AMD Sempron vs AMD Athlon XP

elivsvonchiaing

I bought a kit from Komplett last February with a m/b 333Mhz FSB. I knew the processor AMD Athlon XP 1800 would run at just 266Mhz when I bought it, but figured the deal was good and come November I figured the Athklon XP 3200 would be under 100 quid.

Now Athlon is gone (32 bit anyhow). There is now the dilemna of Sempron 2200 or Sempron 2600.

Which would give the best bang for buck given the RAM I bought is already 333Mhz capable, and the 2200 is half the price of the 2600? Or am I in need of a second-hand Athlon?

Would really appreciate good advice here folks, thanks!

Khannie

You can still buy Athlon XP's from jes.

http://www.jes-computer.de/index.php?cat=171_44

Have a look around there. A lot of people here recommend the mobile athlon for its overclockability.

RicardoSmith

The semprons (excluding the 3000+ and 3100+) are the approx the same as older AthlonXP's with 256k of L2 cache. A later Barton AthlonXP with 512k of L2 cache would be faster...."IF" the clock speed was the same. They should all work in your board with your ram. Check that your motherboard supports Semprons. The sempron 3100+ is a different design completely and won't work in your board. Its socket 754. The Sempron 3000+ is the same as Barton 3000+ both have 512k and a 333fsb. Either is the max upgrade for you.

Everything up to a XP 3000+ is 333fsb and should work with your current ram. http://www.thetechboard.com/tutorials/athlon_xp.php
OcUK also sell them http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/AMD_Athlon__Barton_.html

Someone is bound to suggest getting a 2500+ or 2500m+ and overclocking it to 3200+ speeds but that depends on if your motherboard and ram are able to overclock that far. If your tight on a budget I wouldn't bother. Can you afford to damage the cpu and replace it? You might need to get better ram, which cancels out any saving you make on buying the cheaper chip.

If this upgrade is for gaming, I'd also look to see what is the bottleneck in your system. It might be the CPU, or it might be the graphics card.

Khannie

one week offer on the 3200+ ......

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_This_Week_Only_25.html

elivsvonchiaing

Thanks for all that guys!

RicardoSmith

Khannie wrote:

one week offer on the 3200+ ......

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_This_Week_Only_25.html

Thats 400fsb not 333....

Khannie

RicardoSmith wrote:

Thats 400fsb not 333....

Hehe. Was /just/ about to edit my post.

RicardoSmith

That said some 333 memory might hit 400fsb. But I dunno if its worth the effort.