AMD® Desktop Processors CPU (Processors) > AMD® Desktop Processors
The Socket AM2, renamed from Socket M2 (to prevent using the same name as Cyrix M2 processors), is a CPU socket designed by AMD for desktop processors, including the performance, mainstream and value segments. It was released on May 23, 2006, as a replacement for Socket 939 & Socket 754. Although it has 940 pins, it is incompatible with Socket 940, as the older Socket 940 does not support dual channel DDR2 RAM. DDR2 runs at higher clock frequencies while drawing less power than DDR memory, which the previous Socket 939 supported.
The first processor cores to support socket AM2 are the single-core Orleans (Athlon 64) and Manila (Sempron), and the dual-core Windsor (Athlon 64 X2 and Athlon 64 FX). All processors on Socket AM2 were developed with 90 nm technology and include SSE3.
Socket AM2 is a part of AMD's next generation of CPU sockets, along with Socket F for servers and Socket S1 for mobile computing.
