Looking for assistance with a retro AMD gaming PC? Possible motherboard issues or replacement needed [M2N68-LA].
Looking for assistance with a retro AMD gaming PC? Possible motherboard issues or replacement needed [M2N68-LA].
And why would an AM2 chip not fit in an AM2 board? I assumed it was just a matter of knowing the exact model. This MSI board should work, and I wouldn’t expect any DDR3 issues—though the factory thermal paste might be the real cause of the slowdown. It’s still the first dual-core consumer CPU I’ve owned, and I’ll keep using it unless something goes wrong.
Check the sticker carefully. It mentions an AM2 Athlon processor, but it doesn't say Athlon II. That means it's likely an AM2 motherboard, not AM2+. Processors like the Athlon 4000+, 5200, 6400, or 640x4 are AM2 models. The Athlon II 640 x4 is actually AM2+. If you only have pictures of thermal paste, it's hard to tell exactly what CPU you have. You might need more details or a physical component to identify it accurately.
I understand... that's why I shared the sticker—it comes from this PC. The CPU is probably a dual-core Ryzen model. It's not unusual for it to look a bit worn, especially with the thermal paste residue you noticed. It doesn't necessarily mean it's burned out, but it could be a sign of age.
Next time you're at the autoparts store, you can pick up some wet sanding paper. 1200 grit up to 2000 grit can shine that heat sink right up. Just some burnt oxidation I would guess. Cool. It's a brisbane core. 65nm. Some of these chips clocked about as well as the windsor 90nm chips. And s939 had dual cores. Opteron 165 comes to mind.
ah, good tip, but I'm not concerned about the cooler - looks ok, what I meant is if there's so much stuff that looks burned it must have gotten hot and the cpu might be damaged and might be the problem after all... but also I wouldn't be surprised if that's simply why the pc was so slow, with basically almost no thermal paste it would throttle like hell I guess. : o So I think I'll try getting the MSI board - it somehow looks good and is only 20 bucks - with some CPU and cooler iirc... (so I'd have spare parts lol)