# Socket 7 processors--AMD K6-2 & K6-3

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socket-7-processors-amd-k6-2-k6-3/39947>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 6, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socket-7-processors-amd-k6-2-k6-3/39947 "2000-11-06T16:00:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socket-7-processors-amd-k6-2-k6-3/39947/1 "2000-11-06T16:00:41Z")

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I am currently running a Socket-7 style motherboard on my home system and would like to do a processor upgrade. Presently I am running an AMD K6-2 333mhz processor, but I would like to purchase a slightly faster processor to toss in. My motherboard can support both K6-2 and K6-3 processors up to 450 mhz, so the problem is deciding which one to get.

Normally I would have just picked the K6-3 and been done with it, but I’ve noticed something strange lately. It seems that the K6-2 processors are more plentiful than the K6-3s, and when the K6-3 processors can be found, in some cases they are cheaper than K6-2 processors of the same speed. (Check prices at TigerDirect for an example of this.) This makes me tend to think that maybe the K6-3 processors could be a bit flaky, but I’ve not read anything to tell me this is true.

Do any of you run a K6-3 processor? If so, does it appear to be stable on your system? (I know I should probably gut my system and plop in a new MB running a 1ghz Athlon, but I don’t want to sink a lot of cash into my system and I don’t need to have the fastest clock speed on the block. I figure that I’ll puchase a new processor and put another 64 megs of memory on-board and I’ll be set.)

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**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2000, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socket-7-processors-amd-k6-2-k6-3/39947/2 "2000-11-06T16:25:44Z")

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Tom’s Hardware Guide is running a feature on this question this very day - [http://www.tomshardware.com](http://www.tomshardware.com)

It looks like the K6-III is a K6-II with L2 cache onboard and some power management features. The cache should give you some performance improvement.

The poor availablity and cheaper price for the K6-III is probably because it is being supplied to OEMs only. They can sell them on to you, but you probably won’t get a box, a manual or a warranty. So it’s your choice - L2 cache but you’re on your own, or no L2 cache but you get some documentation.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2000, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socket-7-processors-amd-k6-2-k6-3/39947/3 "2000-11-06T16:29:29Z")

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I’m going to check out the Tom’s hardware article right now.

If anybody else has thoughts or ideas on this, please write in.