Hardware > Desktop PCs

Choosing a processor to run your computer

By Lasa Information Systems Team

When buying a new PC one of the most prominent marketing features is which processor it uses. The development of processors continues rapidly, creating a wide range of available products competing for our IT budget. This article describes how to choose between Centrino, Duo, Pentium, AMD64 and the other possible options.

When TV adverts play the Intel jingle, or PC boxes are covered in stickers saying AMD 64 X2, what is being described is the heart of the computer – the processor.  The processor is a chip inside a computer that does the most important computing work – running the software we use to do our jobs.

Surely making the right choice about something so central is terribly important then?  For computer enthusiasts who seek to get their computer running as fast as possible this is certainly the case.  In organisations, where the majority of users will only be word processing, sending emails and browsing the web, the choice of processor is far less critical.

 

The Processor Giants

The processor market is dominated by two companies – Intel and AMD.  The chips they produce are completely compatible – software that runs on an Intel processor will also run on an AMD processor and vice versa.  In terms of price, there is little difference between Intel and AMD.

All things being equal, a choice still has to be made.  So, how to choose between the different options?

A question of speed

Up until very recently, the attention grabbing marketing of processors focussed on the speed of the chip, measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz).  The higher the speed the better the computer would perform.  However, over time the difference in speed between the cheapest and most expensive chips have become smaller – there is less reason to spend more on a faster chip these days.

From 32 bits to 64

In 1985, Intel introduced the first commercially successful 32 bit processor – the 386.  This jump from 16-bits made multi-tasking operating systems such as Windows possible, leading to the wide uptake of computers we see today. 

21 years later, we are seeing a further development with the mass marketing of 64-bit processors.  The benefits of 64-bit processing are less apparent at this stage – the 64-bit version of Windows XP is not heavily marketed, and people who have used it have not reported it to be particularly advantageous.  The 32-bit version of Windows XP will run fine on 64-bit processor computers.

Where 64-bit processors may be useful is in servers and for desktop users who are analysing large amounts of data.  For everyone else there may be a perceivable difference in speed, but nothing spectacular.

So should you choose 32-bit rather than 64-bit?  The answer is that it doesn’t really matter – certainly don’t pay more for 64-bits. 

Two heads better than one?

Another development that has become relevant to organisations buying PCs is the use of more than one processor.  This can mean two separate processors (e.g. two Intel Xeon processors in server machines) or two processors on one chip – dual-core (e.g. AMD 64 X2 and Intel Duo).  There is also hyperthreading technology which simulates two processors with only one (e.g. Pentium 4 with Hyperthreading).  Dual core processors are becoming more common.  Intel will be phasing out their hyperthreaded chips, replacing them with their true dual core processor, the Duo.

What do these options mean?  Servers have long used more than one processor to enable them to manage multiple tasks at the same time more effectively.  Desktop PCs with dual core processors will run several programmes at the same time more successfully than single processors.  However, it is questionable whether many users can tell the difference.

Power consumption

The amount of power used by a processor is mainly something of concern to users of laptops, for whom battery life is an issue.  Ecologically minded people may also want to minimise this.  A slower processor uses less electricity to run, and tends to run cooler, requiring less power for fans to control the temperature.  Both Intel and AMD manufacture processors specifically designed to use less energy, primarily aimed at the laptop market.  Some desktop manufacturers use the same processors to build smaller more power efficient desktop PCs.  Intel’s offering is labelled Centrino, while AMD’s is Turion.

Cut price or top of the line?

Processor manufacturers produce a range of products to meet a wide range of budgets.  The secret is to go somewhere in the middle – cheaper products will make compromises on certain features, while most offices will be hard pressed at getting their money’s worth out of the more expensive processors.

For many years both Intel and AMD offered cut-price processors – Intel’s Celeron and AMD’s Duron.  These chips both lacked the caching capability of the corresponding Intel Pentium 4 and the AMD Athlon processors.  As the two manufacturers have moved towards embracing 64-bit processing, their regular 32-bit offerings seem to be phasing out these cut-price chips.

Upgrading processors

It is theoretically possible to upgrade the processor in a computer and benefit from faster speeds.  However, the benefits are marginal – you get more “bang for your buck” by adding more memory than you do by switching processors.  If you do decide to go for this option, you will need to find out what type of socket your existing processor uses, and select a processor that uses the same one.

Conclusion – worth the worry?

For most organisations, the only time you will need to choose between different processors is when buying new computers.  Overall, it is not a decision worth spending too much time on, particularly when it comes to desktop computers destined for everyday office use.