AM3 Opteron(3280,3365,1389) in desktop AM3 Mobo

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Jan 6, 2018
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Hello, I'm interested in AM3 Opteron to use with regular AM3 desktop motherboard, and I have one question. If memory controller is in CPU integrated, can I use server ddr2/3 reg ecc memory with desktop motherboard and server Opteron on it or no? Some "server" ram(like chinese "AMD only" is works with regular AMD desktop CPU's, and Opteron has full compability with server ecc memory, so have anybody some examples of such work?
 

edge

Active Member
Apr 22, 2013
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AM3 is 941 pins. Opteron was 940. The pin outside are different, so I doubt you will get this to work.
 

zir_blazer

Active Member
Dec 5, 2016
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The only thing you get from 939/AM2/AM3 Opterons is official support for UDIMM ECC. Don't confuse them with RDIMM with or without ECC, these will not work.

Actually, you may not need Opterons nor a Server Motherboard intended for them to run UDIMM ECC. I have an AM3 Athlon II X4 620 and it works with UDIMM ECC, the Motherboard (An ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO) even allows me to enable ECC mode on them.

AM3 is 941 pins. Opteron was 940. The pin outside are different, so I doubt you will get this to work.
You're wrong. The original 2003 Opteron line was for Socket 940, but AMD eventually migrated the Single Socket Opterons 1xx to consumer Socket 939 so that they could use UDIMM instead of 940 RDIMM-only. That lineup was legendary because they were Athlon 64 FX bin quality at far cheaper prices (Something similar happened with Intel Xeons E3 SKUs being at times cheaper than an equivalent Core iX and working as drop-in replacement in consumer Motherboards), and I recall a wet dream from mine being getting an Dual Core Opteron 165 back in 2005. The other Opterons later migrated from Socket 940 to Socket F with DDR2 support.
Afterwards, AMD keep the 1P Opteron line in the consumer socket, but the AM2/AM3/AM3+ ones are far less known and popular, but they do exist.
 
Jan 6, 2018
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NO. Opteron's for 940 socket(dual-cpu config mostly) like 275 or 875(for eight cpu config) is 940 pins. It's server socket. For desktop there is Socket 939, like Opteron 175 for 1 cpu miniservers, for AM2 desktop socket there are Opteron 1222, for example, or Opteron 1354, for socket AM3 - Opteron 1389, Opteron 3280 - it's AM3 socket CPU, they designed for regular desktop AM2-AM3 sockets.
Question is can they work with server memory in any AM2-AM3 desktop motherboard, or not.
 

zir_blazer

Active Member
Dec 5, 2016
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NO. Opteron's for 940 socket(dual-cpu config mostly) like 275 or 875(for eight cpu config) is 940 pins. It's server socket. For desktop there is Socket 939, like Opteron 175 for 1 cpu miniservers, for AM2 desktop socket there are Opteron 1222, for example, or Opteron 1354, for socket AM3 - Opteron 1389, Opteron 3280 - it's AM3 socket CPU, they designed for regular desktop AM2-AM3 sockets.
Question is can they work with server memory in any AM2-AM3 desktop motherboard, or not.
Again, you're missing the transition. Opterons 1xx were originally in Socket 940 when released back in 2003 (Hell, even the Athlon 64 FX-51 and FX-53 are for Socket 940. FX-53 later got a Socket 939 re-release the day that socket launched). Halfway 2005, AMD decided to transition the 1P Opteron line to the consumer Socket 939, where the main feature was to be able to use UDIMM (Preferably with ECC, which was a extremely rare combination since no one used UDIMM ECC back then) which was cheaper/more common than RDIMM for low end Workstation or Servers. Socket 940 was RDIMM only, it didn't POSTed if you use UDIMM on those. Amount of Pins doesn't matter - he did mention AM3 Opteron, which do exist, not the old Socket 940 ones.
 
Jan 6, 2018
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Again, you're missing the transition. Opterons 1xx were originally in Socket 940 when released back in 2003 (Hell, even the Athlon 64 FX-51 and FX-53 are for Socket 940. FX-53 later got a Socket 939 re-release the day that socket launched). Halfway 2005, AMD decided to transition the 1P Opteron line to the consumer Socket 939, where the main feature was to be able to use UDIMM (Preferably with ECC, which was a extremely rare combination since no one used UDIMM ECC back then) which was cheaper/more common than RDIMM for low end Workstation or Servers. Socket 940 was RDIMM only, it didn't POSTed if you use UDIMM on those. Amount of Pins doesn't matter - he did mention AM3 Opteron, which do exist, not the old Socket 940 ones.
so, the only server memory that can be used on AM2/AM3 desktop motherboard with Opteron is DDR2/3 ECC memory?
 

zir_blazer

Active Member
Dec 5, 2016
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so, the only server memory that can be used on AM2/AM3 desktop motherboard with Opteron is DDR2/3 ECC memory?
UDIMM ECC. Never forget the important part. The average guy that tries server RAM in a standard consumer platform and say that it doesn't POST is just using RDIMM ECC.
And based on my experience, it also works even on consumer CPUs like my Athlon II X4, and ECC itself can be enabled, assumed your Motherboard allows you to do so. So basically, there is not much a reason to get an Opteron, unless they're better specced or cheaper than a similar Athlon II/Phenom II. They aren't even known to be godly overclockers which was the reason why the original S939 Opterons 1xx line was prefered over similarly priced Athlons 64/64 X2.
 
