GERMAN HARDWARE Web site Hard Tecs 4U has published one of the first reviews of the AMD Athlon 64 3000+ processor. This new model runs at the same 2 GHz frequency as the flagship product, but does so with 512 KB of level two cache, which is half of what the 3200+ model has. Cheapest Price Watch price has it for $214, which is $156 less than the $370 3.2 GHz P4. The Athlon 64 won eight of the nine benchmarks, and one of them by 27%. For those who need superior gaming performance than a 3.2 GHz P4, but at less cost, these benchmarks indicate that the Athlon 64 3000+ is the way to go.
It was a smart move on AMD"s part to release this device at the same frequency as its sibling, but with half the level two cache, as it still betters the P4 in the very important world of gaming. AMD deserves some credit here. It has brought to market a processor that has half the theoretical memory bandwidth and 37.5% less frequency than the 3.2 GHz P4, and it is still a gaming winner. For those that have been waiting for the cheaper Athlon 64s to arrive, you can now have your cake and eat it