The Ultimate CPU Guide

[Lithus]

The Ultimate CPU Guide
Version 2.2

Why I Wrote This: I’m seeing a lot of threads comparing processor XXX to YYY, and decided that it would be helpful to have a CPU guide parallel to Chaz’s GPU guide.

What’s the CPU?
The CPU, or processor, processes data for your computer and is one of the most critical parts in your computer that determines how fast it runs. These days, CPU’s consist of a few main parts: the cores, the front-side bus, and the cache. Currently, there are two main companies, Intel and AMD, that produce CPU’s for the consumer market, and these are the processors that this guide will focus on.

The CPU Core(s)
The core(s) make up the main component of the CPU and are what most people compare when purchasing a computer. The main measurement for the core(s) is the clock speed, however, due to trends toward multi-core computing, clock speed matters less and less.

The Front-Side Bus (FSB)
The FSB controls how fast the CPU can communicate with the rest of the computer (technically the northbridge). It can control the clock-speed of the computer and thus is used when under/overclocking (something I won’t get into). However, some of the newer processors are made so that they can lower their FSB, and thus lengthen battery life.

The Cache (L2)
The cache is used to hold data for the core(s) to process, and generally, the more the better, however, Intel’s processors typically depend more on the cache than AMD’s and thus will be outfitted with a larger cache.

A Few More Things:

The Socket
While technically not part of the CPU, the socket controls what CPU can be installed on a certain motherboard. When two processors share the same socket, there’s a good chance that they are interchangeable. However, this is not always the case, as sometimes, the BIOS will not recognize the newer processor.

64-Bit Capability
Currently, most computers run using 32-bit architecture. However, since we are bumping up against the 4 GB RAM capacity of 32-bit computing, people are quickly switching over to 64-bit computing. Most newer processors are capable of running in either 32 or 64-bit architectures, however, there are a few older ones that can only run using 32-bit. This means that future upgradeability may be limited unless the processor is swapped out.

Upgrading
While changing out processors is certainly possible, I usually recommend against it. Usually, a processor can only be swapped out for one in the same model line, and if this is the case, then it’s probably not worth the money or effort. Also remember, handling your processor will void the warranty.

Now the Fun Part: The Actual Processors
The processors are listed by increasing performance. Some of this is subjective since it’s very hard to compare processors across brands.

The Processors will be listed like this:
NAME: CLOCK SPEED, L2 CACHE, FRONTSIDE BUS, SOCKET
Intel in blue, AMD in red.

Obsolete Processors (these are not necessarily ranked by increasing performance)
Mobile Sempron Line
Athlon 64 Line
Turion 64 Line
Core Solo Line
Celeron M 410 - 450
Core Duo Line

These processors are obsolete. There’s not much of a point to list them individually since they’re no-frills, with their speed dependant on their clock. They've been replaced mostly by a new brand, or a new model line. Of these, the single core processors (all except the Core Duos) were made for basic tasks, such as word processing and internet browing. The Core Duos were a premium lineup when the came out, made for all tasks, however, they too, have been replaced by newer technology. Unless you're purchasing a used laptop, you probably won't even come upon these processors anymore. This is why, even though the Core Duos are great processors, and may perform better than even their current day "mainstream" counterparts, they're not listed with them. The Athlon 64's and Turion 64's are 64-bit capable.

Budget Processors
Celeron M 520 - 1.6 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, M
Celeron M 530 - 1.73 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, M
Celeron M 530 - 1.73 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, P
Celeron M 540 - 1.87 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, P
Celeron M 550 - 2.00 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, P
Celeron M 560 - 2.13 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, P
Pentium Dual Core T2060 - 1.6 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, M
Pentium Dual Core T2080 - 1.73 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, M
Pentium Dual Core T2130 - 1.87 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, M
Pentium Dual Core T2130 - 1.47 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, P
Turion 64 X2 TL-50 - 1.6 GHz, 2x256 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Turion 64 X2 TL-52 - 1.6 GHz, 2x512 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Pentium Dual Core T2330 - 1.6 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T5200 - 1.6 GHz, 2 Mb, 533 MHz, M
Core 2 Duo T5250 - 1.5 GHz, 2 Mb, 667 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T5270 - 1.4 GHz, 2 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Athlon 64 X2 TK-53 - 1.7 GHz, 2x256 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Pentium Dual Core T2370 - 1.73 GHz, 1 Mb, 533 MHz, P
Pentium Dual Core T2390 - 1.86GHz, 1Mb, 533MHz, P

