S754 3700+ versus S939 3200+

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mathfreq

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I'm looking into building a new computer for myself and I'm considering two processors.

The first is an Athlon 64 3700+ Clawhammer, Socket 754, going for $230 on mwave.
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA03152

The second is an Athlon 64 3200+ Venice, Socket 939, going for $219 on newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535

The 3700+ seems like a steal at that price, but the Clawhammer and the Socket 754 lead me to hesitate. Which of these two would be a better choice for a gaming machine? Much thanks in advance.
 
Okay 754 is really antique, is not supported for high end AMD processors and supports only half the new memory bandwidth

If you are an OC'er, the 3200+ venice will do you alot better as with some overclocking it will run WAAAAAAAAY faster than any clawhammer core CPU.
 
That Venice will overclock very nicely, coldly, and easily.

I would recommend getting the skt939 and the venice.

939 motherboards use PCI-E more often than 754, as well.
 
3200+ Venice hands down, with the San Diego introduced the Clawhammer has finally been put to death, and socket 754 is really only a respectable platform if you want to get your hands on a mobile Athlon 64.
 
Thanks for the quick responses!

Sorry, I'm not well-versed in hardware. Bear with me a little here... What exactly is it that's bad about Socket 754? I understand that it's older technology, but what really is it that makes it a poor choice??

DJ-CHRIS said:
Okay 754 is really antique, is not supported for high end AMD processors and supports only half the new memory bandwidth

What does it mean that it "supports only half the new memory bandwidth"? Is that referring to the total amount of RAM I could have on my system? Or to the operating speed of my RAM? Or to something else entirely?
 
That means that SKT 754 does not support dual channel

In simple terms

754 = 3200 MEGABYTES
939 = 6400 MEGABYTES

Those are max, with your average value ram your going to do 2500ish on 754 and 5000ish on 939

Also 939 cores overclock further, run cooler and require less voltage
 
On the other hand, If you are not an overclocker and wish to use this system for quite some time, the AMD 3700 is a much better choice I think. The dual channel capabilities of socket 939 not nearly make up for the 400 mhz speed advantage and double cache amount of the 3700 compared with the 3200. That socket 754 is older doesn't mean it's that much worse than 939 and is not suitable for high end processors..
Just compare the 754 AMD 3000 with the 939 AMD 3000. the 754 is faster in about every test because of a higher clock speed..
 
Not exactly, my 3000+ system pwns my friends 3200+ 939 system. We have almost IDENTICAL systems cept a lil tad difference. 754 isnt bad, considering i still ppl recomending SocketA systems still. I stil lplay all the great games plu si still havent had to upgrade to PCI-E yet. I dont really care about DC ram cause there isnt much of a visual difference.
 
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