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How do you know which CPU is good or bad? - I'm looking to buy a new PC but I want to know a bit more about CPUs because I know that the best CPU has 8mb cache and 3.2ghz like the ones the alienware have. But i don't get why some of the really good PCs that have like 4gb of ram and 500gb of hdd only have a 1mb cache? So is the a good ratio between CPU cache and ram like 1mb cache to every 1gb ram? And what are the different levels, is 1mb L2 good? Thanks

Best Answer: As well as reading up on the specifications, and what they mean, read reviews. Reviews are important to find out other real-world user experiences. The first thing you need to do is decide what the main uses will be for your new PC, then get a CPU to do the job well. Basically, get the best that you can for your budget. This DOES NOT mean that you should get as many cores as you can - having more than 2 cores does not really bring any benefits unless you are doing allot of video rendering or running top-end games designed for more than 2 cores. It's worth reading as much as you can at the links below to get an understanding of the specifications for a processor before choosing one. That way you can get a good idea of what you need, and choose the best processor for the job without losing out or going over-the-top. GHz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertz#Computing Cache: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPU_cache Cores: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-core PS. Another factor is RAM, which you should get as much of as possible. 4GB is the maximum if you are running a 32-bit OS. - Gizzo

Specs of processor only help little. But benchmarks help massively. But you can get people arguing over few secs of video rendering. If it's few secs then get cheapest processor you can get. Best of current processor: AMD: Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHZ Intel:Core I7 Extreme 875 3.333GHZ - A noob who never hears

It's a little bit more complicated than that. For instance l2 cache vs l3 ... etc etc. The amount of RAM won't matter as a ratio to cache. But for the most part you want at least 4gb of RAM no matter what. And not cheap RAM like ddr2 800. ddr2 1066 and above only. Generally speaking, you want 6mb of l2 cache or more. For HD, you want 7200 rpm with 32mb cache. Here is a graph of all cpu's and how well they do. If you're looking to buy a new pc, compare the cpu's: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html - Billy G

Price is a very good indicator of performance. A quad processor is good too. - Trixie Bordello

New processors have L3 cache... that's what you have to look for. More=better. - Maximus A

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