[sulobaid]

I understand the more Ghz and the more cores the better, but I want to know about everything else to look for. For example, would I want to go with AMD Phenom™ II Quad-Core Mobile Processor P920 (1.6GHz, 2MB L2 Cache) or Intel® Core™ i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz

the Intel has higher GHz and a larger cache but the AMD is a quad core, so how do I even compare these two? how does the GHz, cores, and cache all come into play and which should I look for? (keep in mind I am just using those two processors as an example, I want to understand processors in general better.)

thanks
Sulo

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Processor speed doesn't mean anything. The 3Ghz figure or whatever is arbitrary.
The mobile processors are bad examples to use because the vast majority AMD mobile processors are poor compared to the Intel counterparts.

Increasingly the rating of a processor comes down more towards its performance overall with the rest of the system, as opposed to on its own.
Increasingly the amount of cores on a processor doesn't necessarily mean it'll perform better because a lot will depend on what you do with the machine. You buy a quad-core, you'll never harness the full power if you only go on the internet with it.

[Neil Jones]

Processor speed doesn't mean anything. The 3Ghz figure or whatever is arbitrary.
The mobile processors are bad examples to use because the vast majority AMD mobile processors are poor compared to the Intel counterparts.

Increasingly the rating of a processor comes down more towards its performance overall with the rest of the system, as opposed to on its own.
Increasingly the amount of cores on a processor doesn't necessarily mean it'll perform better because a lot will depend on what you do with the machine. You buy a quad-core, you'll never harness the full power if you only go on the internet with it.

[sulobaid]

I simply used those two processors as an example to start something with. I am a gamer, I look for the fastest processing and best graphics, if the mobile processors are not the best to use as examples, then please by all means use different ones. I would assume I would want the most cores with the highest caches and highest GHz, but many processors have more or less of one of those then other processors. What Im asking I guess is, wich aspects should I most look for?

[SpywareDr]

TomsHardware.com > Gaming CPU Heirarchy Chart : Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: August 2010
http://www.tomshardw...970,2698-7.html

TomsHardware.com > Graphics Card Heirarchy Chart : Best Graphics Cards For The Money: August 2010
http://www.tomshardw...ing,2697-7.html

TomsHardware.com > Part 1: Building A Balanced Gaming PC
http://www.tomshardw...view-31726.html

TomsHardware.com > System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2010: Value Compared
http://www.tomshardw...nents,2725.html

Edited by SpywareDr, 27 September 2010 - 03:15 AM.