What processor to get

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Bonstrosity

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So i'm building my first machine. What processer do i choose. I'm looking at AMD's w/ the 939 socket. What is a good compromiseable speed that won't break the bank but will work well for a while. It will be a partial gaming machine but not too hardcore and the rest just surfing the net and typing papers.
 
I'd say get a 3700 San diego. Im really happy with mine. You could also go dual core if you want to multitask a lot, but my 3700 runs whatever i throw at it perfectly well.
 
If you want to OC at some point you could buy an opteron, basically a 3700 thats been tested more and released for servers.
 
The Kraut said:
If you want to OC at some point you could buy an opteron, basically a 3700 thats been tested more and released for servers.

Not necessarily true. My 3700 is at just under3GHz stable. Either way you could get a proc that wont go as far as another.
 
True, both ways it seems to need a bit of luck to get a cpu that will oc as far as the other. Hope im lucky....
 
Well I don't think i'll be doing any OC so would the 3500 or the 3700 work fine? At what point do the processors have 1mb of l2 cache? how about what is the meaning of the different city names like venice and san diago on the amd processors?
 
Get the 3700 over the 3500 because it is just a little more but has more cache. The 148 venus opteron is supposed to cost around as much as the 3700 but overclock better. You could go dual core and get the x2 3800. This would help with multi-tasking and give an advantage with future multi-threaded games but would cost over $100 more to get and the 3700 will run games faster right now and will still run multi-threaded games in the future just fine.
 
Well I don't think i'll be doing any OC so would the 3500 or the 3700 work fine? At what point do the processors have 1mb of l2 cache? how about what is the meaning of the different city names like venice and san diago on the amd processors?

I would have to suggest getting the 3700. The 3700 has 1mb of l2 cache, but the 3500 doesn't. City names reflect the cores, like if its dual or single and then how much cache it has. San Diego is 90nm single core with 1mb of l2, Venice is single core 90nm with 512kb of l2 cache.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103539
3700- $235

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103595
opteron-$229

Maybe getting the opteron would be the best choice since it costs less, but overclocks better just in case you wish to oc in the future?
 
Ok maybe in the future I wil OC it that opteron might be the way to go...How exactly do you go about that? how do you make sure you don't fry anything?
 
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