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Introduction
The central processing unit, or CPU is the brain of the computer. The CPU used to be the most important component when building a computer because it provided the greatest amount of performance increase. However, modern CPU's are so fast and efficient that it is difficult to see computer performance increases during everyday computing when comparing a CPU from last year and the most current model.
For this reason, picking a CPU is one of the best ways to save money when building a computer. Another reason to wait a year is because the process used to create a CPU is improved and perfected over time. This means that when you buy a CPU from last year it is likely to be more reliable when compared to a model just released.
Index
Socket Type / CPU Type
Speed
Processor Cores
Cache
Manufacturer
About Me
How to pick a CPU
Socket Type / CPU Type
The CPU has to plug into the motherboard - this is the CPU socket or CPU slot. This slot guarantees that only CPU's that are compatible with a particular motherboard will fit. It is important if you are upgrading an old PC to make sure you buy a CPU that fits the motherboard of the computer.
This information can be found from your manufacturer, but is sometimes hard to get because they would rather you buy a new computer than upgrade your old one. Because of this motherboards are generally not marked very well and are obscured with a the computer manufacturers SKU's so that it is hard for a person to figure out the information to perform the upgrade without help.
The CPU type is how the manufacturers name their various CPU's. Intel for example named their earlier CPU's P1, P2, P3, P4. AMD has a different naming scheme. Understanding the naming schemes is made to be difficult so that budget CPU parts are harder to pick out. Before you buy a CPU make sure to do your research.
Bottom Line - Make sure your CPU fits your motherboard. Be careful purchasing CPU's if you don't understand what type it is and how it performs compared to other CPU's.
Speed
CPU speed is measured in GHz. In the old days this was the defacto way to determine whether or not one CPU was better than another. However, at around 3.0GHz there is a performance cap due to heat. Because of this limitation CPU manufacturers (AMD, Intel) have had to resort to other measures to improve performance.Processor Cores
Bottom Line - When buying a modern CPU speed is less of a concern because it is generally maxed out at 3.0Ghz. Any number around 3.0Ghz will provide plenty of speed for a CPU. It is not worth it to pay a premium for speeds above 3.0Ghz, as some of the top tier processors boast 3.2Ghz etc.
The current race between CPU manufacturers is now squeezing as many processor cores onto a single CPU. It is not easy to increase the speed of the CPU past 3.0 Ghz, so having multiple processing units on a single one will boost performance.Cache
One caveat with multiple cores is that comparing the performance of a single core CPU and a dual core CPU does not necessarily mean twice the performance. Specifically performance gains are noticed mostly while using multiple applications. This is because utilization of multiple CPU cores is determined by how the computer program was created.
Bottom line - While having multiple cores is better than a single core, the gain is diminutive. The biggest notice of performance increase will be for a user who likes to have a large number of applications open. It is not worth paying a premium for the latest model CPU with the largest number of cores.
When a CPU receives information that it needs to process it has areas called cache to store the information. This information is used in a number of ways to increase the performance of the CPU.Manufacturer
There are three levels of cache, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. Generally there is a certain amount of Level 1 and Level 2 cache for each core .. i.e. 4x512KB for a quad core CPU. Level 2 cache will vary in size from one to several MB's.
Bottom Line - Except for the most budget CPU's the cache is less of a concern. If the difference between two CPU's is the amount of cache, don't spend more than 50$ over a few MB's.
Of all the computer components, the CPU has the smallest number of manufacturer choices. The two competitors are AMD and Intel. When shopping for a CPU generally AMD prices are below those of Intel for the most modern CPU. Intel has recently been dropping prices faster on their older CPUs to try and stay competitive.
It used to be thought that Intel CPU's are more stable and compatible compared to AMD's, but while this may have been true in the early 1990's, this is not true now. Each CPU should be researched with the same amount of consideration.
Bottom Line - For some people this is a choice of their favorite company. However, let the decision be made by price and other components. If you can get other components cheaper with a different manufacturer's CPU then go for it.
About Me
Who am I to be telling you what to buy with your hard earned money? Check out the about page to decide for yourself.
Bottom Line - Check it out. I even talk about my own computer buying experience!
