fact that the board supports the 65nm current chips. As for Intel direct boards, the Intel D975xbx board does support the Conroe (Core 2 Duo) chip as long as you get a revision 304 board or higher. Problem is that most of the boards out there are revision 302. So, if you can find one that is 304 or higher then your set. Of note, an Intel rep mentioned that the 965 based boards "should" be out within 2 - 3 months, and those will support the Core 2 Duos. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

May 24, 2006, 07:53 AM	#7
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	i just got stuck with one of those 302 boards. the 304 were released into channels 16th of last month but unless the co you are dealing with has fast turnover/knows what their speciific stock is you are rolling the die. your best bet is to go into a store, it will say 302/304 on the box so you dont hvae t obuy 1st. __________________

May 30, 2006, 05:16 AM	#14
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Yes.. the last post was 6 days ago, so sue me. Edit: BTW, this is all in regards to the Intel D975XBX board... forgot to mention that fact. Anways, this seemed like the best place to answer this since people keep asking me different variations on this question, but it's always the same damn question, "I'm using version <such and such> bios which is above version 304, does this mean my motherboard will accept the Core 2 Duo?" No. End of discussion. LOL.. seriously, bios version and board revision are 2 different things. Yes, you will need the latest bios in order to support the Core 2 Duo, however, you will also need a board with a revision that is at or higher than 304. You can find this out 1 of 2 easy ways: look for a large white label on the box for your mobo. What you are looking for is a number starting with AA, is 8 numbers/letters long, and ends with a -xxx number. It's that last number you are interested in. Also, you can find this very same number on the board itself, and infact THIS should be the number you go by, cuz the number on the outside may not match the number on the inside (trust me, I've already seen at least 3 labels that said 304 on them, yet were actually lower version boards). Anything with a board revision of -304 or higher is what you want inorder to support the Core 2 Duo/Conroe. I surely hope for your.. I mean... my sake that this stops the PMs. Pff.... probably not... __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick. Last edited by Tipstaff; May 30, 2006 at 06:02 PM.

May 24, 2006, 04:34 PM	Thread Starter #10
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	From what I've read, and yes I did read about the 304 board. The Asus board should have a version out in 2-3 weeks which will support Conroe. I'm not moving to Vista until 2008, and normally do a system upgrade every year. Currently have I have $1,500 set aside for this. Just thought it would be nice to get as much as I can now so I'll only have to wait on the processor. Guess it wouldn't kill me to wait a bit longer. I plan on doing some overclocking too, so one reason I'm not keen on the Intel board.

May 30, 2006, 05:16 PM	#15
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	lol! good luck!!!! __________________

May 31, 2006, 03:42 AM	#16
~~hackerx~~ Banned Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 494 Rep Power: 0	I guess this is the place to ask. Is the upcoming merom chip,compatable with aOpens i975x-YDG?Apparently both yonah and merom have the same number of pins and are in the same pattern.So if i were to put a merom chip into the specified board,will it work(provided the bios is up to date)?

Jun 2, 2006, 02:06 AM	#19
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	got my asus mb today, rev 02g so i guess im S.O.L as far as conroe goes. just as well i guess. if i had tried to convince my wife i needed a new cpu in the year or 2 she would have...... well, you cant have a comp in icu, & it would be hard to type without hands anyway __________________

Jun 3, 2006, 01:49 AM	#21
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,254 Rep Power: 101	Ya i need a new mobo for my 630 right now, but am not about to spent a few hundred if i need to spend a few hundred more in a month or two. I'll likely just hold off till a decent SLI board is out. __________________

Jun 3, 2006, 02:57 AM	Thread Starter #22
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Kinda off topic so what is the difference in the 975 vs the 965? BTW, do you guys know if they make 2gig 800MHz DDR2 modules?

Jun 3, 2006, 06:31 AM	#25
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	man....all this talk about hardware and the new conroe/core 2 CPU coming out, makes me want to upgrade my rig already! but alas....i cannot in the current situation i am in __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Jun 3, 2006, 07:02 PM	Thread Starter #26
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	So the 965= 865, and the 975 the 875. If I remember my chipsets correctly. The last P4 I had was /w an Asus board w/ the 865.

Jun 3, 2006, 08:15 PM	Thread Starter #28
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	So the 946 is like the 845 which I remember didn't have dual channel support.

Jun 3, 2006, 08:58 PM	#29
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 71	GA-965P-DQ6 - http://www.giga-byte.com/Products/Mo...me=GA-965P-DQ6 Supports Intel® Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Duo / Intel® Pentium® D processor First Quad BIOS solution for Multiple protection Supports new generation Microsoft operation system Windows VISTA Industry's first all solid capacitor motherboard design Unique 0dB cooling design with Crazy Cool and Silent-Pipe Quad-Triple phase power design for ultimate system stability Dual PCI-E graphics interface for extreme gaming performance Supports high performance Dual Channel DDR2 800 memory Features SATA 3Gb/s with Quad eSATA II interface Home theater quality 8-channel High Definition Audio Supports both Dolby and DTS high quality audio functions. Optimized PCI-E Gigabit LAN and IEEE 1394 connection Ready for next generation Quad Core processor

Jun 3, 2006, 09:44 PM	Thread Starter #30
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Nice board too bad it doesn't have any IDE. I have three IDE drives. Update: Don't mind me I'm a dumb ass. It does have an IDE controller on it. Honestly that is all I'll need. I have three IDE optical drives. DVD-Rom DVDRW CDRW I really don't need the CDRW. I like to keep the DVD-Rom as my work horse. Looks like I have my first board option. Think I'm just going /w 2Gig would of liked 4Gig for eventually when I upgrade to Vista. However, I'm not making that move for a long time. Last edited by Necrosis; Jun 3, 2006 at 10:03 PM.