Every computer needs a motherboard, and every motherboard needs a CPU. The CPU, which stands for Central Processing Unit, determines how much data a computer can handle at one time and how quickly it can handle that data. The main things to consider when buying a CPU are the number of cores needed, what the computer will be used for, the type of software to be run, processor compatibility, and the speed of the CPU.
Whether you want to build a desktop computer from scratch or upgrade one you already own, the most important single component is the processor. The "brain" of your computer, it determines what you're able to do and how quickly you're able to do it, and is generally capable of controlling everything from the efficiency with which you plow through Excel spreadsheets to how well you can play games during your downtime. And with very few exceptions, the power you get from a CPU is directly related to the amount of money you spend to buy it.
The good news is that this doesn't necessarily mean that you're doomed to a slow computer if you're watching every penny. As with most things in life, upgrading your processor—which may also be referred to as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or APU (Accelerated Processing Unit, but only for certain AMD chips)—is mostly a matter of optimizing whatever resources you have. Making smart decisions about what you buy and why is therefore critical. Luckily, the process isn't complicated. By addressing just a few basic issues, you can find a chip that will net you surprisingly fast computer—regardless of what you have to spend.
- Desktop CPUs
- Mobile Processors
- Server Processors
AMD or Intel?
This question is vital when you're upgrading, because AMD's and Intel's CPUs won't work in the other standard's motherboards, but it's relatively inconsequential when you're building a system for the first time. Though certain AMD and Intel CPUs do certain things better than others, those differences seldom matter much in terms of ordinary, everyday computing.
So don't worry that you'll be cutting yourself off from certain tasks or aspirations if you choose one over the other. But one aspect of this choice is related to the previous issue: Every CPU in AMD's consumer catalog is available for under $225, while the most expensive Intel chip runs $999. Does Intel deliver oomph to match the money? In most cases, yes—but you won't necessarily be able to take advantage of it in every situation. Finding the right blend of performance and price for you may start with the CPU's manufacturer, but never assume it ends there.
Price
Usually, PC building or upgrading begins with asking, "What do I want to do?" Not this time. For all intents and purposes, you can perform all the same tasks with a $100 CPU that you can with a $500 one—the biggest difference is in how well you're able to perform them. Therefore, deciding your budget is the first step, for purposes of managing expectations as much as anything else.
If you know right out of the gate that you may need 10 minutes to render a video rather than 20 seconds, you won't be disappointed when you discover your processor's limitations. Figure out the most you can spend on one component, and then see where that figure lies between (approximately) $100 and $1,000. The closer the chip is to the former, the slower it's probably going to be. There are exceptions to this we'll get to shortly, but it's a good rule of thumb.
Productivity or Play?
AMD actually has somewhat of an advantage here. Despite being lower-priced and not performing as well in some CPU-dependent titles as their Intel counterparts, AMD chips are very well-suited to rendering and professional applications due to the amount of low-power cores they possess.However, these applications can be significantly slower on Intel chips – even the high-end i5 chips which are more suited to raw power than professional solutions. i7s become an incredibly mighty contender for both professional applications and pure power but only once you’ve spent a couple hundred more than you would otherwise.
If your only focus is gaming and you have the cash, go for an Intel chip. Need to save? Grab a good AMD chip.
Want to prioritize productivity? No need to shell out more for Intel. AMD chips are perfectly fine for common usage and very good for professional applications at their price range. Plus, for games that aren’t CPU-heavy, AMD chips perform great, too.
If you want the best in productivity and gaming, though, you’ll want to shell out for an Intel i7. i7s can start as low as three hundred dollars and go as high as a full thousand. They are extremely powerful chips, no matter what you’re doing. For people who want just the absolute best gaming performance, however, don’t bother with an i7. The i5 will get the same gaming performance in most cases; it just won’t do as well for things like rendering or streaming.
