2. Build Your Own Computer: Choosing the CPU
Every computer must have a few certain parts. Now
assuming you already have a monitor, you have the CPU (or
processor), the motherboard, hard drive, optical drives
(such as a DVD player), and a case with a power supply.
Optionally you can get a separate video card, and various add on card
(such as a modem), to further customize your PC.
The
first choice you must make is the processor, because this will determine
what sort of motherboard and video card you get. Currently the two
major CPU manufacturers for x86 IBM Compatible PC's (what windows runs
on) are AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) and Intel.
The most advanced left to right in the line up. The
five main Intel chips are, from most recent to least recent, the Core Duo 2, Pentium D, Pentium 4 and Celeron. I would
recommend staying away from the extremely overpriced "XTREME EDITION" of various Intel CPUs.
Intel chips.
Intel processors for the desktop
such as the Pentium 4, Pentium D, and Celeron are better
for tasks such as video editing and music encoding. Intel
processors are generally, in the mid to high end, less expensive than
their AMD counterparts by about 10%. Part of this is because of
efficiency of scale, Intel makes many more chips than AMD. Of note,
is an ongoing legal battle in which AMD has accused Intel of
unfair market practices. One of the acts in contention is Intel paying
for part of the PC manufacturers ad if they include an Intel logo. This discourages AMD units from being featured in computer ads.
Right now, there seems to be no end in site, because so many companies are involved in the action, but it may eventually affect the pricing of CPUs.
Intel has recently decided to use a new architecture called "core" in all of it's upcoming processors, it performs on par with Athlon 64s in almost every category. Also, please do not get pulled into the marketing hype of Apple; a PC with a Core processor, and a Mac with a core perform exactly the same.
The most advanced left to right in the line up. The
Sempron only comes in a Socket 754 package, the rest are offered in
Socket 939 and AM2.
AMD processors for the desktop (such
as the Sempron, Athlon 64, and Athlon X2) are generally
better for gaming, and everyday tasks. I say this because most of
AMD's processors use less electricity due to a technology called Cool
N Quiet (TM). Intel has yet to widely adopt a power saving feature as as effective for desktop
processors. These processors dynamically alter their speed to reduce
power consumption. In using less electricity these processors save you
money and produce less heat. Heat is the enemy of all computer
components, the hotter they run the less reliable and long lasting they
are. The disadvantage to AMD is cost, as they can cost ~10% more
than comparable Intel Chips.
Until recently processors were compared on clock speed. Clock
speed is the internal drumbeat of a processor, orchestrating how fast
things move within the chip. This was a good comparison when chips
had similar designs, however, now it is not the case. Many other things affect processor
performance such as L2 cache size, Front Side Bus speed, and memory speed.
If you
choose AMD you should go with a modern Socket 939 or AM2 package. The
Socket is how the processor interfaces with the motherboard. Socket AM2 is the most recent, advanced interface and
offers more features, including support for DDR2 memory. Socket 939 offers about 5-10% less performance, but it is mature and allows you to keep using your
DDR memory. However if you want to save the most money go with
Socket 754, which is older, but the processors made for it are cheaper, but less powerful.
If you
choose Intel have two choices. Socket 775 is the most recent and
supports (with the correct chipset) the latest Dual core
processors from Intel. For less money you can get a Socket 478
processor, here you will also save on the motherboard.
The sockets themselves often make little difference on performance, it's the added features that are allowed that improve performance.
Often the socket number refers to the number of pins on the socket, however
incidentally sockets with more pins, within a given manufacturer, are
generally more recent. AMD has an integrated memory controller
on the chip, which increases the number of pins vs. Intel. This
aspect will be further explained later in the Motherboard section.
See our Chipset and Socket
Database to help decide what chipset/socket you should get for your
system, or research old sockets.
To decide on what processor to get set yourself a price range and then
look around for processors in this range at places such as
http://www.newegg.com and
http://www.pricewatch.com .
Then compare processors in this range at sites such as
http://www.tomshardware.com
and http://www.anandtech.com
which have comprehesive benchmarks of almost all processors. Here
you can see if your processor performs well at the tasks you want to do.
After you have chosen the processor it is time to get choose the
motherboard.
Kevin C. July 31st 2005
kcas88@gmail.com
- Updated Dec. 2nd 2005
- Updated Apr. 9th 2006
- Updated Jun. 2nd 2006
<Back: Part 1 "Introdution, Why?" || Next Part 3 Choosing the Motherboard>
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