Processors and Their Brands

What is the processor?

The processor for the computer is the piece of hardware that takes the commands that are input into the computer sorts and processes them.  The processor coupled with the RAM is what allows programs to be open, closed, and to have multiple programs running at the same time.  Processors come in as many shapes and sizes as computers.  They can be:

• multiple or single core
• different working speeds
• overclocked
• and the big names in the processor manufacturing are AMD and Intel.

With everything that a processor is capable of how do you know which one is right for you?  Let’s dice into what each of the terms mean and sort out the information to be able to discern which one we need the most.

Brands

We will start discussing the brands.  AMD and Intel both make very reliable processors that are made to work with any motherboard you may decide on.  The big difference is in the price between the two.  AMD has a tendency to run a little cheaper than the Intel brands for the same price.

Each processor manufacturer has multiple tiers of processor, which like any other electronics company each tier adds new features to the product line.  Intel makes their line up as the following:

• Pentium
• Celeron
• i3
• i5
• i7
• i9

Amd title their processors as follows:

• Athlon
• Xenom
• Phenom
• Opteron
• Sempron.

Withing each model there is a series of numbers or another name in the title of the processor.  Those series of numbers or extra terms in the name of the processor will give you the exact specifications on the processor.

What to look for in a processor.

There are two major factors to take into account when selecting your processor for your computer kits.  Those factors are the speed of the processors which is measured in gigahertz, and the number of cores that come with the processor.

The processor speed is very easy to compare between each processor.  The larger the number the faster the processor.  A processors number will always read as a decimal number, so when you are comparing processors speeds you will be looking for number like 2.2Ghz or 3.3Ghz.  The easiest way to spot that processor number is to look for the decimal number followed by the abbreviation ‘Ghz’.

The other factor in processors is the number of cores that you want in your processor, or how well you want your processor to be able to multi-task.  The ability for your processor to be able to run multiple processes at once is very important when you do online gaming, run multiple system intensive processes like computer aided design programs, or if you just like to have music playing whenever you are working on your computer.

Intel

The Intel Pentium processor was one of the first big leaps in processors for computers.  In the mid 1990s to early 2000s it was used in many of the computers that were found in homes across the United States.  Today most computer kits with and Intel chipset have one of the i-series processors.

AMD

In the AMD processor line-up, the Athlon and Sempron processors will be your entry level processors.  The next step in the the tier of processors will be the high-end processors, the Xenom and Phenom processors.  The Opteron processor is typically the processor placed into servers with and AMD chipset.

Acer Aspire AM3400-U2052 Phenom II

The Acer Aspire model number AM3400-U2052 is this weeks featured home computer kit.  The reasons that it was chosen was because of the price point combined with the specs that it comes with.

Price

At a very affordable price, less than six hundred dollars, this desktop computer kit has everything you need in a home computer kit for a very reasonable price.  Most home computer kits run between price r

anges from four hundred to eight hundred dollars.  The six hundred dollar price point gives you a computer that would last a few years into the future.

The big problem with being in the technology age is that everything electronic gets replaced and outdated so quickly.  With computers if you spend a little more up front, and take care of your purchase it will last you longer into the future.  If you spend the bare minimum up front the computer will become outddated that much more quickly.

Specs

The computer was selected as a feature model for the home computer kits because of its system specs.  It does not carry quite the specs of a gaming computer but it is much more compatible with doing the simple multitasking that is often required for the home computer kits.

Home computer kits are typically used for:

• internet surfing
• simple gaming
• social media
• music and movies

Processor

Armed with the AMD Phenom II quad core processor this home computer kit will allow you to be able to load your programs with a good deal of speed.  No one wants to spend a majority of their time in front of the computer waiting for their programs to load.  That is why adding multiple core processors to computers is becoming a huge deal.  Multi-core processors allow for greatly increased performance even when multitasking.

RAM

Even the RAM in this home computer kit is stacked on the higher end of the specs for these types of computers.  6GB of  DDR3 RAM acts as a great compliment to the quad core processor that this is loaded into this computer kit.  If we figure that Windows 7 takes about 1GB of RAM to run that leaves us with approximately 5GB to use on other programs and processes.  That is 2GB more RAM than an entry level computer that supports Windows 7.

Hard Drive

The hard drive space in this home computer kit is a very large amount sitting at 640GB.  Unless a massive number of movies and games are being saved to the hard drive space, 640Gb is an amount that most people will never fill.  Especially those looking for a home computer kit and not a gaming computer kit.  A typical starting model would only carry about 320GB of hard drive space.

Something to keep in mind when considering hard drive space is that you will never get the full amount of hard drive space that is stated on the hard drive.  Some of the space is already allocated for the system BIOS and others will be used up in the operating system.  So 640GB would be taken down to the area of about 615GB and 320GB would be dropped to about 288GB of hard drive space.  The extra hard drive space in this computer will allow you to save many files for a long time to come.

DVD±RW Drive

The last notable feature that may be commonly used in the home computer kits is the DVD ± RW drive.  The advantages that come with a drive like is the ability to save your information to an external source.  The hard drive is typically the first part of the

hardware to fail.  Having your information backed up in another place is imperative if you want to keep your information.  The fact that it is a DVD drive opposed to a CD drive, is another advantage.  DVDs can be used for data not only movies.  DVDs allow for much more space on the disc than a regular CD.  More space equals more storage!

Conclusion

The reason that this home is recommended above other computer kits is because of many factors.  The factors that make this computer kit highly recommended are:

• price point
• hard drive space
• processor
• RAM
• PRICE POINT!

Check out the computer kit out at newegg.com.