Please Note: In this review I compare the AMD Athlon 64 3700+ to a variety of AMD and Intel processors, both new and old. When I mention “in its class” I am referring to other Socket 939 Athlon 64s (AMD) and Socket 478/Socket LGA 775 Pentium 4 (Intel) processors. When I mention the Phenom (AMD) and Core 2 Duo (Intel) line, they surpass the 3700+ by years in technology and should not be directly compared.
Specifications
Nowadays, choosing a processor is no longer based on how fast it’s clocked. There are also FSB (Front Side Bus) speeds, cache amounts, and even process types that need to be taken into consideration.
As for the AMD Athlon 64 3700+, here’s what you have to work with:
Type Socket 939
Single Core
2.2GHz Clock Speed
2.0GHz Hyper-Transport Support (2 x 1GHz Front Side Bus)
128KB L1 Cache
1MB L2 Cache
90nm Architecture
64-Bit Computing Support
Compared to an equivalent Intel processor, the clock speed of the AMD Athlon 64 3700+ is rather low. But, when you take in comparison the Front Side Bus speeds, AMD plows over the competition (a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 Prescott only has a FSB of 800MHz). With a lower clock speed, the 3700+ sucks up less power and generates less heat. You can’t go wrong with that!
Installation
The AMD Athlon 64 3700+ comes encased in a small package containing the heatsink and fan and very little instructions. But of course, if you have the motherboard manual handy then it’ll show you how to quickly drop in the processor and snap on the heatsink and fan.
On the edge of the processor is a gold triangle indicating the proper orientation for pin alignment. With this taken into consideration, just lift up the handle, seat her in the Socket 939 motherboard, and push the handle down, locking the processor in place. The entire processor installation process takes a whopping 30 seconds!
As for the heatsink and fan, line up the hinges on the Socket 939 motherboard, and apply pressure to the plastic lever on the heatsink until it’s locked into place. Of course, this procedure is not as easy and requires a bit of strength to get her on there. But with a little elbow grease and confidence, even the newest of computer hardware geeks won’t have a problem!
Applying thermal paste is not necessary during the installation for at the bottom of the heatsink there is a pre-applied thermal pad. If you do wish to get fancy however, I recommend purchasing a syringe of Artic Silver 5 and using lacquer thinner to remove the thermal pad. From there, simply apply the Artic Silver 5 on the center of the processor (a grain of rice sized amount should do the trick) before attaching the heatsink and fan.
Performance
As stated before, this AMD gem will outperform all Intel processors in its class due to its higher Front Side Bus speeds except when it comes to multi-tasking thanks to Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology. If you constantly wish to burn CDs, browse the Internet, and listen to music at the same time then an Intel processor may suit you better. But if you’re gamer or stick to one application at a time, then AMD is the route to go.
When compared to other single-core Athlon 64s in its class, the 3700+ and the 4000+ processors are the only ones to boast an immense 1MB of L2 Cache. As for the 3200+, 3500+, and even the 3800+… they only contain a mere 512KB of L2 Cache.
In my humble opinion, the best value is definitely the 3700+ due to the fact that its big brother, the 4000+, is far more expensive at the performance increase of only a 200MHz clock speed.
Overclocking and Stability
For months I have overclocked the 3700+ to 2.31GHz rather than the stock 2.2GHz and have had no problems what-so-ever. I’ve heard stories of the processor going much higher, even reaching 2.8GHz to 3.0GHz, but that requires heavy-duty cooling hardware, a high performance motherboard and RAM, and hours of tweaking.
As far as temperature output and stability, I’ve had the 3700+ run in the cool range of 30 to 36 degrees Celsius with the stock cooler on an ASUS A8N5X motherboard. At that temperature range I’m worry free and have never had any heat-related or freezing issues due to the 3700+.
Benchmarks
Using Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition 4.40, I have achieved the following benchmarks with the 3700+ (at 2.31GHz).
4037 CPU Queen Benchmark – Stomping a 3.4GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition (3520) and coming just short of the 3.7GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition HT (4195).
13764 KB/s CPU ZLib Benchmark – Putting the 3700+’s little brother (the 3200+) to shame who only achieved 11817 KB/s.
1109 FPU Mandel Benchmark – Coming a close second to 8 550MHz Pentium III processors working together (1128)!
Value and Age
Due to the 3700+’s age and single core, finding the 3700+ to purchase may be a bit difficult. However, the 4000+ has come down to around $60.00 and the 3200+ has come down to a measly $40.00! Don’t let these low prices fool you, I’d put my 3700+ against any dual-core processor in its class any day.
Along with being a rare find, the 3700+ is a legacy Socket 939 processor while the AM2 has become the new standard for AMD. The only difference between these two sockets is that 939 only supports DDR 400 while AM2 can support DDR2 800 RAM.
If you wanted to purchase the modern equivalent to the 3700+, pick up yourself an around $45.00 LE-1600 whose only difference is socket type and 45 Watt power draw.
Dual-Core / Quad-Core Madness
For those unfamiliar with the new mainstream dual-core or quad-core processor technology, all it means is the simulation of two (or four) processors in one package. Of course it is not as fast as having two (or four) physical identical processors, but it is claimed to be faster than the legacy single core processors.
Thing is, dual-core and quad-core technology have not been used to their full extent software-wise, just like when 64 Bit processors first came out. So if you were buying a processor today, save yourself some hefty cash and stick with the older single core processors. Buying a dual-core processor now-a-days is like buying a Ferrari with mud tires. Sure it’s got the power, but it’s just not being utilized.
Some fellow geeks might argue with me on the subject, but after comparing the 3700+ to a dual-core 2.0GHz Athlon X2 3800+ side by side in regular computer usage, I couldn’t tell a difference between the two at all. Of course the new Phenom and Core 2 Duo processors are going to walk all over the 3700+, but they have intricate new technology, boosted cache amounts, and higher FSB speeds.
Overall Satisfaction
I couldn’t be happier with the 3700+. It’s been going strong for 2 years without giving me a single problem and I haven’t yet thought even close about wanting a new computer because of how bad it’s outdated. I can still keep up with the big boys in power, gaming, and work-related tasks. AMD did it right with the Athlon processors. Too bad the same can’t be said for the new Phenom line.
939 Pin architecture Industry-leading performance for today's software Built-in support for future 64-bit applications with AMD64 technology Guard you...More at Amazon Marketplace
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