Is Any Intel Core 2 Core Duo Processors Compatible with FreeBSD?

[Steve Booth]

Hi,

I need to replace the CPU in my motherboard and I am planning to install FreeBSD. It appears in the FreeBSD Hardware Notes that Core Duo is not compatible. If none of those processors are compatible, would a Core 2 Extreme Quad Processor work? The motherboard is using an LGA 775 socket and is supposed to support both processors.

Thanks,

Steve Booth
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[Matthew Seaman]

On 18/02/2014 07:18, Steve Booth wrote:
> I need to replace the CPU in my motherboard and I am planning to
> install FreeBSD. It appears in the FreeBSD Hardware Notes that Core
> Duo is not compatible. If none of those processors are compatible,
> would a Core 2 Extreme Quad Processor work? The motherboard is using
> an LGA 775 socket and is supposed to support both processors.

Ssshh! Don't say that so loud, or my main system might hear you and
decide it's incompatible with the Core 2 Duo processor it's been running
on for the last several years...

lucid-nonsense:~:% grep CPU: /var/run/dmesg.boot
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8500 @ 3.16GHz (3166.37-MHz
K8-class CPU)

FreeBSD is compatible with x86 architecture processors put out by Intel
or Opteron since around the turn of the millenium, if not earlier.
Basically, don't worry about the CPU when spec'ing your system: you are
far more likely to have problems with motherboard chipsets and peripherals.

Cheers,

Matthew

--
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.

PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey
JID: mat...@infracaninophile.co.uk

[Ross]

This is very strange. Could you please provide a link where it is stated
that C2D is not supported?

I've been using Core 2 Duo E6850 with FreeBSD for about 6 years now.

[andrew clarke]

On Mon 2014-02-17 23:18:46 UTC-0800, Steve Booth (gotee_r...@yahoo.com) wrote:

> I need to replace the CPU in my motherboard and I am planning to
> install FreeBSD. It appears in the FreeBSD Hardware Notes that Core
> Duo is not compatible.

If you read closely this only applies to the amd64 version of FreeBSD.
It is because the original Core Duo doesn't support 64-bit mode
required by FreeBSD-amd64.

Note the Core Duo and Core 2 Duo are different CPUs.

Evidently this has come up before:

http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2012-January/237144.html

> If none of those processors are compatible, would a Core 2 Extreme
> Quad Processor work? The motherboard is using an LGA 775 socket and is
> supposed to support both processors.

It should be fine.

Any Intel or AMD CPU made in the last 15+ years intended to run
Windows will also run FreeBSD.

Worst case, on some lower-spec CPUs, only the i386 version of FreeBSD
will work, which restricts you to a maximum of 4 GB memory (among
other things). In contrast, the amd64 version has practically no
memory limit.

Most modern CPUs made since 2006 will run both the i386 and amd64
version of FreeBSD.

Regards
Andrew