The CPU or central processing unit is the brain of your computer. It does all of the processing of data and of applications running on your system. The CPU is the most important chip in your Computer so care should be taken in choosing the one that most suits your needs. Our Interactive Buyer’s Guide will help to make you a savvier consumer and help you navigate the through the wide array of CPUs available today.

We will guide you step by step through important aspects of choosing a CPU most suitable for your needs

Budget

• 0$ - $100 - Entry Level CPUs
• Sending and receiving email
• basic word processing
• web surfing

• $100-$200 – Mid Range CPUs
• streaming online video
• Playing MP3s
• Light multitasking
• Web conferencing

• $300 and more – High End CPUs
• Video/sound editing
• Power Gaming
• Heavy Multitasking

Clock Speed

The Clock Speed, measured in Gigahertz (GHz) determines how fast the CPU can execute instructions, the higher the clock speed the better your computer will perform.

• 1GHz – 2GHz - Entry Level CPUs
• Sending and receiving email
• basic word processing
• web surfing

• 2GHz-3GHz- Mid Range CPUs
• streaming online video
• Playing MP3s
• Light multitasking
• Web conferencing

• 3GHz and Higher - High End CPUs
• Video/sound editing
• Power Gaming
• Heavy Multitasking

Front Side Bus (FSB) Speed

The front side bus carries all data that travels between the CPU and other devices of the system such as system memory and graphics. A faster front side bus can increase performance and responsiveness by transferring data faster.

• 400MHz-800MHz - Entry Level CPUs
• Sending and receiving email
• basic word processing
• web surfing

• 800MHz-1066MHz - Mid Range CPUs
• streaming online video
• Playing MP3s
• Light multitasking
• Web conferencing

• 1066MHz and Higher - High End CPUs
• Video/sound editing
• Power Gaming
• Heavy Multitasking

L1 Cache Size

L1 cache is a set of memory circuits designed to speed access to important and frequently used data. A larger capacity (e.g. 2MB vs. 1MB) allows more data to be accessible from the fast L1 Cache storage area, and benefits most applications by increasing performance and responsiveness.

• 8KB-24KB - Entry Level CPUs
• Sending and receiving email
• basic word processing
• web surfing

• 32KB-128KB - Mid Range CPUs
• streaming online video
• Playing MP3s
• Light multitasking
• Web conferencing

• 128KB and Higher - High End CPUs
• Video/sound editing
• Power Gaming
• Heavy Multitasking

L2 Cache Size

L2 cache is a set of memory circuits designed to speed access to important and frequently used data. A larger capacity (e.g. 2MB vs. 1MB) allows more data to be accessible from the fast L2 Cache storage area, and benefits most applications by increasing performance and responsiveness.

• 1MB-2MB - Entry Level CPUs
• Sending and receiving email
• basic word processing
• web surfing

• 2MB-4MB - Mid Range CPUs
• streaming online video
• Playing MP3s
• Light multitasking
• Web conferencing

• 6MB and Higher - High End CPUs
• Video/sound editing
• Power Gaming
• Heavy Multitasking

L3 Cache Size

L3 cache is a set of memory circuits designed to speed access to important and frequently used data. A larger capacity (e.g. 2MB vs. 1MB) allows more data to be accessible from the fast L3 Cache storage area, and benefits most applications by increasing performance and responsiveness.

• 1MB-2MB - Entry Level CPUs
• Sending and receiving email
• basic word processing
• web surfing

• 2MB-3MB - Mid Range CPUs
• streaming online video
• Playing MP3s
• Light multitasking
• Web conferencing

• 3MB-4MB - High End CPUs
• Video/sound editing
• Power Gaming
• Heavy Multitasking

• 4MB and higher - Server Based CPUs
• Server based applications

Processor Core

The trend toward multi-core processors is in full swing. Because the continual increase in single core clock speeds were using more and more power and generating excessive heat, dual cores were developed to expand performance without more heat. Dual core systems may use the same or a little bit more energy, but achieve approximately an 80% increase in processing power over single core CPU chips. Multi-core chips are not just for advanced applications; rather, everyday tasks can take advantage of two simultaneous processing streams. For example, routine downloads of e-mail and software updates that increasingly take place in the background no longer slow down the foreground application. Virus scans and backup programs can be initiated without interfering with the primary task.

• Single core - Entry Level CPUs
• Sending and receiving email
• basic word processing
• web surfing

• Dual Core - Mid Range CPUs
• streaming online video
• Playing MP3s
• Light multitasking
• Web conferencing

• Quad Core - High End CPUs
• Video/sound editing
• Power Gaming
• Heavy Multitasking

Summary

With price points continually coming down and feature sets continually going up, it is a great time to purchase a CPU. With all of the above considerations in hand you should now be better equipped to make an more informed choice when choosing a CPU that best suits your needs.