Cache is an extremely fast memory used to store instructions that are repeatedly used by the CPU. It accelerates the CPU instruction retrieval process and result in a more efficient system.

Without a cache, the CPU has to retrieve instruction directly from the RAM. Since the RAM operates at a much lower speed than the CPU (18ns to 0.3 ns), the full efficiency of the CPU is not utilized. Its productivity effectively reduced by (18/0.3=60) times. This is not acceptable.

What if we include a cache in the motherboard (known as L2 cache) that has a small memory size but run at twice the speed of the RAM? Things will start to speed up.

To fasten thing up, an even faster cache was built into the CPU. This cache is known as L1 cache. It runs at the same speed as the CPU. Now, the L1 cache caches the L2 cache which in turn caches the memory RAM. The CPU can then operate at its full speed and programs can run more efficiently.

A cache is very expensive, thus it is not advisable to include a big cache into the system. Generally the faster the CPU speed, the bigger the cache you need. A typical system has 64kb of cache. High end CPU such as Intel dual core extreme comes with 4MB cache. This also explains why the dual core CPU is so expensive.

Celeron CPUs are the budget version of Intel chip. They may have the same operating speed as a Pentium4 chip, but are priced very cheaply. The main reason for this is the size of the cache in the chip. A typical Celeron CPU has only 256kb while an Intel Pentium 4 CPU has 2MB cache. This also means that a Celeron CPU operates much slower than a Pentium 4 CPU even though they have the same operating speed.

There are many factors to take note of when building a computer and caching is one of them that cannot be left out. Hopefully this article has given you an insight about the importance of cache.

In this guide, we give you a complete overview of what a CPU is, what are the important factors that will affect its performance and how you should go about choosing the the CPU that is best suited to your needs.

Let get started:

• What is a CPU?
• What are the factors that affect a CPU’s performance?
• What is the difference between Intel and AMD CPU?
• How to choose the best CPU that suits your needs?
• How to save money when buying a CPU?

Factors to consider when choosing the processor

1) Speed/Core frequency

The speed of the CPU is referring to the operating frequency (also known as clock speed) of the CPU. It determines how fast the processor can perform data calculation.

Clock speed is measured in terms of Hertz (Hz), and it is usually in the Megahertz or Gigahertz range. One hertz is one cycle per second. A megahertz means that the CPU can process one million instructions in one second (or one million cycles per second). That is considered quite fast in a few years back. In today technology, CPU processes by thousands of millions of clock cycles per second, which is in the gigahertz range. You don’t see MHz CPU around anymore.

Theoretically, a 500 MHz CPU is six times slower than a 3 GHz CPU. Equally, a 3.6 GHz CPU is faster than a 3 GHz or a 3.4 GHz CPU. Generally, the higher the frequency of the CPU, the faster the speed of the computer as it can now processes more data per second.

2) No of Cores

In the past, if you want to get a faster computer, you have to get a faster CPU. Today, this is only partially true. The reason being, CPU speed can’t increase forever. There is limitation as to how fast the transistors can run and when it reaches a plateau, you won’t be able to increase the speed anymore.

To tackle this problem, CPU manufacturers (in this case, Intel and AMD) adopted a multi-core technology, which literally means putting multiple cores in a CPU chip. While increasing the CPU speed resulted in faster data calculation, putting more cores in a chip resulted in more work done at the same time.

At the moment, dual core CPU is the most prevalent multi-core processor in the market while quad-core just joined the family not too long ago. (my guess is that octo-cores or 16-cores CPU will soon be available in the next few years).

3) Price

Unless you are loaded with money, the price of the processor does play an important part when it comes to choosing a CPU. Depending on your budget, you can always find a model at the price range that you can afford. The price of the CPU is almost proportional to its speed, which means the faster, the more expensive it gets. The good thing is, the price of a CPU drops very fast. When a new model of CPU is launched, the previous top model will always experience a price drop to the more affordable range. Unless you have absolute need for the top speed, you can always grab a bargain by getting the second or third fastest processor in the market.

4) Brand

There are basically only two main players in the CPU market: Intel and AMD. You may have heard on one occasion that Intel is better and on another occasion that AMD is better. Regardless of what you have heard, the truth is: both are as good.

Both companies produce top notch CPU and choosing one brand over another is purely based on individual preferences. In terms of power consumption and performance, Intel Core2Duo has a slight advantage, but when it comes to prices, AMD offers the best performance per dollar value.

Conclusion

Choosing a CPU is not a difficult task. As long as you are willing to put in the little effort to learn how to choose a CPU, you should be able to find the one that is most suitable for you. Hope this guide has given you an insight to the world of CPU.

Clock speed

For an Intel CPU, the clock speed is used to gauge the performance of the chip. However, when it comes to AMD chip, it’s a totally different story. AMD’s technology has enabled its chip to process more data in every cycle, thus leading to higher efficiency. Therefore, its clock speed is not representative of what it can achieve. In fact, a 1.8GHz AMD CPU can actually outperform an Intel 2.8GHz CPU. For this reason, AMD has stopped listing their clock speed in their package. Instead, they associate a number to show its performance in comparison to an Intel CPU. For example, an Athlon 64 3200+ is actually equivalent to an Intel 3.2GHz CPU. When selecting an AMD CPU, look out for the number xx00+. The higher it is, the better it is.

