I have written about 15-20 Howto Articles for MWolk but I felt that its better to publish them on the blog here so I can track the user comments better. So here are the Howto hardware articles (this series will probably go for a week, as I have few dozen articles with me).

If you are building your first computer or looking to purchase a branded computer or laptop and is wondering which processor to choose, here is an article for you to help you to take the decision.

Processor is the first component you have to choose when building a computer and is its brain. You can’t afford to be stingy now because you will regret later. Remember that Processor technology advance quickly and you may want to change it. In order to change just the processor and not the entire system you should go with the latest platform developed (either by Intel or AMD).

Today’s processors can be put in a few categories:

Budget Processor
Here are the mainly Processors that went off the production line. Usually the stores want to sell the entire stock fast so you should find them at very good prices. Also here I can also add the processors developed especially for low budget.
You won’t get super performances with this class of Processors but they do the job: text editing, browsing, even some games and movies. By today’s standards under this category are single core processors.

Mid-range Processor
Under this category you will find the processors that had been high-end a couple of months ago but were outrun by newer models. Because of this you can get them for a fair price for the performance they deliver. These Processors can be used for almost anything excepting extreme 3D modeling and video editing and some games. If you are not going to use those exceptions this category is the best.
Examples include dual core Processor.

High-end Processor
These are the ultimate Processors that will become mid-range after some time. As we are speaking the best CPUs of the moment are the quad-cores. You really won’t have any problem with these processors, they can handle anything. The down side of this category is mainly its price which can go as much as an entire PC. Also, there were cases of instability due to the fact that they are insufficiently tested. Also, going into the underground a little, you can make a mid-range Processor go near high-end performances by overclocking and installing a powerful cooling system.
Remember that only the CPU, no matter how powerful it is, it’s useless without a smart motherboard, lots of memory and a reliable hard drive.

Related posts:

1. How to choose a Video Card So to continue with the hardware series of howto articles,...
2. What is Dual Core A part of multi-core processor family; a dual core processor...
3. How to choose a Motherboard Choosing a motherboard can be tricky – this decision will...
4. EM64T Extended Memory 64 Technology is referred to as the EM64T....
5. How to Choose Scanner I owns a HP all in one printer and scanner...