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The first
week of December was a very busy week for me and one of my clients came to me
for an upgrade work. He wanted his processor to be upgraded from an old
AMD Athlon XP 2500+.
So I went online to
Newegg.com purchased this AMD Athlon 64
3700+ processor as he had a budget of $500 and I still had to buy the
mother board. I chose the
ASUS A8V Deluxe motherboard for this job. By
using this combination I was also saving some money for my client which he was
very pleased about.
Please refer to the
How to purchase a processor guide for
full details on what questions to ask yourself before purchasing a processor.
INSTALLATION :
This AMD processor installation was really easy for me anyways as I have built a
lot of computers and have lots of experience with them. Plus, these processors
are really simple to install and if you get stuck you can simply follow the
instructions in the quick install guide. The easy installation guide comes in
handy if you are doing this for the first time, even the second time (you get
used to it after that), or if you just want to refresh your memory. You should
not encounter any problems if you use the stock heatsink and fan, but if you do
plan on using different ones than use the instruction that came with the fan and
heatsink to install it properly.
If you choose to install the stock heatsink and fan (like my client), I would
highly advise against overclocking this processor (plus it is already pretty
fast). One thing I would like to suggest you if you are planning to install it
yourself is to always use Arctic Silver thermal grease when installing the
heatsink; it will help keep your processor cooler or make it cooler faster and
run cooler at all times. Heatsinks tend to get dust and dirt stuck on them over
time, so I suggest doing a clean up ever three months or so. I had not cleaned
mine for about six months and the processor started over heating; when I opened
it up I noticed a lot of dust and dirt on the heatsink. Now it runs much cooler
after a good cleanup.
The first time you boot-up your newly built or upgraded computer with this
processor, you may need to clear your CMOS/BIOS settings to factory defaults to
make sure you start out with a clean system (this will reduce the chance of
crashes and conflicts). You may not have to do this if you are just replacing or
upgrading your processor. Then you have to install your favorite operating
system or if you already have an operating system installed, just boot up. One
thing to keep in mind when booting for the first time is to keep an eye on the
processor and memory (RAM) temperatures especially if you used a different
heatsink and overclocked the CPU. I also suggest that you make sure the memory
sticks you have are compatible and can overclock without problems.
WHATS HOT?
The rated speed for this processor is 2.4 GHz and that is the main reason my
client and I purchased this processor. If you compare this processor to its
competitor Intel, you may think that it is slower, but when you use it, you will
notice huge differences in overall performance and power. I would recommend all
AMD processors over all Intel just because they are easy to over clock, install,
use, and maintain. Windows (or other) operating system(s) will boot up faster
and your applications will startup quicker, so you have a much more stable
computing experience. Although my 4400 is way faster than this, I did notice
that this processor is not too far away from it. If you cannot afford the
Athlon 64 4000+
or the
X2 4400, this processor would be one of
your other choices.
A lot of my clients ask me if the 64-bit processors are really better than the
older 32-bit ones and I always ensure them it will be the right way to go. Once
they try it for their selves, they know right then that I steered them in the
right direction with AMD's 64-bit processors. If client does not mind paying a
bit more for the upgrade I would highly recommend the newer dual core (X2)
processors that I just got a few weeks ago; these are way faster than the single
core processors.
These processors use the 939 pin design like most of AMD's 64-bit line of
processors. The 1024 KB L2 cache memory will run the 2000MHz of FSB without any
problems. If you get a motherboard that will speed up your DDR memory, it will
just add to the performance and power of your new or upgraded system. You will
be able to run almost anything many times faster than before.
AND WHATS NOT?
In my opinion, a review is not complete without the cons or not so hot part of
the product. But for this product, I have not noticed problems with it or any
AMD processors I have ever used or install in my clients computers. I have not
experienced any problems or crashes as I updated all software, drivers, and
games to make sure there were no problems. I do not like to take any chances
with the systems I build; I do not want a return job. I would recommend that you
check for driver and software at least once a month or as needed.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE :
Luckily I had two whole weeks to fully test this setup and it had not given me
any problems what so ever. It does not overheat (my client did not want to
overclock it) ever. My client said the computer is running faster than he
expected. I did perform some benchmarks with 3DMark 05 and 03. I got a score of
2895 with 3DMark 05 and 8916 with 3DMark 03 (actual data). These benchmarks are
accurate as of December 15th, 2005 and were performed on my client's new system.
The computer runs fast with Windows XP Pro SP2 installed on it.
FINAL THOUGHTS :
The first time my client used his upgraded computer, he was amazed by the speed
and power. He could not believe how quick he was able to startup the computer
and applications. My client said that I made the right choice about this
processor and he has no regrets what so ever about it. The computer really does
boot up quickly, the applications start up fast, and games run smooth (combined
with the right video card). If you want an inexpensive processor that is also 64
bit compatible, then get this processor without question. |
