hi everyone,i am going to get a system with a amd64 cpu but am not sure what one to get.i have 3 choices,the 3500,3800,4000.i read somewhere that you cannot oc the 4000 but you can the other two.like everyone i am looking for the most bang for the buck and am hoping someone here has had experience whith these cpu's.would appreciate opinions.thank you.

I have the 3500+ and love it, up in Canada about 3 months ago it was the best bang for the buck. Not to sure about now but I do not thinkt he 4000+ is worth the cash, the 3800+ might be though.

Any of the Winchester cores is a good choice (3000, 3200, or 3500). These are built on the 90 nano architecture and perform very well. They also run cooler than previous versions of AMD64's. The 3000 Winnie in particular overclocks like a bandit (2.7Ghz on air is easily attainable if good memory and M/B are used).The Winchesters offer great performance/value.Greg

the 3500 is still the cheapest here in canada,looked at the fx55 but cheapest was $1100.so would you say then the 3500 on the new core would perform better than the 3800.i now have a p4-3.4 and a radeon9800 pro and just hate the performance i get.i was looking at the asas av8 mobo pcie,would that be a good choice for amd.appreciate your help guys.

It really depends upon how much money you wish to spend on the CPU. The more you spend the more speed you'll get. But the Winchesters still offer the best value no matter what you compare them to. And they overclock well (given that the balance of the system is of good quality).I personally don't like VIA chipset motherboards - had nothing but grief from them in the past - but a number of folks on these baords use the AV8 and seem happy with it.Keep in mind that your current video card is AGP only. It will not work in a PCI-e motherboard. If you wish to keep your current video card you will have to choose from one of the AGP motherboards available.I'm currently gathering all the parts for an upgrade myself. I wanted to keep my current video card a while longer, so I chose the MSI Neo2 Platinum motherboard (nVidia chipset). It's tried and true, overclocks very well with the right CPU/RAM combo, and offers great community support. I'll throw in my current video and sound cards, add some G.Skill LE memory I was able to get my hands on, and feed it all from a PC Power and Cooling 510 Modular. It'll all work just fine for me.Greg

hi greg,i am having some time deciding what parts to get but your and everyones info is helpful.i was also looking at the msi mobo,but did not know if one could use a ati card with the nforce chipset,here is what i am looking at,3500 or 3800 cpuasus or msi mobo(pcie)x850xt2 36wd 10000rpm hdsturbo gamer x-navigator caseram--?fans/cooling--?do you have anymore thoughts or suggestions on these parts.thank you

So, I guess you're ready to buy a PCI-e video card. The X850 XT is a good choice.The ATI video cards play well with nVidia chipset motherboards... no problems there. Both ASUS and MSI make good boards. Abit also should be on your list of considerations. Another choice in motherboards is DFI. This is one to consider (though it is not SLI capable... will only work with one PCI-e video card): http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc....-136-152&depa=0 Keep in mind that the DFI boards are aimed at the serious overclockers. They have the most flexible BIOS's, but that sometimes can be overwhelming for us mere mortals.See my post here concerning memory.Not familar with that case, but I like big, quiet fans. The smallest fan on my rig is the 92mm atop my Thermalright CPU cooler.The Raptors are the best choice for gamers. I own 2 myself.Greg

now i know which ram to get.judging by the articles i have read,the 3500 would outdo my 3.4,so maybe that is the one?thanks again.

Choose your weapon :-) http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/109844.jpgGreg

glad you brought the dfi mobo to my attention,did not know about it and there is some interesting reading on it.great graph.thanks.

>i am going to get a system with a amd64 cpu but am not sure>what one to get.>i have 3 choices,the 3500,3800,4000.Don't you have a fourth choice that is 3000?

Hello All:Am looking at a purchase I made and am wondering whether I should return it before I open the boxes. A little background:I have been running a Barton 2500+ @2.17 for two years and it has been my best dollar/performance CPU I have ever had. I saw a dual channel kit of 3200 HyperX on sale for $100 (2X512), so I jumped on it and tried to run the barton @ 2.2, but no go! Well, I decided to move up to an A64, after all, it has been two years, but now I hear conflicting stories about the S939 I bought with the Gigabyte K8N. First of all, my dealer suggested this combo for future upgrades, but now I see on Gigabyte's website that the the K8NSN may not run 90nm chips. They say they are testing. I mean, maybe I should take this back while it's still returnable and just get an S754 Newcastle 3400 and a Lanparty or Asus K8N-E, ($50 less)? I am stuck with AGP for awhile, since I got a video card not long ago. I am not looking at overclocking anymore, since my 2500+ failure.K