SIx Cores and Beyond

How Many Core's are right for you?                            
Whether you're buying a new PC, or upgrading an old one, perhaps with a new motherboard, then your choice of PC processor will be critical. But there's a lot to consider if you want to get the best processor for your PC.

So what's the best CPU for you? Will you opt for AMD, or Intel, for instance? How much performance do you really need? How many CPU cores will it take to achieve that? What might you be able to achieve for overclocking? And how much is all this going to cost? Which processor is best for gaming? What's the best processor for Photoshop users? The list goes on, and on.

Fortunately, while there's a huge list of processors available, it's actually not that difficult to reduce the selection to more practical and manageable levels to decide which processor to buy. You just have to take the process step by step, analysing your needs and looking at the best candidates to fulfil them, and this begins by thinking about the age-old question: Intel or AMD?

Intel vs AMD
You might well already have chosen your preferred CPU manufacturer, of course. Maybe you always go with one particular company. Or perhaps you have your motherboard already, in which case the decision has been made already: you'll have to opt for whatever is compatible.

If not, though, selecting Intel or AMD will pose an interesting dilemma.

Right now, Intel is the performance king. Its Core i7 range is blisteringly fast and, initially at least, outperform anything that AMD has to offer.

This comes at a price, though - if you're looking for value, then AMD offers a much better deal. As we write, for instance, the quad-core AMD Black Edition Phenom II X4 965, one of AMD's fastest processors, can be yours for around $130. Intel's core i5-680 delivers roughly equivalent performance, but will cost you maybe $230. And becoming a speed king via something like Intel's Core i7-950 will virtually double the figure again: you can expect to pay $450 or more.

(These figures change day to day, but AMD will remain the value choice for the foreseeable future.)

It's also worth factoring in the price of the motherboard. Spending just $60 to $70 will give you plenty of possible homes for a high-end AMD CPU; opt for the best that Intel has to offer and you'll probably spend at least twice as much.

If you want and need Intel's performance then things aren't quite as bad as they seem. Intel CPUs are generally a little more overclockable than AMDs, and something like the i5-750 (priced around $150 as we write) can be pushed a very long way.

But if you don't require that kind of high-end power (or you just can't afford it) then an AMD processor is the way to go. You'll still get plenty of speed when you need it, and will save a pile of cash, too.

Processor features
These days the CPU features that attract the most attention are the number of cores, and its clock speed. Both are simple concepts to understand, but you still have to be careful how you interpret them.
AMD's Black Edition Phenom II X6 1090T, for example, contains six cores, individual processors, which means the CPU can work on six separate tasks at the same time. And each of these runs at a very respectable 3.2GHz.

Meanwhile the Intel Core i7-860 has only four cores, and runs at a mere 2.8GHz. So you might, not unreasonably, expect it to be slower. However, it supports Intel's Hyper-Threading technology, providing an extra four "virtual" cores, and thanks to this, and a few other design decisions, it actually outperforms the Phenom II X6 1090T. So you can't rely solely on these figures to determine which CPU is best.

Still, as a general rule for processors from the same manufacturer, the more cores a CPU provides, the happier you're going to be. You won't see large speed increases from all programs - the popular LAME encoder is still single-threaded, for instance, so upgrading from a dual to quad-core CPU won't deliver any noticeable changes - but most apps that could benefit significantly from multithreading, now do so, and will take advantage of the extra processing power. And just about everything else will be upgraded over time.

Cores should be your first priority, then: you'll want a quad-core CPU at a minimum. After that, opt for the highest clock speed you can afford, or need, but don't worry about that quite as much. You can often ramp that up later with a little judicious overclocking.

CPU Options
We've reduced the original mountain of possible CPUs to just a handful, then, but to choose the right model from these you'll need to understand just a few more processor-related terms.

As we've mentioned, many Intel CPUs include a feature called Hyper-Threading, which allows each core to run two sets of instructions simultaneously. It can be a very effective technology - Intel Core i7 CPUs are essentially i5's with Hyper-Threading enabled - and you'll want to get it if you can.

Every Intel processor also contains an amount of embedded memory called a cache, which is used to hold regularly-used information. If the CPU needs this again then it can be fetched from the cache, which is far quicker than accessing system RAM. Look for descriptions like L2 (Level 2 Cache), L3 (Level 3 Cache) or "Intel Smart Cache" (which means L3) - the more your processor has, the better.

And it's a similar story with AMD CPUs, although less dramatic. Opt for a quad-core Phenom II X4 and you'll find they all have the same cache amounts, 2MB for L2, 6MB for L3. The 6-core Phenom II X6 increases L2 cache to 3MB, though, while will provide a useful speed increase in many situations.

What you might want also to consider, though, is the Phenom II's "Thermal Design Power" (TDP), the maximum amount of power it's likely to consume when busy running applications. This ranges from 65W (Phenom II X4 905e or 910e) to 125W (Phenom II X4 955 and higher); the low TDP CPUs are slower, but use less electricity and run cooler, making them better choices for media centre PCs where you want to keep fan noise to a minimum.

You should now have a better idea of what you want from a CPU, then - but you'll still need to find confirmation of exactly which model is best for you. And our processor reviews are a great place to start. There are over 100 reviews online, all filterable by socket, CPU type and more, and with instant price comparisons to hand you'll soon locate the best CPU deals around.

Top of Form
New Intel i7 and AMD Phenom II X6 Processors
 Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition
Unrivaled smart features: With overclock enabled, you can tune your system for extra performance and feed your need for speed. Plus, greater cache size and higher frequencies make it the perfect engine for power users who demand unparalleled performance and unlimited digital creativity.

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology: The Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition automatically speeds up when your PC needs extra performance.

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology: Multi-task processing enables each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking. Select models of the Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition feature as many as 12 threads to maximize performance.
Delivers big, travels light: Get the ultimate balance of smart performance and style with a sleek new laptop powered by the Intel® Core™ i7 processor, Intel’s top processor designed for ultra-thin laptops. Packed with rich features, including enhanced battery life, it’s a stylish mobile superstar that’s light enough to carry all day.

Enjoy broadband Internet all over town with 4G WiMAX
A laptop with an Intel® Core™ processor and 4G WiMAX wireless technology delivers great PC performance with blazing Internet speed that’s four times faster than 3G.

AMD Phenom II X6
AMD Phenom II is for high definition entertainment, gaming, creativity, and beyond. With AMD Phenom II processors as the foundation, you'll enjoy a level of responsiveness and visual intensity. AMD puts high definition computing within everyone's reach. Enjoy a superior high definition experience for HD videos on your PC. AMD Phenom II processor is the powerful engine behind your fidelity, high definition video entertainment experience. Only AMD puts the Ultimate Visual Experience for HD video within your reach. Get HD content online, offline, wherever you want it, however you want it. Your system can handle whatever you dish out - and serve it up on screen in full, high definition glory. Combine AMD Phenom II processors and ATI Radeon HD graphics to really see the difference. Enjoy smooth video, brilliant videos and immersive games. AMD unleashes visual clarity and responsiveness for what you want to do.