Understanding CPUs
The first specification listed for all computer systems on the market tends to be the processor that is running on the
computer. Typically it will say the brand, model and speed of the processor in the spec sheet, but the marketing
information may only list its speed rating. This can make it very difficult to determine how good a machine is. After all,
one processor running at a specific speed may not run as well as a different model from the same manufacturer. That
is why I've pieced together this list of categories to let you know how functional each processor is.
Outdated Processors
Processors that fall into this category are generally no longer in production by the manufacturers and are typically
sold in either budget systems or older refurbished systems. Machines with these processors will typically take longer
to run application and possibly might not even run some of software on the market today.
It is best to try and avoid systems with these processors unless you want to use a computer for the very basic
functions such as word processing and general web browsing.









AMD Athlon 64 (Non-Dual Core/X2 Models)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 (Older Socket A Models/DDR Memory RAM Models)
AMD Athlon XP
AMD Duron
AMD Sempron
Intel Celeron
Intel Pentium 4
Intel Pentium III
All VIA Processors
Budget Processors
These are processors that may or may not be in production anymore by the manufacturers but are very inexpensive
and functional. There are typically two types of processors that will fall into this category: older high-end processors
no longer manufactured and new low end budget processors. Discontinued high-end processors typically provide a
better bang for your buck functionally. While they may have a slightly lower clock speed, their architecture of the
processor tends to allow them to actually perform better at most computing tasks than newer budget processors.





AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800 to 5600+
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 to E4600
Intel Pentium D 900 Series
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2140 to E2180
Middle Processors
This is the segment of the market that is probably the best overall value for your computing dollar. While they are not
the fastest processors on the market, they still perform very well in all aspects of computing. They may not have the
total functional lifespan of the highest end processors, but the price to performance ratio tends to outweigh their
longevity.






AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ and higher (Socket AM2)
AMD Phenom 9500 and 9600
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 to E6850
Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 to E8500
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 to Q9550
Top of the Line Processors
This is the cream of the crop when it comes to processing power. If you absolutely must have the best thing out there
for your new computer than this is what you want to look at. It will cost you though. Generally the most recent
processors from the manufacturer's come at a price premium of about double that of the middle processors. While the
price is over double that of the middle processors, the performance tends to be only about 25-50% more at the best
of times from their counterparts in the middle category.




AMD Phenom 9700 and Higher
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 and Higher
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 and Higher