Oh I just love deals. That and talking about them. Post here.
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* Athlon 64 3200+ Retail $132
* Athlon 64 3700+ Retail $184
* Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core $281
* Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Dual Core $433
* Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual Core $686
This is after a 20% off coupon, shipping 3-5 days is free, state sales tax applies. You are supposed to have a company name to order but I just use something I belong to like CCSU Computer Club. Heck I could have used Shadow Knights Game Group.
I found it on Slickdeals.net:
http://slickdeals.net/#p6861 (http://slickdeals.net/#p6861)
AMD 64s will regularly cost this much soon but not for another 3-5 months, so if you were in the market you might want to get one now. 3700+ San Diego, here I come!
I got the scoop on 2006 price drops for AMD CPUs. They will be releasing the new socket format in Q1 or Q2, so that would obviously push Socket 939 prices down somewhat. People seemed to think that it would be across the board, but it looks like only the dual-core CPUs (X2 series) will really be shifted. The 3000+ to 3700+ and the non-dual-core will be much less affected.
The 3700+ is actually underpriced right now at ZipZoomFly.com for $214 shipped. So if you can't catch the deal on Dell (and I am calling them today to see when the backorder will be fulfilled), then you will get the next best bargain at ZZF. This item is underpriced because there is a shortage in general for the 3500+ models, which normally fill the $200-$210 price range, filling the gap between the 3200+ and the 3700+. It's expected that the 3700+ will be priced back up to $235 early next week (where other places like NewEgg have remained).
I've followed AMD CPU prices for several months now, and after a significant price drop in October, they rebounded on the low end around Thanksgiving as 3000+ models went out of stock. So, if you want a single core, higher clock CPU (best for gaming), pick up a 3200+ or 3700+ if you can afford one. If you want a dual-core, wait another couple months until the Q1/Q2 price drop on those.