Originally posted by: jimgeagea
hmmm, are u satisfied with your 3700??
there is only 5% difference bettween the 3800 and 4000
but a 200MHZ difference betwen 3700 and 3800, i cant get how the 3700 will be faster?
Generally the same core technology will overclock to near the speed of the top end chips of the line.
For example, people can buy a 3000+ and overclock it into the 2.4GHz range, and get equivalent speed to a 3800+. However you're not guaranteed to get there as a 3800+, you may fall short and end up in the 3500+ range (though most get at least in the 2.3-2.5 GHz range)
The top end of the chips have slightly more in them, but are limited by the core technology. There is not inherent differences between a 3700+ and 4000+, they both have 'San Diego' CPU cores. The 3700 is clocked lower to begin with, but is likely to reach 2.4 GHz (and probably even higher).
People who overclock look at the results from other overclockers to determine their chances a particular chip will overclock well. Currently the 3700+ chips are promising, and many seem to be able to reach the 2.7 GHz and up speed range. 4000+ cores may have a better chance at being really killer, but most of the 3700+ cores work well.