|
Be very careful if you are purchasing such CPUs as
your system's speed will definitely slow to a crawl. Worse still, some software
on the market today simply cannot be run using older processors.
The Windows XP operating system, for example,
needs the newer crops of CPUs to function. Overall, I'd only recommend buying
these processors if you want to do extremely simple tasks with your PC - like
word processing or general web browsing. Some examples of processors in this
category would be: the older AMD Athlon CPUs and Intel Celeron CPUs, AMD Duron
CPUs, and Intel Pentium III CPUs.
Budget Processors
Strapped for cash? Consider purchasing CPUs in this category - which include
yesterday's top-of-the-line CPUs which have been discontinued or the newer
budget CPUs. While you may not get extremely good performance, these CPUs will
give you the best bang for your buck.
While you're not going to get super-duper
performance for more CPU intensive activities like gaming and video editing, the
speed provided by these CPUs will be more than enough for general applications.
Under this category, you'd be looking at processors like the AMD Athlon XP, AMD
Sempron, Intel Celeron (2.4 GHz and higher), as well as the Intel Pentium 4 (2.6
GHz and lower).
Mid-Range Processors
The CPUs in this category would have been king of the hill just 6 months ago.
Due to the entry of newer, faster CPUs, processors will drop in price and become
more affordable. These processors will still scream in performance and are very
popular among current PC owners.
Whenever I upgrade my computer, I always go for
CPUs in this category. To sum up: thes CPUs here give slightly outdated but
extremely powerful performance. Examples include the AMD Athlon XP (2800+ to
3500+) and the Intel Pentium 4 (2.8GHz and higher) CPUs.
High-End Processors
Want drop-dead performance? The CPUs in this category will scream even if you
run the most demanding gaming or video editing applications in the market today.
Of course, be prepared to fork out serious cash. If you absolutely want no less
than the best, be an early adopter and go for one of these CPUs.
Personally, I tend to avoid buying
top-of-the-line CPUs for two reasons - the high prices and stability. These CPUs
are not only expensive, they are also unproven - I've heard cases of extremely
new CPUs crashing or overheating. CPUs like the AMD Athlon 64 FX and the Intel
Pentium 4 Extreme Edition fall into this category.
Conclusion
In summary, always consider your computing needs when selecting a CPU. If you
want to do simple word processing or general computer tasks, go for the budget
or low end processors. If you are more into gaming or do CPU intensive work like
video editing, go for a mid-range or high-end processor.
|
