3600+ model is the today's top Sempron processor in Socket AM2 form-factor. It works at 2.0GHz, features 256MB L2 cache and supports dual-channel DDR2-667 memory. The majority of the potential AMD platform fans are certainly curious to know what this CPU is capable of during overclocking. The reports from XtremeSystems.org forums give us a great chance to take a first look at successful overclocking of a Sempron 3600+ processor.

First of all, we would like to point out that a lot of Socket AM2 mainboards allow DDR2-800 support for single-core processors. All you need to do to enable it is set a proper divider. For example, Sempron 3600+ with 2.0GHz nominal clock speed requires 1/5 divider. For DDR2-667 mode it will use 1/6 divider and for DDR2-533 mode it will support a less convenient 1/8 divider, that will nevertheless support only DDR2-500 mode. Each Socket AM2 CPU has “inconvenient?dividers like that.

When the Vcore is raised to 1.45V, Sempron 3600+ processor reached 2.87GHz frequency with a default Athlon 64 3000+ cooler for Socket 939. This is actually a great example of how you could use boxed Socket 939 coolers with the new Socket AM2 processors.

I cannot claim that this Sempron 3600+ overclocking result is remarkable for all Socket AM2 CPUs, but it is a very good achievement for a budget solution. The youngest Sempron models may feature even lower overclocking potential, since AMD has already learned to sort out cores according to their frequency potential, so there are considerably less overclocking wonders among the low-end models. Anyway, if you are looking into getting a Socket AM2 system, then Sempron may be a pretty decent choice to begin with.