I go the retail version of this Athlon 64 3200+ so it comes packed as such. It is well protected within thick plastic and designed for retail display. From the back of the package you can see the model number of the CPU so if you are looking for a specific processor you can hunt it down.
The CPU that I got from Directron is model number ADA3200AEP5AP, below is what these letters and numbers really mean. Also on the line below is the stepping information which is CAAMC and from the second half of that line we can see that the CPU was made in week 38 of 2003. I was not able to find any information on this particular stepping or production date so we will have to see how well it overclocks.
ADA = AMD Athlon 64 Desktop
3200 = 2000MHz 1MB Cache
A = 754-pin Lidded OµPGA
E = 1.50
P = 70
5 = 1 Mbyte
AP = Model 4 P-state support Rev. C0
The stock heatsink that comes with this processor also comes with a retention frame and metal back plate. On the bottom of the heatsink there is a generic thermal pad which I would suggest removing and replacing with a better aftermarket product if you are going to use this heatsink. This retail processor comes with a certificate of authenticity, warrantee, case badge, and brochure.
Instead of using a stock heatsink I will be using a Zalman 7000-Cu which was sent over by Sharka Corporation. With this Zalman heatsink you do not need the retention frame so I removed it. I installed the Zalman mounting bolts which screwed into the metal plate on the back of the motherboard then installed the CPU.
I applied a very thin layer of Arctic Silver 3 to the heat spreader then secured the 7000-Cu into place. As you can see the heatsink is really large and does not conform to AMD’s heatsink specifications however it still fit without a problem. In many cases large heatsinks like this would have problems on socket A motherboards because of the capacitors around the socket.
