As a computer technician, it is not uncommon for someone to come up to me, show me the technical information for two different computers, and then ask me, "Which one is better?" The truth is: "better" depends on what you need, not what is actually inside the device. While one computer may be a "better" computer (more hard drive space, more RAM, faster processor, etc.), you might be able to sacrifice a little performance for a lower cost. This week, my daily tips will focus on helping you understand how to understand the differences between different devices and determine what is best for your needs.
The first item we will examine is the processor. The processor is the heart of the computer. The processor takes the streams of electrical signals from all over the computer and the internet and manipulates them.
To understand some of the major parts of the computer, I will use the example of an office. The filing cabinet will represent the hard drive, the desk will represent the RAM, and the employee sitting at the desk will represent the processor. We will discuss hard drives and RAM later, but the processor (employee) will take data (papers) from the desk (RAM) to read and use throughout the day. Since almost all of the data in your computer has to move through the processor, the processor is an important part of your computer.
There are two major factors to look at when considering processors: cores and speed. Cores are the number of physical processing units located within the processor. Lately, the trend in computing has been to keep adding cores instead of making the processor actually work at a faster speed. The speed represents how fast each processor core is working. Let's take a closer look at each of these factors:
1) Cores - As I mentioned earlier, the number of cores in a processor represents the number of processing units within the processor. If you go back to our office analogy earlier, cores could represent multiple employees working at the same time. Obviously, you will get more work done if you have four employees handling paperwork instead of two (assuming you don't have lazy employees!) Processor cores work the same way. Each core can only be manipulating one item at a time, so if you have multiple cores, the processor can be handling multiple pieces of data simultaneously.
Older computers had only one processor core, but newer computers almost always come with at least a dual-core (two core) processor. Higher-end computers might come with a quad-core (four core) processor. The computer I use has a six-core processor. I have also seen eight-core and even sixteen-core processors on the market, but computers with them are obviously going to be very expensive. Occasionally, there will be a computer with another number of cores (such as a 3-core processor), but 2, 4, and 6 are the most common ones I have seen.
If you are looking at a list of the technical data on a computer, you can recognize the number of cores by looking at the processor information. There are two major manufacturers of processors. Intel's processors will usually always say "Dual Core", "Quad Core", etc. AMD's processors will shorten it to "X2" (Dual Core), X4 (Quad Core), etc.
2) Speed - The speed of a processor tells you how fast each core can handle information. Speeds for processors usually range from around 1.50 GHz to 3.50 GHz. Faster numbers mean that the processor will be able to handle more information in a shorter time. There are processors outside both ends of this range, but they are either older (for slower speeds) or very high-end computers (for faster speeds).
The speed is usually listed in the technical data along with the number of cores. I did a quick search for a processor, and the first one that came up stated "Intel Xeon E5-2690 2.9 GHz 8-core Processor". Looking at this, you can see that it is an 8-core processor running at 2.9 GHz. Since both the number of cores and the speed are at the high-end, you can expect that this processor would be expensive. (And it is! The processor alone retails for over $2000!)
It is important to remember that the speed of the processor is listed for each core. So a 3.00 GHz quad-core processor would be expected to process twice as much data as a 3.00 GHz dual-core processor. Obviously, it is important to remember that this is its capability. It will not need to use all the cores every second if you are not pushing it to its maximum capability.
One final note regarding processors: those into high-end computer usage may be considering overclocking. I have read that Intel and AMD processors have similar rates of failure for normal use, but when overclocking, AMD processors begin to fail at a much higher rate. If you do not know what overclocking is or you are not planning on doing it, then brand should only be a minor concern (unless you are completely determined to only use a particular brand). If you plan to overclock, then I would only consider Intel.
My Recommendations:
Phone or Tablet for Basic Use: I would recommend going with at least dual-core processor, but a single-core processor would be acceptable. Because of the need to reduce heat, most phones and tablets have slower processors in the 1.00 GHz to 1.50 GHz range.
Basic Internet/Office Use: A dual-core processor running 1.50-2.00 GHz should be fine, but don't be afraid to go a little higher. Browsers and office software are becoming more complex, so you want to give as much room so your computer.
High Usage/Multitasking/Video Streaming: Something a little faster than the processor mentioned above would be ideal. Either go with a dual-core running closer to 3.00 GHz or any speed quad-core.
High-End Gaming/Video Editing and Rendering: A quad-core or above will almost be required. For these tasks, go with the fastest overall processing speed you can afford. And as I mentioned earlier, if you are considering overclocking, stick with Intel only.
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