Features To know About
Cores :
Less than a decade ago, all processors came with a single core. Nowadays single-core processors are the exception and not the rule. Multi-core processors have become more popular as their availability has become increasingly common and software has been designed to utilize multi-core technology. From dual-core to eight-core processors, there are a number of options to choose from. When deciding how many cores are needed, first it is necessary to understand what “multiple cores” means.
When processors were running on a single core, that one core was responsible for handling all the data sent to the processor. As more cores are integrated into a processor, those cores are able to split up the processor’s tasks. This makes the processor faster and more efficient. However, it is important to remember that a processor can only perform as well as the existing software running it. If the software is only able to utilize three of the eight cores, then five cores are going to be unused. To maximize cost and use, it is best to match system requirements with core availability.
Once you know whether you're buying an AMD or Intel CPU, and how much money you'll have to spend, you need to think about the motherboard socket into which the processor will fit. These evolve over time as new technical developments and processes require new hardware, and the differences between them can be confusing. AMD currently has two main sockets: FM1 (for use with its APUs) and AM3+ (which, in addition to accommodating its current high-end Bulldozer-based CPUs, offer strong backward compatibility with several prior years' releases).
On the other hand, Intel's mainstream processors now use the LGA1155 socket, whereas its enthusiast models use the LGA2011—and you can still find chips for older Intel sockets like LGA1166, LGA1366, and more. As mentioned, lower-priced CPUs for one socket type are usually going to be slower than others of that type, so if you think you may want to upgrade again soon, take a look at what else is available so you make the right decision.
On the other hand, Intel's mainstream processors now use the LGA1155 socket, whereas its enthusiast models use the LGA2011—and you can still find chips for older Intel sockets like LGA1166, LGA1366, and more. As mentioned, lower-priced CPUs for one socket type are usually going to be slower than others of that type, so if you think you may want to upgrade again soon, take a look at what else is available so you make the right decision.
The frequency of a CPU, measured in hertz (Hz), is the speed at which it operates. In the past, a merely faster frequency equaled better performance. This is not necessarily the case any longer. In some cases, a CPU running at a lower frequency may actually perform better than a processor running at a higher frequency due to the infrastructure of the CPU.
It is important to look at a CPU’s “instructions per clock” in addition to the frequency of the CPU. While frequency is still a good indication of how quickly a processor can perform, it is no longer the only factor that impacts the actual speed of a processor.
It is important to look at a CPU’s “instructions per clock” in addition to the frequency of the CPU. While frequency is still a good indication of how quickly a processor can perform, it is no longer the only factor that impacts the actual speed of a processor.
Integrated Graphics :
If you're planning on doing any sort of 3D gaming, or if you're using higher-end AMD or Intel chips (which lack integrated video altogether), you'll need to add a discrete card. But editing photos and transcoding video is now speedier on mainstream machines than it's ever been. Different models of these processors have different levels of graphics hardware, like everything else basically scaling with chip price.
Thermal Design Power :
Processors generate heat. The thermal design power specification assigned to a CPU explains how much heat the processor is going to give off. This will directly affect the type of cooling device needed for a CPU. If the CPU does not come with a cooling device or if the cooling device provided is not used, a device must be installed that can cool the system sufficiently. Overheating is a primary danger to a computer’s componentry.
Boost potential :
Newer Intel and AMD releases incorporate a new technology that doesn't limit clock speed to just the standard values. If one of these processor has sufficient power, and is sufficiently cooled, it can dynamically increase its speed for a period of time to give you even more performance than you started with.
(Intel's implementation of this is called Turbo Boost, AMD's is Turbo Core.) Processors that support this feature will tell you what this new speed is—the 3.3GHz Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition, for example, is capable of Turbo Boosting up to 3.9GHz—and the jump you'll get, unsurprisingly, tends to scale with processor price. You won't always have much (if any) control over this, but if you want to know just what your chip can do, this number will tell you.
