AMD Sempron 3100+: The best value processor yet?

Performance depends what is being compared to what. In the same price range, you will get the AMD Athlon XP 3200+ featuring a 400MHz bus and a full 512KB cache - already a serious competitor at $120, then you have also the Intel Pentium IV 2.4GHz featuring a 533MHz and one MB cache - four times the Sempron's amount - for only $116. You have three very competitive processors which unfortunately have not been directly compared. As for the Intel Celeron 335D which is supposed to be the direct competitor of the Sempron 3100+, it retails for $108 only.

Overclocking is a little problematic as the multiplier is locked at 9x. Some however have succeeded in adding 450MHz to the 1.8GHz stock speed. The result was worth it. An overclocked Sempron 3100+ will easily give a run for its money to an AMD Athlon64 3200+.