AMD 64, Which one?

[QurazyQuisp]

Well, I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to buy come late august, and I've narrowed the processors down to three.

I'm not going to overclock them, so please take this into consideration when telling me which to purchase.

3500+ Venice
3700+ Clawhammer (~$30 more then the 3500+)
3700+ San Diego (~$70 mor then the 3500+)

My question is this:

Will I really notice a huge difference in preformance from the 3700+ over the 3500+? I know the venice and san diego are both 2.2ghz, but the san diego has 1mb l2 cache, while the clawhammer is 2.4ghz with 512kb l2 cache.

Which one is the best for the money, and will I really be able to notice a difference in preformance if I'm not overclocking?

 

[Jeff7181]

The biggest difference between processors you'll notice will be due to clockspeed. The extra cache helps in a few areas, but the extra speed will help in every area.

As far as core revisions, there's barely a measureable difference in performance, clock speed and cache size being equal. So you're definately not going to notice it when you use the computer.

The biggest difference between cores that you'll notice is how much heat they generate. The 90nm cores (Winchester, Venice, San Diego) generate about 1/3 less heat than their 130nm counterparts.

In your position, I would go with this. You'll have to act fast though cause it's a one day sale... it'll go up a few bucks after today.

 

[MobiusPizza]

San Diego's 1MB L2 doesn't aid a lot unless in specific applications.
The main advantage of going to SanDiego is NOT the 1MB L2 cache, it's the unlocked multiplier and hence better overclokerbility. Otherwise not much difference.

Claw Hammer is made in 130nm process, as Jeff suggested.

 

[QurazyQuisp]

Well, I'm not ready to purchase one until late august. But with the information you guys have provided, I'll probably just end up with the 3500+ and save the extra money or spend it on a better video card.

 

[Pederv]

Isn't the 3700 Clawhammer a s754? And the 3500 and 3700 San diego s939?
Personally I plan on going 3200 Venice in August then 4400 X2 next summer.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
San Diego's 1MB L2 doesn't aid a lot unless in specific applications.
The main advantage of going to SanDiego is NOT the 1MB L2 cache, it's the unlocked multiplier and hence better overclokerbility. Otherwise not much difference.

Claw Hammer is made in 130nm process, as Jeff suggested.

Not all San Diego's have unlocked multipliers, only the FX line does.

 

[MobiusPizza]

arg my apologies