(Intel's implementation of this is called Turbo Boost, AMD's is Turbo Core.) Processors that support this feature will tell you what this new speed is—the 3.3GHz Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition, for example, is capable of Turbo Boosting up to 3.9GHz—and the jump you'll get, unsurprisingly, tends to scale with processor price. You won't always have much (if any) control over this, but if you want to know just what your chip can do, this number will tell you.
Manufacturing Technology :
This refers to the depth of the die from which the processor has been constructed. Over time, these tend to get smaller and more energy-efficient, and thus more powerful. The top-of-the-line CPUs on the market now use 22nm (Intel) or 32nm (AMD and Intel) technology, with older CPUs at 45nm or more. You'll seldom have to worry about this, aside from making sure that your processor works with the motherboard into which you'll be installing it.
64-bit support :
64-bit support :
Practically every CPU on the market today is a 64-bit model, which means it can process 64 bits (or eight bytes) of information at one time, as opposed to the 32 bits that were common until several years ago. This can mean significant performance improvements in 64-bit software (which is accelerating in popularity and availability). Because so many of today's apps, from Windows to Photoshop, support 64-bit technology, you're better off avoiding 32-bit processors should you happen to come across them.
Cache :
Of all the numbers you may encounter when perusing CPUs, cache can be the most confusing—in no small part because there are three different kinds, and their names are all very similar: L1, L2, and L3. The "L" stands for "level," and thinking about caches in those terms makes them easier to understand.
L1 is the CPU's primary cache, the fastest section of its memory and the one most closely responsible for a processor's performance because it's where instructions are stored while they're waiting to be processed. L2 functions in almost exactly the same way, but instead of feeding instructions to the microprocessor itself, it feeds them to the L1 cache (and uses slower memory). The L3 cache feeds the L2, and is slower still. But in general, the more memory is in all of these, the more efficient the CPU will be.
L1 is the CPU's primary cache, the fastest section of its memory and the one most closely responsible for a processor's performance because it's where instructions are stored while they're waiting to be processed. L2 functions in almost exactly the same way, but instead of feeding instructions to the microprocessor itself, it feeds them to the L1 cache (and uses slower memory). The L3 cache feeds the L2, and is slower still. But in general, the more memory is in all of these, the more efficient the CPU will be.
TDP :
Just like everything else inside your computer, processors require electricity. A CPU's Thermal Design Power (TDP) rating tells you how much you can expect it to require at full load. For most people, this isn't going to be a huge problem, but if you're already close to maxing out your power supply, it's something you'll want to think about: Processors using the LGA1155 socket range in TDP from 95 watts to 35 watts—but if you decide to splurge and upgrade to a {{ziffarticle id="294495"}}Core i7-3930K{{/ziffarticle}} on the LGA2011 socket, its TDP is 130 watts.
Many computer components will use more than this, so it's probably not something you'll need to worry about, but it's worth your attention—as long as your motherboard can handle processors of at least the same TDP (this information is easily available when shopping online).
Many computer components will use more than this, so it's probably not something you'll need to worry about, but it's worth your attention—as long as your motherboard can handle processors of at least the same TDP (this information is easily available when shopping online).
Overclockability :
Overclocking your CPU (changing your motherboard's settings to make the processor run faster than its standard speed) is too in-depth and complex to get into here. But if you're interested in pushing your PC to its limits—and you don't mind taking a few risks (overclocking can put serious stress on your components, and even cause damage if it's not done properly)—you'll want to look for CPUs with unlocked multipliers.
These give you a great deal of freedom in just how high you can nudge your chip upward, and make the lengthy (and potentially tedious) process a more manageable and enjoyable one.
Please leave a comment below explaining how you think it can be improved or where you find fault. This article is written by us. Thus your opinions and advice are not only much appreciated, but actually necessary in order for this article to grow and improve.
These give you a great deal of freedom in just how high you can nudge your chip upward, and make the lengthy (and potentially tedious) process a more manageable and enjoyable one.
Please leave a comment below explaining how you think it can be improved or where you find fault. This article is written by us. Thus your opinions and advice are not only much appreciated, but actually necessary in order for this article to grow and improve.
