Where’s the beef?
There was a time
when a one-gigahertz (1 GHz) processor was unimaginable. Of course, now it’s just old hat. The most important thing to realize now that
processors are ranging between 2.0 and 4.0 GHz is that speed is increasingly
less important. The performance
difference between the top-of-the-line processor of a given brand, and its
low-end processor, is not that far apart anymore. At the same time, the price difference has increased
significantly, with high-end processors running for almost $1000. Considering that the true bottleneck lies in
other parts of the computer like the motherboard, you shouldn’t be intent on getting
the fastest processor possible.
Instead, read up on the motherboard section for a description of the
newest motherboard architectures available that will eliminate system
bottlenecks. You don’t need an
extremely fast processor these days to enjoy a smooth computing experience!
Intel
Intel has enjoyed
much success as the perennial favorite in the processor wars. It’s still the CPU of choice among
businesses and individuals alike, though lately AMD has been making
headway.
Intel offers 3
models of their current processor: the Pentium 4. The high-end model is known as the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition. These run for about $1000 right now and
require a unique motherboard due to its new chipset and socket
requirements. Their mainstream version
is the regular Pentium 4. These are the
most reasonably priced ones for solid performance. Intel’s economy model for the less demanding is known as the
Celeron. Intel always includes the
clock speed of their processors in the model name.
AMD
Some people love to
root for the underdog. For a while, I
was one of them. AMD has been making
quality processors while consistently undercutting the price milestone set by
Intel. Many years ago, the difference
between AMD and Intel processors was significant. Back then, the price difference made up for it. These days, AMD has been making lots of
ground on Intel by offering competitive products at slightly lower prices. Their newest line of Athlon64’s offers the
next-generation in 64-bit processing.
Of course, there aren’t any programs right now that have made the
transition from 32-bits to 64-bits, but once that does happen in the next year
or so, Athlon64 owners will not have to upgrade. AMD’s top of the line processor is the Athlon64 FX. It runs about $200 cheaper than Intel’s
Pentium 4 Extreme Edition. Their
mainstream model is the Athlon64, and it’s also priced lower than the Pentium
4. On the economical side there’s the
AMD Sempron.
One thing you should
note about AMD’s naming conventions is that their model names don’t reflect the
actual clock speed. You should always
research into this. For instance, the
AMD Athlon64 4000+ isn’t a 4.0 GHz processor.
It’s really running at a clock speed of 2.4 GHz.
So which processor
do you want? Intel holds the title of performance
king, but AMD’s Athlon64 line is quickly catching up to the Pentium 4. I would not recommend the high-end models
for either brand, because the high price tag doesn’t convert to significant
performance gains. Instead, you should
always get the mainstream model unless you have cash to burn. The economy models are only for people who
don’t require serious computing power.
If you’re never going to play video games, render 3D models, or record
movies/music, the Celeron and Sempron processors are really cheap.
Like most markets where
there are only a few competitors, the processor market is rather homogenous in
terms of price and performance.
Choosing a processor these days doesn’t matter as much as picking the
right components.
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