The Main Processor (or CPU) Check
The CPU commonly has a Floating Point Unit that handles tougher calculations that are necessary in situations such as 3D graphics processing, playing games, and other math-intensive computations. Pictures of the AMD Athlon XP 2200+ processor used in one of my home computers appear above. The motherboard in this system is over-clockable and allows me to select different processor speeds. I love it! Processor TypesBy type I actually mean Pentium vs. Celeron from the Intel line, and Athlon vs. Duron in the AMD line of CPU's. The Intel Celeron is basically the same as the Pentium except that the L1 cache is disabled in the former. This makes the Celeron a lesser performer than the Pentium. The similar situation exists with the AMD chips. The Athlon is the better performer than the Duron. You will notice then, that Athlon and Pentium systems cost more than Duron and Celeron systems. Which CPU Brand is Hot for You?Both Intel and AMD make most of the processors you will find in PC's nowadays. The Intel Pentiums were the industry standard until AMD clocked competitive performance speeds with the Athlon XP 2200+ (and higher) series. The AMD Athlon processors are "work-horses" and they usually cost less than the Intel counterparts, until recently. You might guess that Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. has now built up a name and reputation akin to the Intel giant, so they want to level the pricing slope. AMD priced its Athlon XP 3200+ processor higher than the comparable 3.06-GHz Intel Pentium 4 chip. The AMD 64 bit processor is a breakthrough in PC power. Gamers are happy even though the software availability lags the hardware. Personally, I will not pioneer top-of-the-line electronics, computer parts or systems by paying top dollars for new arrivals. I can wait. However, the choices are good, and almost any processor you pick over the 1 GHz speed limit now will be a great performer on almost any task. Although, if you are a gamer or heavy graphics user you better look near the top of the list for your processor pick - that is, Intel 2.2 GHz or above and AMD XP 2200+ and above.
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Computer & Parts |
Do you know what kind of processor is in your computer? To find out, click Start -- Programs -- Accessories -- System Tools -- System Information. It should give you information such as the brand (Intel or AMD) and the speed. |
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The Central Processing Unit or "brain" of the computer
is a very fast number crunching chip. This computer component is somewhat synonymous to
your brain in terms of function.