Will an am3 processor work with my am2+ motherboard?

[SnackAttack173]

Hello everyone!

I have been wanting to upgrade my CPU for a while now for gaming purposes. I currently want to get an AMD Phenom II X4 965, an am3 processor. My motherboard is a Gateway RS780. The question is, will this processor work with my CPU socket? I have heard that am3 processors will work with most am2+ motherboards, but they require some sort of BIOS update and some sort of RAM. I currently have 8 gigabytes of DDR2 RAM. Another problem I have is that I upgraded my OS to Windows 7, while the BIOS update on the support site only applies to Windows Vista and Windows XP. Lastly, who should I get to install the CPU if it is compatible? Or is it fairly easy?

Here is the link to my motherboard support website:
http://support.gateway.com/s//MOTHERBD/Shared/4006272R/4006272Rnv.shtml

Link to the processor I want:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Thanks in advance!

- Eli

 

[alexoiu]

Hi, the CPU will not work (it's 125W).
From the specs:
Processor Support
Supports AMD® Socket AM2+ (940 pin), AMD Phenom™ (95 W), Athlon™ 64 X2, Athlon 64, and Sempron™ processors

 

[SnackAttack173]

So do I have to upgrade my motherboard?

 

[alexoiu]

It seems so. Or get a 95W Phenom.

 

[FALC0N]

It seems so. Or get a 95W Phenom.

Original phenom. Doesn't appear to support Phenom II at all. There was a 9750 that was 95 watts. Imagine its hard to find these days. Probably are better off with a new board at this stage.

 

[papablista]

A Phenom 9750 2.5 is as high as you can go according to the gate way site unless they have a bios update for your board ,AMD makes a 95 watt phenom II x4 945 it's a 3.0ghz thats what i'm using and I went from a x2 6000+ to this with a bios upgrade, check thier support site

 

[FALC0N]

A Phenom 9750 2.5 is as high as you can go according to the gate way site unless they have a bios update for your board ,AMD makes a 95 watt phenom II x4 945 it's a 3.0ghz thats what i'm using and I went from a x2 6000+ to this with a bios upgrade, check thier support site

The 9750 was a 2.4. But come to think of it, there was a 95w 2.5ghz 9850 announced right around the time the Phenom II was released. Never saw it in stores, but it was announced.

 

[SnackAttack173]

So should I get a new motherboard or upgrade to the Phenom II x4 945 95w?

 

[papablista]

If you want to future proof I'd look at new boards also memory most new boards don't support ddr2 memory ddr3 is cheap though 4 or 8 gigs is plenty and 8 can be had under $50 usd also check the back of your case most of those propritary systems don't have normal I/O panel placement u may need a case what is the model number of your gateway

 

[SnackAttack173]

I have a Gateway dx4200-09. Also, do you guys have any motherboard recommendations? Or CPU recommendations for that matter.