Processors

One thing to remember when reading about these processors is that speed is relative to a couple of factors.

1.  Your past experience with computers- If this is your first computer, you have nothing to compare

2.  The tasks you’re attempting- You may not notice a big difference in speed when surfing the internet regardless of your processor.

3.  Your connection speed- If you’re using a dial-up to access the internet, your pages will come up SLOW.

4.  Multi-tasking- If you’re doing a lot of things at one time, like listening to music, surfing the internet and burning a CD you will notice a huge difference depending on your processor.

So let’s get started.

The Two main makers of processors are AMD and Intel. They are both very reliable and both have their strong points and weak points as well which are described below.

Intel Celeron- This is what most people consider an entry level processor, which is also another way of saying SLOW. Celeron’s are typically good for web surfing, creating a letter, a child’s homework, or doing E-Mail. Multi-tasking is not something I would recommend trying using this processor.

AMD Sempron- This is AMD’s version of the entry level processor. A lot of people find it slightly faster than the Celeron, but has about the same functionality.

AMD Turion64- This processor is faster than the previous two, but is only available in Notebooks. This processor is able to do limited multi tasking and normally has better battery life.

AMD Turion64 X2- This is a dual core processor, meaning there are two processors on one chip. This provides better multi-tasking, lower heat, and better battery life.

Intel CoreDuo2- This is Intel’s version of the dual core processor, but with some big differences. This processor is available in both Notebooks and Home PC’s. A couple of big benefits of this processor for laptops is that battery life is superb. It runs much cooler than other processors as well. Besides being able to do what all the other processors can do, this one will multi-task the best and allows you to play games if you’re a gamer.

AMD Athlon 64X2- This is AMD’s version of the dual core for home PC’s. It will do everything that the CoreDuo2 does, but it does not seem to be as fast doing it, and most people find it does not run as cool.

If you’re wondering why AMD has 64 after the names of some of their processors, the answer is not too simple. Processor manufacture’s have starting making processors that are able to work on 64 BIT software instead of just 32 BIT.

What does that mean? If you have used Windows 98, Millennium, 2000, XP Home, or Vista Home, these operate on 32bit programming. Windows XP Professional and Vista have 64bit options.

The difference is basically that the 64bit could be twice as fast. It is like using a four lane highway instead of two lanes. Twice as much information can be processed. The downside is that is only a couple of software programs written in 64bit technology. In time that will change, but who knows how long that will take.

Intel offers 64bit Emulation on their processors, while AMD has true 64bit technology. On AMD’s processor they actually have two 64bit cores on the chip. The Intel version offers emulation, which suggests that when 64bit software becomes available AMD will be much faster.

If you want more detailed information on these processors, click on the name above and it will take you to their web site for that processor, or you can e-mail me any questions.

Kenneth J. Wheeler

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