AMD's "Phenomenal" Motherboard Incompatibility Problems

Reports have surfaced of compatibility issues with high-end quad-core Phenom processors and certain motherboards. The thing is, although AMD has had to admit to these issues, it's not because of a problem with the CPUs themselves, but rather the inability of the motherboards in question to handle the 125 watt Thermal Design Power (TDP or thermal envelope) of the high-end 9750 and 9850 Phenom CPUs.

The problem is that many are trying to use one of the higher-end CPUs with a motherboard with a 780 chipset. According to AMD, the 790 chipset - not the 780 - should be used with the 9750 and 9850 processors.

The lower-end 9600 and 9550 models that have a TDP of 95 watts.

According to AMD spokesman Jake Whitman,

“What people have done, mistakenly, is paired a 780G (chipset-based) motherboard with the higher frequency Phenom–the 125-watt Phenom. They’ve taken an enthusiast-class quad-core part and paired it with a mainstream motherboard, and not all motherboard manufacturers have tweaked their boards to support a 125-watt TDP."

So there's your simple answer: don't pair an enthusiast-class CPU with a mainstream or even low-end motherboard. And as much as AMD has had its issues of late, let's not blame them for a problem not of their making.