6. Processors
Short for Central Processing Unit. This is the processor; the brain of the computer. Everything in the computer is controlled from here. There are two major manufacturers of processors in the personal computer (PC) market – Intel and AMD. Intel processors are considered to be the best and most reliable in the market; however AMD’s processors are almost as good at a lower price. Other manufacturers in the market produce processors for various other electronic products like mobile phones, servers and supercomputers. Every electronic component has a microprocessor that acts as a brain.
Between the two (Intel and AMD), I personally have problems choosing myself. So to keep it simple, I look into my wallet. The processor is the costliest of all the components inside the computers and AMD processors generally save you 20% to 40%. On the other hand, most programmers, game developers and graphic designers would often opt for an Intel over their competitor on any day of the week. If you are reading these articles, then processing power and computing algorithms are as alien to you as durians are to a Caucasian; therefore either processor would do the task. So, do as I do, look into your wallet.
So how do you choose a CPU?
Let’s look at the numbers. With computers, numbers tell a lot. Generally, the higher the better. You’d typically find a description of the CPU in the details or specifications of a computer brochure. Here’s an example:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E4600 (2MB L2 Cache, 2.40GHz, 800MHz FSB)
The first word is obviously the brand of the processor. The words that follow after tell you which generation of processor it is. Below is a simplified list of processors currently in the market starting from the latest down.
| Intel | Year | Clock Speed | FSB |
| Pentium Core 2 and Quads | 2006 | 1.06 GHz to 3.20 GHz | Up to 1333MHz |
| Pentium Dual Core | 2005 | 1.44 GHz to 2.6 GHz | 800MHz |
| Pentium 4 | 2000 | 1.3 GHz to 3.8 GHz | 400MHz |
| Pentium III | 1999 | 450 MHz to 1.4 GHz | 100 MHz to 133 MHz |
| Pentium II | 1997 | 233 MHz to 450 MHz | 66 MHz to 100 MHz |
| AMD | Year | Clock Speed | FSB |
| Phenom X3 and X4 | 2008 | Up to 2.4GHz | |
| Athlon 64 X2 | 2007 | 2.6GHz to 3.2GHz | 1000MHz Hypertransport |
| Athlon 64 | 2005 | 1.6GHz to 3.0GHz | 500 to 800MHz |
| Athlon XP/MP | 2001 | 850 MHz to 2.7 GHz | 133MHz |
| Athlon Classic | 1999 | 500 MHz to 700MHz | 100MHz and 133MHz |
| K6 | 1997 | 166MHz to 300MHz | 66Mhz |
Now let us look at the number.
2Mb L2 Cache
This is the internal memory of the processor. The cache reduced the time it takes to access the computer by retaining certain programs in it. It works pretty much how your memory works. What you remember is faster to access than for you look up a book or the internet. L2 simply means Level 2 which is faster than L1 cache. 2Mb is the size of the cache. Remember, bigger is better.
2.40GHz
Also referred to as the clock speed, this is the speed at which the processor is capable of working. When comparing, pay close attention to the measurement. 1 GHz is 1000 MHz. I have actually encountered sales persons who pointed out that their processor speed at 800MHz is a bigger number than the catalog I had in my hand.
FSB
The number that follows after that is the Front Side Bus (FSB) speed. What is a bus to you? A transportation device or vehicle, right? That is exactly what this is. The FSB is responsible for carrying or transferring data from the processor to the motherboard. Once again an 800MHz FSB is slower than a 1333Mhz FSB.
Multi Core
Since 2006, we have seen the birth of a whole new breed of processors. These core based processors are basically like having more than one CPU built into a single unit. By building more CPU cores into one unit, the processor runs with just that many times the speed of one CPU. Although most consumers still go for dual core processors, mostly due to price, we will see the quads taking over the market in a year or two at most.
Sockets
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