14 DAY TRIAL // Advanced Micro Devices has just issued an update to the list of motherboards that support AMD Phenom processors. The list is comprised of all the AM2+ motherboards that can work with the latest Phenom processors.
The Phenom-Ready certification shows the users that the recommended motherboard is fully functional when used in combination with a Phenom CPU. It will also spare the user the headache of buying an AM2+ motherboard in order to find out that is incompatible with the processor. Moreover, the AMD Phenom-Ready recommendation is a thorough test that focuses on both hardware and software aspects of the motherboards.
The hardware part deals to accurate measurement of electrical signal margin of CPU and memory to ensure that the voltage is stable and does not exceed the producer's safety limitation threshold. The software tests refer to the full system stress and function tests to ensure optimal operation with both Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems from Microsoft.
Along with the new, updated list, AMD also released a form that allows users to find information about the supporting motherboards by filling in the Phenom processor model or the motherboard manufacturer. The chip manufacturer has already listed 17 motherboards that have passed the Phenom-Ready certification.
The current, buggy Phenoms that have somehow managed to reach the market can only work on two out of the 17 motherboards listed on the chip manufacturer's webpage. Only Asus and Gigabyte managed to issue a BIOS fix that allows the crippled Phenom processor to run at 10 percent below their clock speed, in order to avoid the TLB bug.
The motherboard recommendations update is more than springtime garden-care. Speculations can lead us into thinking that the chip manufacturer is gearing up to welcome the B3 silicon stepping of the long-awaited processors. The TLB errata bug is alleged to have been repaired, but the chips are still held off because it seems that Advanced Micro Device is working to improve the overclocking capacity for the new Phenom processors.