AMD64 3500+(939) versus AMD64 3200+(939) Winchester Core Price Gap

[p00lb0y]

I was wondering if someone has some understanding why the AMD 3500+
Winchester Core 939 pin is approximately $300US while the 3200+
Winchester Core 939 is closer to $200US? This is a rather large price
gap for the performance difference.

Are there some inherent features or capabilities with the multiplier or
other internals that justify the nearly 50% price premium for the 3500+
with respect to only a 10% core processor speed bump (2.0 GHz on the
3200+ and 2.2 GHz on the 3500+)?

Other factors?

Thanks in advance.

 

[General Schvantzkoph]

I was wondering if someone has some understanding why the AMD 3500+
Winchester Core 939 pin is approximately $300US while the 3200+
Winchester Core 939 is closer to $200US? This is a rather large price
gap for the performance difference.

Are there some inherent features or capabilities with the multiplier or
other internals that justify the nearly 50% price premium for the 3500+
with respect to only a 10% core processor speed bump (2.0 GHz on the
3200+ and 2.2 GHz on the 3500+)?

Other factors?

Thanks in advance.

Look at it from a system cost standpoint. If you look at the cost of a
system the price difference is less than 10%. Example, I've been pricing a
3500+ system at Newegg. The total system cost is $1278, the sample system
with a 3200+ would cost $1190, that's less than 10% more expensive for a
10% increase in performance.


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MSI "K8N Neo2 Platinum" NVIDIA nForce3 ULTRA Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
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IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices
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$139.50

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$101.49

$101.49

AMD Athlon 64 3500+, Socket 939, 512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - OEM
Specifications:
Model: AMD Athlon 64
Core: Newcastle
Operating Frequency: 2.2GHz
FSB: Integrated into Chip
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/ 512KB
Voltage: 1.5V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 939
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: OEM(Processor Only) more info-> N82E16819103460
$272.00

$272.00

Kingston 184-Pin 1GB ECC Unbuffered DDR PC-3200, Model KVR400X72C3A/1G - RETAIL
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Kingston
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
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Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 3-3-3
Support Voltage: 2.6V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 128M x 72-Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info-> N82E16820144162
$254.77

$509.54

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Seagate 200GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model ST3200822AS, OEM Drive Only
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Packaging: OEM Drive Only more info-> N82E16822148033
$122.00

$122.00

Thermaltake Venus 7+ Highest Performance Cooler for AMD Opteron & Athlon 64 (With RF and Back Plate) -RETAIL
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$18.49

$18.49

Subtotal »

$1,278.02

 

[$$$$]

I was wondering if someone has some understanding why the AMD 3500+
Winchester Core 939 pin is approximately $300US while the 3200+
Winchester Core 939 is closer to $200US? This is a rather large price
gap for the performance difference.

Are there some inherent features or capabilities with the multiplier or
other internals that justify the nearly 50% price premium for the 3500+
with respect to only a 10% core processor speed bump (2.0 GHz on the
3200+ and 2.2 GHz on the 3500+)?

Other factors?

Thanks in advance.

The usual procedure is for companies to pay top dollar while
enthusiasts buy the lower multiplier models and overclock with a good
motherboard.

Take your pick.

 

[JohnOfArc]

Look at it from a system cost standpoint. If you look at the cost of a
system the price difference is less than 10%. Example, I've been pricing a
3500+ system at Newegg. The total system cost is $1278, the sample system
with a 3200+ would cost $1190, that's less than 10% more expensive for a
10% increase in performance.

nah, you're paying a 50% premium for a 10% gain in processor speed, which
is, as you well know, only one factor in overall system performance. Bang
for buck wise, that's a terrible ROI.

 

[Wookie]

If you're looking for the best deal get a Semipron .. if you want the best
CPU get a 939.

 

[jelleoelle]

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 11:53:37 +0000, p00lb0y wrote:
Look at it from a system cost standpoint. If you look at the cost of a
system the price difference is less than 10%. Example, I've been pricing a
3500+ system at Newegg. The total system cost is $1278, the sample system
with a 3200+ would cost $1190, that's less than 10% more expensive for a
10% increase in performance.

What nonsense. Why don't you include the cost of your desk too, and you chair and why not your car? Then the percentage is going to be smaller than one percent. It's completely pointless. We are comparing the price of the processor and it's performance. 50 percent more expensive for only 10 percent more performance. That's the deal!