The processors in this bracket are made to perform basic tasks, however, this does not mean that they are not capable of more intensive work. They can run almost any program, but be prepared for longer waits. If you're looking for an entry level computer, then this is what you're looking for. I would recommend purchasing a dual core processor at the very least (all except Celeron Ms). A dual core processor is much faster at multitasking (running more than one program at once), and as more and more programs are being multithreaded, you'll see a large increase in speed by going up to a dual core processor. All Core 2 Duos, Turion and Athlon 64 X2s, and Socket P Pentium Dual Cores are 64-bit capable.

Note: Notice that Intel has started to recycle model numbers. Thus two different processors can have the same model number, making it very confusing for the consumer. Even though the models can be the same, the differences can be quite large. To tell them apart, look at the sockets they use. A Socket M Pentium Dual Core is using older technology than its Socket P equivalent.

Mainstream Processors
Core 2 Duo T5300 - 1.73 GHz, 2 Mb, 533 MHz, M
Core 2 Duo T5450 - 1.67 GHz, 2 Mb, 667 MHz, P
Athlon 64 X2 TK-55 - 1.8 GHz, 2x256 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Core 2 Duo T5470 - 1.6 GHz, 2 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Turion 64 X2 TL-56 - 1.8 GHz, 2x512 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Core 2 Duo T5500 - 1.67 GHz, 2 Mb, 677 MHz, M
Athlon 64 X2 TK-57 - 1.9 GHz, 2x256 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Turion 64 X2 TL-58 - 1.9 GHz, 2x512 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Core 2 Duo T5550 - 1.83GHz, 2Mb, 667 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T5600 - 1.83 GHz, 2 Mb, 677 MHz, M
Turion 64 X2 TL-60 - 2.0 GHz, 2x512 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Turion 64 X2 TL-62 : 2.1 GHz, 2x512 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Turion 64 X2 TL-64 - 2.2 GHz, 2x512 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Core 2 Duo T5670 - 1.8 GHz, 2 Mb, 800MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T5750 - 2.0 GHz, 2 Mb, 667 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T5850 - 2.17 GHz, 2 Mb, 800MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T5870 - 2.0 GHz, 2 Mb, 800MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T7100 - 1.8 GHz, 2 Mb, 800 MHz, P

This is the tier of processors that can handle nearly anything you throw at it. If you’re looking to do some processor intensive tasks, such as Photoshop or video editing, I would start by looking at these processors. Now here’s the complicated part. As you can see, if you compare a Turion with a Core 2 at the same clock, the Core 2 usually edges ahead. However, by no means does this mean that a Turion is a bad processor. Through normal usage, you’d be hard-pressed to find a difference between processors within 3 spaces of each other. Do note that the Core 2 Duo’s are more battery efficient than the Turions, yet laptops outfitted with Turions tend to cost less. All these processors are 64-bit capable.

Note: The Socket P Intel processors are part of the newer "Santa Rosa" chipset. Thus even though they seem to be slower because of the clock speed, they have a faster FSB. They are also able to throttle down the FSB and save battery life.

