The AMD Athlon 3800+ is the smoothest and fastest processor that I have bought for myself. Even the boot-up time is half of what my old Athlon XP 2600 processor was. The AMD Athlon 3800+ is a 32/64 bit processor with 939 pins, known as a socket 939; the processor will run 32 and 64 bit software for more durability, speed and performance.


The Socket 939 platform has HyperTransport link, which runs at 1 GHz; it is a bus that links to various I/O channels. Front side bus speed on the 3800+ is 1600MHz. AMD has installed an Enhanced Virus Protection which is hardware support designed to prevent the execution of viruses on AMD64-based systems. You must install Windows XP service pack 2 to enable it. The 939-pin socket is what AMD processors are going to for now; the older sockets are 754-pin and 940-pin. There are approximately 68 million transistors and it can boast a 128-bit, dual-channel, integrated memory interface, combined with the new Socket 939 for better memory performance.


The processor’s operating frequency is 2.4GHz, though it runs like it is at 3800GHz or better. The 2.4GHz is the same as the AMD 4000+, which has 1MB of L2 cache instead of the 512KB of the 3800+. The core is the AMD Newcastle (Process of 0.13 Micron) with an L1 cache of 128KB and an L2 cache of 512MB. The 0.13 Micron allows the processor to run faster and cooler; my 3800+ processor at top heat runs at 102 degrees, which is much cooler than my old system. The multimedia instructions include MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW! and 3DNOW!+.


The AMD 64 3800+ “Retail” comes with an aluminum heatsink and fan. The warranty for the retail edition is 3-years.


HyperTransport Technology ***Notice this is taken directly from the AMD site***
• HyperTransport technology is a high-speed, low latency, point-to-point link designed to increase the communication speed between integrated circuits in computers, servers, embedded systems, and networking and telecommunications equipment up to 48 times faster than some existing technologies.
• HyperTransport technology helps reduce the number of buses in a system, which can reduce system bottlenecks and enable today's faster microprocessors to use system memory more efficiently in high-end multiprocessor systems.
• HyperTransport technology is designed to:
• Provide significantly more bandwidth than current technologies
• Use low-latency responses and low pin counts
• Maintain compatibility with legacy PC buses while being extensible to new SNA (Systems Network Architecture) buses.
• Appear transparent to operating systems and offer little impact on peripheral drivers.
***End of what is taken from the AMD site***


Overclocking
Overclocking is something that many of us like to experiment with. I am not sure if it needs a setting to overclock or if you can just do it. There are no visible places like on the old Athlon XP processors for jumper settings. I do know the motherboard I am using, the MSI K8N NEO4 Platinum lets you overclock using the software that comes with the motherboard. I have over clocked it a little just to see if I can do it and it does; I did set it back to what it was, because right now it is fast enough for me. Overclocking can make a system unstable and it will heat up the processor, so be sure it doesn’t overheat.


My Final Thoughts!
I am running the AMD Athlon 3800+ on a MSI K8N NEO4 Platinum Motherboard. The performance of this motherboard and the 3800+ processor is awesome! The system also has the ATI Radeon X700 Pro PCIe video card, and 1535MB of (PC3200) 400MHz DDR RAM for maximum performance. The end result is there are no hesitations on video, games or Internet usage, just pure smooth performance.


Installation is a snap, just lift up the little handle on the motherboard next to where the processor goes, place in the processor and push the little handle back down and lock it into place. You can look at the pins to see which way the processor goes in; it will fit only one way, so if it does not sit in easily, don’t force it, it is probably not being installed right. Next is the installation of the heatsink and fan which come together with the thermal grease on the heat sink. The thermal grease is for heat transfer from the processor to the heatsink. Installation of the heatsink is easier in these processors because of the lock down handle on the heatsink; carefully line it up, so you won’t smear the grease and lock down the handle.


So far after two months of use, the 3800+ has been an excellent performer. I am still running Windows XP 32-bit edition, there is a beta Windows 64-bit edition out, but I think I will wait till the retail version comes out. Windows 64 is suppose to make the system run even smoother than it does now and a boost on performance, but right now I don’t need any extra performance. I am happy with what I have!




Recommended: Yes