How to Buy a CPU for a Home-Built Computer

If you're buying a CPU for your home-built computer, know that speed and name brand determine prices. Read on for some tips on determining value.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Processors (CPU)

1. Consider an Intel Celeron or AMD processor if your needs are basic and will never change or grow.

2. Buy an AMD K6-2 processor or the current equivalent if your budget is extremely limited.

3. Buy the fastest Pentium III processor you can afford if you plan to use demanding software.

4. Consider an AMD Athlon processor for playing games.

5. Buy a middle-of-the road processor if you want your computer to retain functionality for two or three years.

6. Buy a state-of-the art processor, or close to it, if you want your computer to retain functionality for four to six years.

Tips & Warnings

• Processor prices are like a ladder. You pay a large premium for the top-of-the-line processor and a small premium for the next rung down on the ladder. The top and bottom rungs of the ladder rarely offer good value. Usually, the best value is the third chip down, as long as it's in the current generation of processor.
• Differences in clock speed within a generation or processor line are not as significant (short-term or long-term) as differences between generations.
• Because of its near-monopoly status, the Intel/Microsoft platform offers greater compatibility with software than any other combination.
• Discontinued processors, such as all Cyrix processors and older Intel and AMD processors, are often available for very low prices.
• Make sure your motherboard has the right type of socket for the CPU.
• Do not buy an inexpensive processor with an expectation that you will be able to overclock it successfully.
• Do not expect to be able to upgrade to a faster CPU without replacing the motherboard and power supply. Manufacturers do not consider compatibility with existing sockets and voltages when introducing new processors.
• Unboxed CPUs probably do not have a manufacturer's warranty.

on 11/22/2005 AMD cpu's are generally faster than Intels. AMDs process faster but cannot handle large loads. When I say large loads, I mean having like 60 internet explorer pages all refreshing simultaneously. Intels are good at handling large loads, but requires more clock cycles to fully process data.

on 11/22/2005 It has be shown recently that AMD regulary runs faster than Intel, but Intel are a lot less likely to crash you (if overrun), plus with about 100 - 150 price difference. I would suggest AMD.

on 11/22/2005 The speed of a 1Gh processor does not differ greatly from an 800Mh chip. However, 800Mh chips are considerably cheaper than 1Gh chips. Consider this.

on 11/22/2005 AMD and Intel chips are very close; performance depends on the application being run, but AMD chips are typically less expensive. Intel is the standard but not necessarily the best.