Performance Processors
Core 2 Duo T7200 - 2.0 GHz, 4 Mb, 677 MHz, M
Turion 64 X2 TL-66 - 2.3 GHz, 2x512 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Core 2 Duo T7250 - 2.0 GHz, 2 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T7300 - 2.0 GHz, 4 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Turion 64 X2 TL-68 - 2.4 GHz, 2x512 Kb, 800 MHz, S1
Core 2 Duo T7400 - 2.16 GHz, 4 Mb, 677 MHz, M
Core 2 Duo T8100 - 2.1 GHz, 3 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T7500 - 2.2 GHz, 4 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T7600 - 2.33 GHz, 4 Mb, 677 MHz, M
Core 2 Duo T7700 - 2.4 GHz, 4 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T8300 - 2.4 GHz, 3 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T7800 - 2.6 GHz, 4 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Extreme X7800 - 2.6 GHz, 4 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T9300 - 2.5 GHz, 6 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Extreme X7900 - 2.8 GHz, 4 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T9500 - 2.6 GHz, 6 Mb, 800 MHz, P
Core 2 Extreme X9000 - 2.8 GHz, 6 Mb, 800 MHz, P

These processors are the cream-of-the-crop. Some of the ones near the bottom of the list are arguably overkill for most tasks. All of these are 64-bit capable. Again, the Socket P processors have a faster FSB, and are newer and faster than their M equivalents. The Extreme processors have an unlocked clock multiplier for overclocking enthusiasts.

Note: The processors marked with "*NEW*" are from the new Penryn lineup. Because of a newer fabrication process, they are more energy efficient. The L2 cache has also been increased on these new processors.

Now the Ultimate Question: Which Processor Should I Get?
This is a tough question to answer, and really depends on what the notebook is going to be used for, how much you want to spend, and how long you want the notebook to last. If it’s for the basics: word-processing, internet, and e-mail, really, any of the processors will be fine, however, consider that in a few years, most programs will switch to 64-bit architecture, and may not run if you’re stranded with a 32-bit only processor. Also consider the benefits of a lower-end mainstream processor for the benefits to battery life. If you’re doing 2-D editing, such as photo’s and video, try at least a mainstream processor as there can be a significant difference while rendering in 2D. Gamers – surprisingly, a mainstream processor will run fine for you. Most games are much more dependent on the GPU than the CPU, however, some RTS’s or other games highly dependant on AI or physics, will benefit from a performance processor. Just remember to keep this in mind: even though I’ve listed quite a few processors, the ones within 3 or 4 slots of each other run so similarly that it would be wiser to save your $100 and get the lesser processor.

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*NEWER* Intel Montevina *NEWER*

What is it?
Intel's newest platform, codenamed "Montevina" is slated to be released this summer. Like previous platform upgrades, such as Santa Rosa, Montevina is planned to host a few new technologies. The major changes:

- The GMA X4500, the newest in the line of Intel's integrated video cards.
- An increased front side bus, up to 1066 MHz.
- Support for DDR3-800 RAM.
- Support for WiMAX, a large-area wireless broadband technology.

The Newer Processors
Core 2 Duo P8400 - 2.26 GHz, 3 Mb, 1066 MHz, B
Core 2 Duo P8600 - 2.4 GHz, 3 Mb, 1066 MHz, B
Core 2 Duo P9500 - 2.53 GHz, 6 Mb, 1066 MHz, B
Core 2 Duo T9400 - 2.53 GHz, 6 Mb, 1066 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo T9600 - 2.8 GHz, 6 Mb, 1066 MHz, P
Core 2 Duo X9100 - 3.06 GHz, 6 Mb, 1066 MHz, P

The new "P" prefix indicates a lower power processor, with a 25 instead of 35W TDP.

***

*EVEN NEWER* AMD Puma and Griffin *EVEN NEWER*

What is it?
AMD's newest platform "Puma", and Turion processors "Griffin" hit the market June of 2008. The improvements include:

- Double the L2 cache of the processors.
- Improved integrated memory controller.
- HyperTransport 3.0, allowing much larger bandwidths.
- Complete independence of the two cores, allowing separate voltages and frequencies for each core.
- Integrated ATI HD 3200 video solution which has much better performance than current Intel and nVidia IGPs.

