Pensacola Computer Help Technoblog

In my last post, I spoke about different kind’s of processors (CPU’s) that are in the majority of the new computers for sale, but after speaking to a number of people, I found that I probably didn’t include enough details for comparison. Most people today don’t really care about the technology behind things, they just want technology that works!

There is certainly a wide variety of computers to choose from, and the terms that are associated with them can be so confusing, especially when it comes to the computer brains aka processors. We have Pentium, Pentium D, Pentium M, Core 2, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Core i3, i5, i7, Turion, Athlon, Atom, Celeron, Sempron, Neo, Phenom, Phenom II, Athlon X2 – and if that isn’t confusing enough, each of these usually also have a number associated with them, n270, T4400, E4500, P8700, Q6600, X4 965, and on and on.

So how do you really compare what each processor can do? There are a number of companies that make benchmarking software that test different computer components, and these are usually a good place to start. On of the most widely used is Passmark which uses CPU Mark to test out and assign a numeric rating to processors. They have a great website where you can see the graphs of the benchmark results which really put things into perspective – Visit the CPU Benchmarks Page

To give you a rough comparison of current Intel Processors - that cute little netbook with the Atom Processor has a Passmark rating of just about 300, a Pentium Dual core E200 comes in at 1247, a Core 2 Duo E8500 at 2320, a Core 2 Quad Q8300 at 3552, and the new Core i7 860 at a whopping 5526!

As you can see, there is quite a big difference in the passmark scores which generally equates into an equally big difference in how these processors perform and what they will handle, so make sure you take a bit of time and research before you buy. It is much better to spend the few extra $$ to get something that will handle what you want it to do, rather than spending money on something that will just end up frustrating you with its lack of performance. If you are shopping for a new computer in Pensacola FL, or anywhere else for that matter, please research before you buy and remember that the salespeople at the stores are trying to sell you what they have, which is not necessarily what you want or need!