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Computer Guide
The Processor
Also called the CPU, the Processor determines the speed of the computer
The fastest processor produced by Intel right now is the Pentium 4. The
fastest processor produced by AMD is the Athlon XP.
For many years, Intel was king. AMD was barely a competitor. AMD chips
were known for not being as fast or as good at certain things as Intel
processors.
There
are three basic choices in Intel processors: Pentium III, Celeron,
or Pentium 4.
There are two basic choices for AMD processors: Athlon and Duron.
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With its K-6 processor, AMD began producing processors that were on a
par with Intel processors. With the Athlon, AMD has produced a processor
that some say is better than the best Intel processor, and at a cheaper
price.
Processor speed is measured in Megahertz (MHz) and Gigahertz (GHz). The
faster the speed in of the processor (i.e. 2.0GHz), the faster the
computer.
• Intel has been making quality processors for a long time
• Their processors are of a high quality, but can be expensive.
• The Celeron is the budget Intel processor. It is almost as fast as a
Pentium III, but is not recommended for graphics work or game playing.
• The Pentium 4 is the premium Intel processor. The fastest Pentium 4
computers can be very expensive, but the somewhat 'slower' Pentium III
models can be reasonable.
• AMD doesn't have the track record that Intel has.
• AMD’s current crop of processors is highly rated, and can be
relatively inexpensive.
• The Duron is the budget AMD processor. It is on a par with the Celeron
(better in some tests), but generally even cheaper.
• The Athlon is the premium AMD processor. At it's fastest speeds it
beats the Pentium III (and Pentium 4) in some tests.
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