MANILA, Philippines ? Long since rival microchip firms Intel and AMD changed their product nomenclature from using processor speed to just plain processor name, many buyers still see the processor speed as a factor in buying a computer.
A common misconception is that processor speed dictates its performance level; the higher the better. For example, people think an Intel Celeron 2.6 Gigahertz is faster than a Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz. Another is that people think a Celeron 1.8 GHz is faster than a netbook or nettop-based Atom 1.6GHz.
?People tend to make the mistake that the faster the processor speed, the better the performance is. That?s not always the case. A computer?s performance is based on the technologies that come with the processor, applied to specific usage,? according to Intel Philippines Marketing Manager Jerome Matti.
On the embedded processor technologies, Matti stressed that a processor ? at least from Intel?s product line ? that has Hyperthreading and Turbo Boost tend to work faster even if it has only two cores, instead of four.
Hyperthreading (HT) is a system by which a processor can do multiple tasks, specifically more than one instruction at the same time. These instructions or ?threads? come from the applications installed in a computer. The more these threads are processed the faster the execution of the application.
Meanwhile, Turbo Boost is Intel?s fancy branding for what most hardcore PC enthusiasts would simply call as overclocking or when the processor is pushed to its maximum level of performance.
Like a highway
Matti likened a processor?s performance to a highway: a Core 2 Quad processor has four cores, which means it has two highways to process more. But an Intel Core i7 with only two cores has more toll ways in each highway and can efficiently maximize the use of the entire highway.
?Processor performance has to be based on what the user wants. There are users who only surf the Internet so it?s better for them to have a basic processor. Some do basic editing. There are those who do a lot of multimedia creation. Gamers and 3D graphics designers demand the best performing processors,? Matti said.
Matti also notes that some embedded processor technologies, such as the level 2 (L2) cache, also gives processors better performance levels. He describes the L2 cache as a glove compartment where extra storage for instructions are temporarily kept while the processor itself finishes the first batch of instructions.
RAMS and HDDs
Other devices that also affect a computer?s performance include the memory, the motherboard chipset, hard disk drives, and the graphics adapters. Many consumers are already familiar with memory, hard disk and graphics. However, majority of people, especially those who will buy a PC for the first time, only know a few things about PCs.
Matti noted that first time users would need to be familiar with just a few more items when buying a computer, aside from processor speed. For memory, 2 Gigabytes is standard and can be upgraded when needed (most motherboards and Microsoft?s new operating system Windows 7, can read memory beyond 4 gigabytes).
People will also find it easier to choose hard disk drives as they only need to know if they want a bigger capacity hard disk. Many motherboards can also read the older IDE (integrated data drive) cables or the newer SATA (serial advanced technology attachment) cables.
Matti also noted that about 160 gigabytes is a good starting point for mainstream users, though there are only drives in terabyte capacities. One terabyte is equivalent to 1,000 gigabytes.
Graphics heavy
Video graphics adapters (VGA) are a picky kind of item that most people tend to overlook. There are dozens of VGA models with different performance levels. Current models run as low as 128 MB but higher models can have capacities larger than 1 gigabyte ? which at some point, makes them more expensive than the other computer parts combined.
But Matti said that most people can go with basic integrated graphics. Intel?s current generation integrated graphics is its GMA X4500 series. However, Matti said the company is introducing its new graphics chipset for high definition (HD) gaming and videos. He notes that the inclusion of HD in their graphics chipset follows the growth of consumer?s demand for HD.
As the world slowly recovers from the economic crisis, more people will start looking to buy computers for their home or school use. As Matti succinctly said, ?people have to know what they?re buying so that they can maximize their purchase and get out the best out of their PCs.?