The Even Newer Processors
Turion Ultra ZM-80 - 2.1 GHz, 2x1 Mb, 3600 Mhz, S1
Turion Ultra ZM-82 - 2.2 GHz, 2x1 Mb, 3600 Mhz, S1
Turion Ultra ZM-84 - 2.3 GHz, 2x1 Mb, 3600 Mhz, S1
Turion Ultra ZM-86 - 2.4 GHz, 2x1 Mb, 3600 Mhz, S1
Turion Ultra ZM-88 - 2.5 GHz, 2x1 Mb, 3600 Mhz, S1
Turion RM-70 - 2.0 GHz, 1 Mb, 3600 Mhz, S1
Athlon QL-60 - 1.9 GHz, 1 Mb, 3600 Mhz, S1
Sempron SI-40 - 2.0 GHz, 512 Kb, 3600 Mhz, S1

The new 3600 MHz HyperTransport speed can not be compared directly to frontside bus speeds.

Note: As you may know, these processors are currently available on the market, however, due to lack of data, I do not have sufficient means to rank them in the chart just yet. As newer computers are benchmarked, I will integrate these into the big list.

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The Inevitable Question: Should I wait?
When purchasing a laptop, you should always wait until you need a laptop. However, there's no point in constantly pushing your purchase date back because something is on the horizon. If you do that, you will never purchase a laptop. A good way to determine when to buy is to set a date in advance, and then make your purchase either that at that date, or within that week.

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Version History
1.0 - 09/08/2007 First Guide
1.1 - Penryn Addition, numerous minor processor additions/corrections
2.0 - 02/01/2008 Overhaul of Guide, added FSB speeds, removed Uber Budget, added Obsolete, listed more individual processors, rewrote tier descrpitions, added Version History, some minor additions/corrections.
2.1 - 02/26/2008 Montevina Addtion
2.2 - 06/18/2008 Puma/Griffin Addition, Minor visual tweaks.
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Final Note: Always consider this guide as “In Progress”. I would greatly appreciate suggestions/corrections, especially for the distinct order of processors, or adding another section for something I overlooked. Thanks.

[adinu]

Good stuff. Maybe you can add a link or reference to that thread of wPrime (bye bye superpi) where all the cpus are compared in the benchmark. Or add to each of those processors their score just so people have a # to compare to (jusy like 3DMark for gpus)

[Lithus]

Yeah, I was thinking of that, but the scores are dependent of other things, like how many processes are running, what OS, etc... I wanted to keep the guide simple, as a general outline.

[Storm3016]

Nice and clear document, great effort!

This can be very helpful for people that are trying to decide on some new hardware.

[powerpack]

Good 1st draft. In the 64-bit section where you say "Most newer processors are capable of running in either 32 or 64-bit architectures, however, there are a few older ones that can only run using 32-bit"
Since only Intel C2 and AMD turion and at least 1 atholan(TK-53) are 64 I think a small enough group to name what is 64.

I would put the TL-60 below the T7100, TL-64,66 below T7200.

Edit: I believe Turion 64 X2 TL-56 : 1.7 GHz, 2x512 Kb, S1 is 1.8, Wikipedia I believe is wrong (List of AMD Turion microprocessors), in other parts (Turion 64 X2 section for example) it is listed correctly as 1.8

[Charles P. Jefferies]

Thanks for compiling this - there sure are a lot of CPU questions lately. I put a link to this in the Hardware General Index Sticky.

[John Ratsey]

This is a good start, but it would be very useful to also include which features are present / missing in the various Intel CPUs and whether they matter to most people. For example, what benefit does 64-bit bring, who needs virtualisation technology, do all the Santa-Rosa compatible CPUs have all the new features such as dynamic acceleration and dynamic FSB switching?

And there is also now a T2450 (2GHz). Which would be better? The T2450 at GHz or a T7100 at 1.8GHz?

Tom's Hardware has a few mobile CPU benchmarks, but they seem to have neglected this area recently.

John

[Evolution]

This thread can be very useful for all those who have CPU questions...

I believe Turion 64 X2 TL-56 : 1.7 GHz, 2x512 Kb, S1 is 1.8

powerpack is correct the TL-56 is in fact a 1.8Ghz processor not a 1.7Ghz one.

[Jayayess1190]

Shouldn't the T7250 be added to performance processors?

[STEvil]

T5500 is 1.67ghz, not 1.7

T7400 is 2.16ghz, not 2.2.