Why AMD's superior compatibility could end -- and it's all your fault

[ThanosPAS]

Ι consider this as a non-issue. The default practice should be having multi-year compatibility. What comes with it as a consequence is the natural way of doing things. I'd better be "forced" as a preference though, to move to a newer platform to utilize newer features if I desperately need them, than being forced literally to do so to fit in the business model of whichever predatory corporation.

 

[amghwk]

I thought it was common sense that to upgrade oneself, one should do enough research on the current capabilities of the motherboard before upgrading.

And it is incumbent upon the prospective buyer to weigh the possibility of the motherboard not having the latest BIOS when buying with a newer CPU.

 

[nismo91]

I don't see this is as a problem either. people who are looking to upgrade "only" the processor, are mostly aware of BIOS update and a compatibility checklist.

how about your mobo quits after say 5 years down the line, and the identical board now have cost 2-3x the original price. you're then stuck between getting a "newer generation" motherboard that still supports your dated CPU, or toss the CPU and get a new combo.

but wait, this has been the case for years and we're all used to it. we're so fortunate the durability of mobos are improving now, the risk of RMA'ing mobos are lower than it used to be.

 

[HyPeroxya]

Good on AMD ... but they do have to worry that the legacy baggage may hold back the performance of their newer chips . They may be alright for zen2 proper, but what about zen3 ? or is that not due out till 2021. The whole Bios update shenanigans put me off buying an 2400G and I've ended up buying an I5 8400 instead ..(that and the whole platform power usage). Also , think about the planet , and Taiwans Faltering economy ?

 

[hahahanoobs]

AMD isn't financially stable enough to keep offering this kind of compatitbility. Period.
They are doing it to get customers/market share right now, mainly because they know there is very little difference between the 370 and 470 chipsets, and Zen is a new starting point for the company after being away for so long. Same could be said with the Bulldozer supported chipsets. In that case, it was the 790 chipset I believe that ended up being rebranded for the following three years, so why would you want a new motherboard if you wanted one? When AMD can actually afford to beef up their chipsets, they will want to be compensated for it, and you WILL have to buy a new motherboard, and it's not Intel's fault... It's BUSINESS!

We've all seen AMD try to charge Intel/NVIDIA prices a few times with products like the FX 9590 and R9 Pro Duo, only to heavily reduce the price of each about a month later. I promise you, AMD is not content with being the budget option.

AMD would love nothing more than to charge what Intel and NVIDIA charge. Don't get it twisted.

 

[bexwhitt]

I've had to borrow older cpu's when setting up a newer generation which is a real pain.

 

[Danny101]

I would like to see a GPU socket. I think we've come far enough that upgrading the GPU could be as simple as upgrading the CPU.

 

[SirChocula]

I thought it was common sense that to upgrade oneself, one should do enough research on the current capabilities of the motherboard before upgrading.

And it is incumbent upon the prospective buyer to weigh the possibility of the motherboard not having the latest BIOS when buying with a newer CPU.

The general masses don't like to take responsibility for their own actions and demand to have everything handed to them. I'm with AMD on this, I love the way they give us long term compatibility. The thing I do agree with is if even with a wrong cpu, the mobo would let you update the BIOS. That system would save everyone involved a huge headache.

 

[GCosta]

I thought it was common sense that to upgrade oneself, one should do enough research on the current capabilities of the motherboard before upgrading.

And it is incumbent upon the prospective buyer to weigh the possibility of the motherboard not having the latest BIOS when buying with a newer CPU.

Hello,
this is not really as easy or even possible as you would think, and that's assuming every motherboard has the latest update, which is often not what happens. And why should the user be left out in the cold for something that's easily fixed/ Like someone else says, either make the usb bios update feature industry wide or have each and every cpu contain a fallback compatibility mode that all motherboards must support without any update, which would allow it to book enough to install the required bios update. something like this would cost nothing and would also make the pc able to at least run in the worst possible case. suppose your bios gets overwritten by some virus/ Just erase it, run in this mode and rewrite it back.

 

[GCosta]

I am curious why there is no "fallback code" for CPU firmware. Like, if the bios cant determine your CPU because you need a firmware update, it could run in a fallback mode that all CPUs for the socket would support that would allow you to boot into the BIOS to do an update. Seems it would make this a lot easier to fix.

This would literally cost NOTHING and would put a total and complete end to this entire issue in one second, not to mention, would also not impact performance at all either. And you could keep the bios usb update for convenience as well and make that standard.

 

[PerformanceV8]

I see it the other way around. I think that AMD wanted to keep the pricing so low that they decided to keep the socket for 4 years without caring about customers upgrading their cpus for new ones. How many people upgrade the cpu without a mobo anyway?

It is already in their roadmap, they are not keeping this socket for 4+ years like Bulldozer, Zen 2 is supposedly coming out in 2019.

 

[TheoTruthe]

The solution to this is simple. It should be left the way it is, the way it has always been. Motherboard and CPU installs should be left to professionals who are trained and know what they are doing when ordering and fitting parts together. This should never be a DIY situation. It's proof from the comments I have read that more than half of those weighing in on their "opinion" of a solution doesn't know anything about electronics and CPU design and all the more proof that this should not be a DIY situation. Leave it up to the professionals to purchase and install your stuff and you NEVER run into this problem. Stop whining to the motherboard manufacturers and the CPU manufacturers because you don't know the ins and outs of electronics and PC assembly to know you should have researched everything properly. The manufacturer's don't need to change anything to accommodate a bunch of non professionals in order to make it easier for feebly minded average joes to put their stuff together. This is a professional field and always has been. If you're not a trained and experienced I.T. professional, you've no business on the inside of the computer.

 

[Danny101]

The solution to this is simple. It should be left the way it is, the way it has always been. Motherboard and CPU installs should be left to professionals who are trained and know what they are doing when ordering and fitting parts together. This should never be a DIY situation. It's proof from the comments I have read that more than half of those weighing in on their "opinion" of a solution doesn't know anything about electronics and CPU design and all the more proof that this should not be a DIY situation. Leave it up to the professionals to purchase and install your stuff and you NEVER run into this problem. Stop whining to the motherboard manufacturers and the CPU manufacturers because you don't know the ins and outs of electronics and PC assembly to know you should have researched everything properly. The manufacturer's don't need to change anything to accommodate a bunch of non professionals in order to make it easier for feebly minded average joes to put their stuff together. This is a professional field and always has been. If you're not a trained and experienced I.T. professional, you've no business on the inside of the computer.

I learned as a DIY. Never complained. Just researched until I figured it out. Sometimes it is a pain in the ***. Sometimes I consulted a pro, whenever I ran into a problem I couldn't fix. Such as life. I enjoyed every minute of it. Every new build I've ever made required me to spend several months of research to get all my ducks in a row, to reduce any potential problems. To say that only pros should do it is forgetting how the majority of pros began their career. I do agree with the whining part. Just stop it. There is always a solution. It may have to be one that is a little inconvenient. The decision to get inside a complicated piece of technology must also include patience. You're going to need a lot of it.

 

[Ryrynz]

The solution to this is simple.

Most users computer upgraders learn by DIY. Insert a USB flashdrive with the firmware on it, press a button.. presto.