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In PC World tests, a machine with the new chip underperformed one with a comparable Athlon XP, but our Sempron-based test system did outgun a similarly configured PC with Intel's Celeron D value CPU. These chips all appear in PCs priced below $1000, and even in some costing under $500.

We tested a system provided by Monarch Computer, first with a 2-GHz Sempron 2800+ CPU and then with a 2.08-GHz Athlon XP 2800+ (the two chips use the same core). With the Athlon XP, the machine landed a WorldBench 5 score of 82, about 5 percent faster than the 78 score it achieved with the Sempron. The AutoCAD and game tests followed this same general pattern (see chart below). The difference is likely the result of the Athlon XP's 512KB L2 cache (the Sempron's is 256KB).

Both the Athlon XP and the Sempron outran Intel's 2.8-GHz 335 Celeron D chip (in a comparably configured PC) in our tests.

The eight current Sempron versions range from the 2200+ to the 3100+. Although the 3100+ is based on AMD's forward-looking Athlon 64-bit core, the 64-bit feature is disabled in it. AMD has stopped selling Athlon XP models 2700+ and below, but it will still offer the 2800+, 3000+, and 3200+ into 2005, says Damon Muzny, company spokesperson. AMD uses different benchmarks to set its model numbers, so you can't assume a Sempron 2800+ will perform the same as an Athlon XP 2800+, according to Microprocessor Report Editor in Chief Kevin Krewell.

For top performance in a value PC, consider one with the Athlon XP, while you can.