Introduction

Since different people have different expectations on what they want or need in a CPU, both Intel and AMD design different processors at different costs based on the tasks the processors are designed to perform. Generally, we have four types of CPUs aimed at four different types of needs:

• Value CPUs
• Performance CPUs
• Multitasking/High Performance CPUs
• Enthusiast CPUs

The thing to CPUs is that enthusiast CPUs can do the same functions that a value CPU can do, in fact, a whole lot better. But the reason why both Intel and AMD offer differently priced CPUs is so that they can capture all the types of consumers out there who have different needs.

For people who would just like to get e-mails checked, and browsing online, a value processor can do the job.

But for gamers, a performance or better processor is recommended. This is because games require lots of calculations, and a speedier processor can handle that better. People who often use big programs such as Adobe Photoshop also are recommended to get a performance or better processor.

For people who frequently use several programs at the same time, a multitasking CPU can split up the work load and reduce hang-up times. A multitasking CPU works by putting two processor "cores" into a single "die". A "core" is a single CPU, and a "die" is the whole shell. So, by putting two cores into a single die, a new word "dual-core" is made. A "dual-core" processor is essentially one that performs as well as if there were two processors working together.

Finally, the enthusiast CPUs. These are the most expensive, powerful CPU in the consumer market. These processors out-run any of the abovementioned processors. The performance is not without a heavy price tag though, expect to pay around $1000 USD on these monsters.

Now, lets take a look each of the processors offered by Intel and AMD.

CPU Models:

Page 1: Introduction

Page 2: Intel CPUs

Page 3: AMD CPUs