Performance

The new 90nm Athlon 64 3500+, 3200+ and 3000+ Socket 939 processors are positioned at the mid-range of the performance market, and we are looking to not only supply a matching platform, but provide one that can yield comparisons to the Socket 754 Athlon 64 3400+. In this case, we need to ensure a mix of high-performance components, while also maintaining chipset compatibility on our platforms.

The reference systems use two different, but quite equivalent, platforms. For the Athlon 64 Socket 939 processors, we picked a motherboard featuring the K8T800 Pro chipset, while the 754-pin Athlon 64 3400+ uses the very similar K8T800 chipset. This keeps us on the straight and narrow when it comes to performance comparisons, while also providing these CPUs with relatively high-end platforms. Memory capacity is set at 1-GB, with both sides receiving 2x512-MB of high-end Corsair PC3200LL.

The default hard disk configuration uses a Western Digital SATA 10K RPM drive, and while our usual high-end CPU testing supplies two of these in a RAID 0 format, we felt this was a bit of overkill for mid-range processors. Both platforms feature AGP graphics, and for our video card component, we have selected the ATI Radeon X800 XT 256-MB board. This is definitely high-end for 3D gaming, and although it is a bit higher-end than our processors, it will allow seamless benchmark comparisons. The operating system is Windows XP Pro SP1, along with DirectX 9.0c installed.

The benchmark list includes a selection of system, CPU, memory, and gaming tests. We are taking more of a cross-section of benchmarks with this review, and have included Business Winstone 2004, PCMark 2004, CINEBENCH 2003, along with TMPGEnc Plus for MPEG-2 encoding. We also utilize popular 3D game tests like 3DMark 2005, DOOM 3, FarCry, Halo, and Unreal Tournament 2004. Our default game benchmark setting is 1024x768x32, which is demanding enough for comparisons and more realistic as an actual game play resolution, but is still prime territory for CPU-related testing.

* Please note that unless otherwise stated, all performance graph results equate to the standard "higher is better" routine.

Test Systems

AMD Socket 939 Reference System:
Processor: Athlon 64 3500+ (90nm & 130nm), 3200+ and 3000+
Memory: 2 x 512-MB Corsair PC3200LL DIMM
Motherboard: MSI MS-6702E
Motherboard chip set: VIA K8T800 Pro
VIA motherboard drivers: Hyperion 455
Video Card: ATI Radeon X800 XT (AGP)
ATI reference drivers: Catalyst 4.12
Hard-Drive: Dual Western Digital WD360
CD/DVD: AOpen 5232 Combo Drive
Power Supply: ANTEC 430 Watt
DirectX 9.0c
Operating System: Windows XP Pro SP1

AMD Socket 754 Reference System:
Processor: Athlon 64 3400+
Memory: 2 x 512-MB Corsair PC3200LL DIMM
Motherboard: ASUS K8V Deluxe
Motherboard chip set: VIA K8T800
VIA motherboard drivers: Hyperion 455
Video Card: ATI Radeon X800 XT (AGP)
ATI reference drivers: Catalyst 4.12
Hard-Drive: Dual Western Digital WD360
CD/DVD: AOpen 5232 Combo Drive
Power Supply: ANTEC 430 Watt
DirectX 9.0c
Operating System: Windows XP Pro SP1

General Settings:
Desktop Resolution: 1024x768
Color Depth: 32-bit
V-Sync: Disabled

Halo: Combat Evolved Specifics
Version: 1.04 (retail)

Business Winstone 2004 Specifics:
Version 1.0.1

PCMark 2004 Pro Specifics:
Patched 120