14 DAY TRIAL // The Advanced Micro Devices Deneb processor, or Phenom II, as we have learned that the company will officially name the part, is almost here, and it promises a lot in terms of performance gains and overclocking capabilities. To make the new CPU more appealing to users, the Sunnyvale chip maker decided to make it compatible with already existing motherboards, and not only with the upcoming AM3-based ones, as Intel did with its recently launched Core i7 processors.
AMD's move determined a lot of motherboard makers to reconsider their offerings, and rapidly post AM3 CPU compatible motherboards, as we've already reported a few times before. One of these board manufacturers is ECS, and it has listed its compatible parts as well, yet it seems that this is only a partial list of the maker's products capable of supporting AMD's upcoming 45nm desktop processors.
The existing list includes most of the company's AM2 and AM2+ socket motherboards based on the AMD 7-series chipsets, while also sporting ECS' parts based on NVIDIA GeForce 8100a and 8200a. When the time comes, a BIOS update will be the simple solution that will allow users to expand the CPU compatibility of these existing motherboards, and ECS, as well as other manufacturers, will provide customers with all they need.
A noteworthy aspect about the list is that it excludes the company's motherboards that are based on the AMD 7-series chipset and sport the older SB600 southbridge. While waiting for the new AM3 motherboards that are expected to hit the market sometimes by the middle of the next year, the existing AM2 and AM2+ mobos will have to do the job for most users. Those who own an AMD-based ECS board and consider acquiring a new Phenom II CPU can check out the list published by the maker here.