Various classes of AMD processor

Some of you may encounter CPU label such as AMD Sempron, Athlon 64 or Athlon 64 FX and wonder what is this referring to. Well, the label is referring to the class or family that the chip belongs to.

AMD Sempron

The Sempron belongs to the AMD budget line of processor. Being a budget processor, this is definitely not the best performing chip to go for. With a reduced cache, its performance cannot be compared to the mainstream processor, even though it may has a higher clock speed (for example, an Athlon 64 3200 chip can easily outperform a Sempron 3600 chip). Nevertheless, if you are using it for everyday tasks, this budget processor is more than enough to serve your needs.

AMD Athlon 64

Athlon 64 is AMD first generation processor that can run simultaneous 32 and 64 bits computing technology. The conventional computer uses 32 bits to process all its data. By pushing up a notch, AMD 64 bits technology allows more data to be processed simultaneously, thereby shorten the processing time and increase the performance level. However, as good as it may seem, most of the software, including Windows, do not support 64 bits processing yet and this technology has not really been fully utilized.

Other features that come along with this chip are the inbuilt memory controller and hypertransport. The inbuilt memory controller enables the chip to access the memory RAM without going through the Northbridge. Together with the hypertransport technology that allows faster transfer of data from point to point, these two features are sufficient to put the chip in the elite team.

On the whole, if you need more processing power than just doing daily tasks, the Athlon 64 line of processor will be suitable for you.

AMD Athlon 64 X2

Instead of using a single processor, AMD now squeeze two high performing processors into one single chip, resulting in the world speediest monster: the Athlon 64 X2. With dual-core, the chip can now multi-tasking without any delay or glitches. PC enthusiasts who are hungry for processing power will definitely find this chip very useful.

Of course, dual core also mean that the price is almost double to that of its single core counterpart. If you are on a budget, this chip is certainly not the one to go for.

AMD Athlon 64 FX

AMD Athlon 64 FX is currently the planet fastest processor. By pushing the single core and dual core technology to its extreme, AMD has successfully created a chip that provides unparallel performance for 3D gaming and intense applications. Most of the current Athlon 64 FX chips are single core whereas Athlon 64 FX60, FX62 and future release of the FX series are dual core processors. At a price tag of over $1000, it’s sufficient to buy a high-end desktop computer. If you just have the extra cash to spare, buy it at your own risk.

Socket Type

The socket refers to the holder where the CPU is positioned on the motherboard. Different classes of processor use different socket type. Before you make your purchase, check the socket type that your motherboard supports.

Socket 754– Socket 754 is a budget-minded socket, for use with AMD Athlon 64 or Sempron processors. It supports only a single channel memory controller (64-bits wide) and a lower HyperTransport speed. It does not support dual channel memory.

Socket 939 — For use with AMD Athlon 64 and 64 X2. As a replacement for socket 754, it has included several features such as support for dual channel DDR SDRAM memory and better and faster Hypertransport. Processors using this socket have either 512KB or 1 MB Level 2 cache, which is a significant improvement over the previous socket. The caveat of this socket is that it does not support DDR2 RAM.

Socket AM2 — Socket AM2 is meant to replace socket 939. It supports dual channel DDR2 RAM and consume lesser power. This is the latest CPU socket designed by AMD. Most dual core CPU and the Athlon FX series chip use this socket.

Conclusion

If you already have an idea what you need the processor for, then it will be easy to choose the AMD CPU that is most suited for you. If you are using it for performing daily task, the Sempron processor will be a good buy whereas if you need it for 3D gaming, you might consider buying the high end FX series. Hope that this article has given you a better idea on how to choose an AMD CPU.

Well, the main reason is because they have different L2 cache.

If you understand how processor works, you will know that the performance of the CPU is dependent on a lot of factors. The frequency (also known as clock speed), bus speed, L2 cache all play an important role.

The differences between an Intel Pentium processor and a Celeron processor are:

1. Cache

   Celeron processor usually have only 128KB of L2 cache while a Pentium processor have 2MB, which is four time as much. The amount of L2 cache can have a big effect on performance.

2. Clock Speed

   Pentium processor has a faster clock speed than a Celeron processor. The Celeron processor is a budget chip from Intel, that is why they set the Pentium chips to run at about 60 percent faster than the Celeron chip.

3. Bus Speed

   If you look at the specification of both processors, you can see that the usual bus speed for Pentium 4 is 800MHz or 1066Mhz while the Celeron is only 533Mhz. Due to these differences, the Pentium chip tend to run 30 percent faster than Celeron chip.

It seem that Celeron is of a much lower grade than its Pentium counterpart. On the positive side, a Celeron processor is cheaper and more affordable than a Pentium processor. If all you do is only check email or simple words editing, then a Celeron chip is really the one you should go for. For gaming machine, it is best to get Pentium 4 with the largest L2 cache and fastest bus speed.