Jan 6, 2018
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UDIMM ECC. Never forget the important part. The average guy that tries server RAM in a standard consumer platform and say that it doesn't POST is just using RDIMM ECC.
And based on my experience, it also works even on consumer CPUs like my Athlon II X4, and ECC itself can be enabled, assumed your Motherboard allows you to do so. So basically, there is not much a reason to get an Opteron, unless they're better specced or cheaper than a similar Athlon II/Phenom II. They aren't even known to be godly overclockers which was the reason why the original S939 Opterons 1xx line was prefered over similarly priced Athlons 64/64 X2.
at all, chinese "AMD only" memory was made exactly from ECC memory, so it's doesn't strange that original ecc modules can run with AMD without problem. But, at all, ECC memory works on some Intel CPU's too. But, Opteron's can handle much more RAM, then consumer CPU's, but there are can be limitations of chipset or non-REC ECC memory doesn't have such capacity.
For example, my working PC made on Socket F with 2 Opteron's 8435 and 128Gb DDR2 ECC REG(running at 1066hz), regular consumer DDR2 modules can't be more then 4Gb, but I have 16 8Gb modules. If AM2 Opteron can handle ECC REG memory in AM2 desktop motherboards, you can install 32Gb memory for DDR2, for example, but no...
P.S:I saw many post's in internet when people write about they have no POST on mobo with ECC REG memory, but it almost always Athlon/Phenom or other CPU, and I cannot find any description of such PC with Opteron where the server memory doesn't work.
P.S: and, otherways, I saw a video, where ddr2 ecc reg memory was running with Xeon 775(771) socket with nforce chipset(NB in chipset, not in CPU).... some question - maybe, with AMD motherboard with nforce, can handle ddr2 ecc reg too? As I know, there are not motherboards with nforce for AM3(AM3+)
 
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btw, wikipedia says that Opteron's 12**-13** cannot work with DDR2 ECC REG and DDR3 ECC REG(in compatible only Unbuffered memory), buuuut.... for AM3(+) Opteron's 32-33**(from Bulldozer) is described compability with RDDR and UDDR
 

zir_blazer

Active Member
Dec 5, 2016
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at all, chinese "AMD only" memory was made exactly from ECC memory, so it's doesn't strange that original ecc modules can run with AMD without problem. But, at all, ECC memory works on some Intel CPU's too. But, Opteron's can handle much more RAM, then consumer CPU's, but there are can be limitations of chipset or non-REC ECC memory doesn't have such capacity.
ECC isn't a special memory type, it is just modules using more DRAM chips to match the 72 Bits of the Memory Bus w/ECC vs just 64 Bits without.
Oh, by the way, you may read more about the "AMD only" DDR2 memory here, in case you find this topic interesing:

Also, JUST because the Processor is named Opteron doesn't make it automatically supporting more RAM. Xeons E3 are based on the consumer Socket platform line and they have the exact same upper RAM limit than the equivalent Core iX generation because they only accept UDIMMs with the same density properties.


P.S: and, otherways, I saw a video, where ddr2 ecc reg memory was running with Xeon 775(771) socket with nforce chipset(NB in chipset, not in CPU).... some question - maybe, with AMD motherboard with nforce, can handle ddr2 ecc reg too? As I know, there are not motherboards with nforce for AM3(AM3+)
Before the Integrated Memory Controller on the Processor themselves, Memory support (DDR2/DDR3/UDIMM/RDIMM/ECC/whatever) was a Chipset feature. nVidia did some nForce Chipsets targeting Servers if I recall correctly. So that particular one doesn't count.


I'm not sure about the Wikipedia thing. As far that I know, RDIMM support involves different tracing from the Memory Controller to the slots, so it may be possible in special Motherboards. But I have never seen someone hacking in RDIMM support into anything not specifically supporting it out-of-the-box.
 
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Jan 6, 2018
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Also, JUST because the Processor is named Opteron doesn't make it automatically supporting more RAM. Xeons E3 are based on the consumer Socket platform line and they have the exact same upper RAM limit than the equivalent Core iX generation because they only accept UDIMMs with the same density properties.
I'm writing about AMD CPU's exactly.
For Nvidia chipsets - that test was on not server chipset.
So, at all, mobo + cpu(3365) is going to me now, I have a lot of ddr3 ecc reg ram's, so can make a test of that on this build. But, it seems, I need to buy some at least ddr3u ecc modules too, or "AMD only" chinese ddr3 for this build.
 

RolloZ170

Well-Known Member
Apr 24, 2016
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at all, chinese "AMD only" memory was made exactly from ECC memory, so it's doesn't strange that original ecc modules can run with AMD without problem.
this memory uses high dens. chips(from Server RAM) with more adress line, intel cpu lacks this address lines and don't worked with it.
 

edge

Active Member
Apr 22, 2013
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Of the processors listed in the updated title, only the 1389 is AM3, AM2. The other two are AM3+.