Which processor?... AMD 64 3200 or 3400?

[Qu4rk]

Hey guys, newbie here!

I'm about to build a new comp & I'm wondering what you guys think? Is double the L-2 worth the loss of .4 GHz? Is the 3200 S754 or 3200 S939 a better choice? I've read some reviews on the net about these 2 compared to each other & them both compared to the P4...but it's nothing like hearing feedback from people with real world experience with these.

Oh yeah, I use my box mostly as a workstation.

This setup sometimes cripples my poor 950 MHz Duron w/ 128 MB SD-Ram system to its knees. Also, I'm an America's Army head too, so gaming is in the pic too. But mainly multi-tasking is my goal.

Thanks in Advance

 

[Nubius]

Socket 939 is the better choice. 754 doesn't support dual channel, nor will AMD continue to build upon the socket 754 with the exception of the mobile processors.

The socket 939 3200+ winchester core can overclock fairly easily too and get up to approx 3500+ speeds or higher, especially if you put on aftermarket cooling. The newcastle will OC too of course, just not as high as the winchester since the winchester has smaller transistors, lower voltage which = less heat

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

Exactly what nubius said

The 3200+ supports dual channel ram (you will feel the difference, doubble the bandwidth) while the 3400+ 754 does not.

The 3200+ will also overclock much further. It's even very easy on a 3500+, getting 4000+ speeds is common. You dont even need peformance ram to overclock, just lower FSBRAM to the ratio below what it's supposed to be and manually enter in your timings and raise the FSB to around 250 and use the multiplier to determine your speed