Hi,I am just considering a system upgrade(in anticipation of PMDG747/Level D 767/Flight1 ATR):Existing: Pentium 3.06 533 at 3.2 with ATI9700 Pro and 1GB DDR266.Proposed: Athlon 64 3700 (1MB L3 Cache) ATI X800XT and 1GB DDR400.Will there be a substantial performance increase? Should I go to Athlon 3800 with dual channel memory.Guidance appreciated.RegardsHoward

I would go for a Athlong64 3500+, Your not going to notice the difference really between the 3500, the 3700 or the 3800, but with the 3500, you get the dual channel memory.

yeah, if you have enough money that you're considering the 3700+, get the socket 939 mobo over the socket 754. the 3700+ is socket 754. im going to let you search the net in terms of why to pick the 939 over the 754. but the main reason is that the 939 is the newer mobo, and will be getting faster chips for it in the future. last time i checked, the fastest chip the 754 will get is probably the 3700+. 939 will be the athlon64 mobo for a while, 754's future is limited.so really, your choices are 3500+ or 3800+. 3500+ is a much better buy in terms of cost/performance ratio. it it were me, id take the 3500+ and spend the difference in price from the 3800+ on other components, like a high end vid card, better sound card, etc.

Many thanks for your thoughts. The reason I chose the 3700 is because the cache is larger than on the 939 pin chips, except for the FX53 of course. Cache size seems to have more effect on performance than dual channel memory. My Centrino 2Ghz laptop has 2Mb of cache and performs better than my desk top (both 9700 graphics).Also by the time I want to upgrade again AMD will have PCI express.RegardsHoward

I have seen a test where 6800 Ultra won over x800XT. And I would certainly go for the 939 mobo and 3500+, and buy better memory etc.CheersJohan "Whats VNAV?!?!" Adolfsson

>>Cache size seems to have more effect on performance than dual channel memory.i wouldnt assume this without looking at some 939 vs 754 benchmarks. anyway, if you're not going to ever upgrade the processor on the same mobo, then 754 is a better deal anyway.