How to choose the CPU Chip Processor
Upgrade Path
It seems to me that the place to start in choosing a cpu is to think about the cpu upgrade path. As you might know, over a short period of time, chip prices fall like stones down to what I consider reasonable prices. So you want to make sure that the reasonably priced chip you choose today fits the same motherboard socket as the latest and greatest but currently overpriced chips. That way when prices fall in the near future you can swap your current chip for a higher end chip if you wanted to. That would be chips for motherboard socket 1155 for Intel chips and socket AM3+ for AMD chips. That's where I would start. This also nicely limits your choices.
Next is price
Just know that at this time given how fast chips are today you really don't need to spend more than around $70 dollars for a mainstream chip or more than $125 for a high performance or gaming PC chip. You can but why? It's not worth it for the performance gain. As an example I think a chip that today costs around $70 can perform all the mainstream tasks you want without a performance difference justified enough to pay $200 or $300 or even a $1000 for a higher end chip. Especially since those higher end chips are probably going to drop to $70 anyway as I mentioned above.
Different features to consider
Clock speed, number of cores, hyper threading, turbo boost and chip architecture are main features to consider. Power consumption and overclocking potential are other factors. You're getting the best of these features automatically by getting chips for the newer motherboard sockets I mentioned above.
Number of cores
One focus today on improving cpu processing performance is by placing more cpu cores on a chip. This includes dual, triple, quad and now hexa (six) core chips. I believe dual core chips with hyper threading currently offer the best blend of performance and price. Hyper threading is a feature that simulates more cpu cores without adding more physical cores. It saves money and does the job well.
Clock speed is still important
With regard to clock speed or frequency, which is still an important factor, we believe gamers should get a clock speed of 2.8 GHz or higher. For others even 2.4 GHz is fine. Computer enthusiasts can overclock these chips to get a higher clock speed than just the CPU's rated speed. Overclock the sucker, but carefully.
Intel or AMD
For comparable chips from chip makers, price can become a deciding factor. Our research shows AMD chips, as the brand underdog to Intel, offers incredible performance for the price. You could be paying considerably more for an Intel chip for similar performance in some cases. On the other hand Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture is just that much better it makes Intel the only choice for now. Sorry AMD but I'm always open and watching for new chips from anyone.
Mainstream CPUs
We took a look at Atom, Intel's lowest priced chip, with a view to see if it would power a mainstream desktop PC and not just netbooks and nettops. An Atom chip would be fine on a desktop if all you want to do is run basic office programs, web surf and email. However we want a mainstream PC to do substantially more, so in this segment we prefer the much more powerful dual core Intel Pentium Processor chips from the Sandy Bridge line. Don't confuse this Pentium line with the older single core Pentiums. The dual core Intel Pentium Processor G630 2.70 GHz is available for around $70 and is an excellent mainstream chip. The dual core Intel Pentium Processor G850 2.90 GHz is also great.
Higher end CPUs
Intel's 2nd generation Core chips the Core i3, i5 and i7, also in the Sandy Bridge line, are the fastest yet, even significantly faster than the first gen Core chips, so really this is what you want in your high end PC. They're so fast that the Core i3-2100 chip is really all you need. If you really wanted to go higher maybe a Core i5-2400, or for overclockers the Core i5-2500K if your budget permits. But there really is no reason to pay up for the Core i7 chips.
Which build to get?
If you have any questions before ordering your PC just contact us. Tell us what you want your new computer to do, we'll make a recommendation! Want to customize a current build, we can probably do it!
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I am looking to build a pc that is mainly for music and photos. I am interested in staying under the $2500, and would like the option to expand in the future. any ideas?
Hi Jennifer,
Our Sense PC model is more than enough for what you want. That's way under your budget of $2500!