Computer Processors

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Processors: Which is the best ?

A processor is the chip inside a computer which carries out of the functions of the computer at various speeds. There are many processors on the market today. The two most well known companies that make processors are Intel and AMD. Intel produces the Pentium chip, with the most recent version of the Pentium chip being the Pentium 3. Intel also produces the Celeron processor (Intel processors). AMD produces the Athlon processor and the Duron processor (AMD presents).

Processor speeds are measured in megahertz (MHz) and now come in speeds of up to 1000 MHz (1 GHz), which is very fast. This is almost ten times faster than the speed of most home computers, which average from 133 MHz to 166 MHz. Intel and AMD have been in a race to break the 1 GHz speed barrier, and the number of megahertz in the newest processors is not as significant as it was in earlier processors. For example, the difference between a 133 MHz processor and a 166 MHz processor is

rather large, but the difference between a 533 and a 566 is barely

noticeable. This is because the companies are becoming more concerned about the number of megahertz in a processor that the actual speed is not keeping up with the megahertz number (AMD/Intel).

So, which processor is the best? It depends on what the computer is being used for. The AMD Athlon processor is the best processor when it comes to 3D games and handles games quite well (Athlon Processor Quotes). The Pentium 3 processor is not quite as good at handling games. From personal experience with a Celeron 566 processor, the Celeron does not do a very good job at handling 3D games and will often freeze during a game, but otherwise is a very good processor. The Pentium 3 is the best processor for handling office applications, but the Celeron and the AMD do a good job as well. In consideration of the price, the Celeron processor is the best priced processor and offers good performance (P3 vs. Celeron 2). The Celeron is about half the price of the Pentium 3 processor (P3 vs Celeron 2).

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