CPUs : The CCL Guide
The CPU is possibly the most essential part of a computer. Your choice of CPU (or ´processor´) will be the largest determining factor in the speed of your PC. They perform a lot of the hard work when you´re using word processing software, encoding video, playing games and most of the other tasks your PC performs.
Here at CCL, we tend to see AMD Athlon X2 and Intel Core 2 Duo processors used for games machines, performance office machines (used for publishing, etc.) and home multimedia systems. AMD Semprons and Intel Celerons are more commonly used in basic office machines, internet-use systems and in almost all of our PCs destined for schools and universities.
| CPU Glossary |
CPU - Central Processing Unit. The CPU is the part of a computer that executes machine code instructions and coordinates and directs the interaction of the different components of the computer. FSB - Front Side Bus. Another name for System Bus. The bus that connects the CPU to the main memory on the motherboard. I/O buses, which connect the CPU with the systems other components, branch off of the system bus. Hyper-Threading - Intel trademark term for multi-threading in the Pentium 4 micro-architecture. Hyper-Threading allows different threads to execute in parallel provided the two threads do not require access to the same execution resource on the CPU at the same time. Socket - A receptacle into which a component can be fitted. The socket is the female component of any plug and socket arrangement. For example on the motherboard of a computer the CPU will be fitted into a matching socket which may sometimes take the form of an Intel Socket 775 of AMD Socket AM2. |
