AMD FX 6300 compatibility

[Compuser10165]

I have a friend who just bought an fx 6300 becasue it was on sale but know he thinks that the fx 6300 is not compatible with his motherboard becasue it is AM3+ and he tried to install the cpu but seemed that it had one extra pin so he didn't force it. He has this motherboard:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/890GX%20Extreme3/
P.S. He can return the cpu in case of incompatibility.
His current setup is an athlon II x4 640, 8gb 1866mhz ddr3 ram, and a very old gtx 260 (his looking to buy an R9 280X because a friend wants to sell one )
Looking for advices and suggestions for him. Should he return the cpu? On Asrock website says the fx 6100 is compatible and the fx 6300 is not much different.

 

[blazorthon]

The CPU should fit in the motherboard. The extra pins on the AM3+ CPUs have corresponding holes in the AM3 socket, they just aren't used and some power related features are disabled. However, the board would still need a BIOS update to support the FX 6300 and ASRock might not have an update for that board, so the CPU could be incompatible because of that.

 

[geofelt]

The support list includes FX-6100 and FX-4100, but not FX-6300.
Why, I do not know.
Likely it is because of the extra pin.
I think he should return the FX-6300.
And, a fx-6100 which IS supported would be only a 10% improvement in single thread performance; the essential spec for gamers.

Games will be limited by cpu or gpu.
Before committing to a particular upgrade it would be wise to do some testing.

------------------------------------------------------------
To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You should also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option. set the number of processors to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
-------------------------------------------------------------

If one needs to change the motherboard, it is time to switch to Intel.
If a graphics upgrade is needed, the R9-280X used would be a great upgrade.
One caveat, a R9-280X will need more power, like a 600w psu.

 

[Compuser10165]

The CPU should fit in the motherboard. The extra pins on the AM3+ CPUs have corresponding holes in the AM3 socket, they just aren't used and some power related features are disabled. However, the board would still need a BIOS update to support the FX 6300 and ASRock might not have an update for that board, so the CPU could be incompatible because of that.

Ok. I'll tell him to update BIOS using the old cpu and then try to install the fx 6300.

 

[geofelt]

The CPU should fit in the motherboard. The extra pins on the AM3+ CPUs have corresponding holes in the AM3 socket, they just aren't used and some power related features are disabled. However, the board would still need a BIOS update to support the FX 6300 and ASRock might not have an update for that board, so the CPU could be incompatible because of that.

Ok. I'll tell him to update BIOS using the old cpu and then try to install the fx 6300.

I think that is bad advice.
1, The bios update supports FX-6100, not FX-6300.
2. If there is an extra pin that does not fit you will damage the cpu making it not returnable.
3. A failed bios update can render your motherboard permanently useless.

 

[Compuser10165]

I just spoke with my friend after telling him to perform a BIOS update and then see if the cpu to fits and it worked perfectly (booted right away and the tested with cpu-Z, also he refreshed the Windows experience index and it increased a bit on the cpu) although he mentioned that at first, the cpu seemed that it won't fit (the extra pins will also fit without breaking but the cpu needs to be seated in the right position).