Intel® Core™2 Duo Processors

With 45nm Intel® Core™2 Duo processors, you'll experience revolutionary performance, unbelievable system responsiveness, and energy-efficiency second to none. And, you won't have to slow down for virus scan, multiple compute intensive programs, or home video editing—these desktop processors include Intel® HD Boost and are up to 70 percent faster when processing high-definition memories with your HD video camera.

Now the best gets even better with Intel's latest Core 2 Duo processors built using Intel's 45nm technology, using hafnium-infused circuitry to bring you the latest arsenal of performance-rich technologies. These amazing new processors include up to 6 MB of shared L2 cache, up to 1333 MHz front side bus for desktop, and up to 800 MHz front side bus for laptop.

Intel Next-generation business computing

Bring together benefits for both end users and IT departments with the combination of Intel® Centrino® with vPro™ Technology and Intel® Core™2 Processor with vPro™ Technology with Microsoft Windows Vista*. Intel Centrino with vPro Technology and Intel Core 2 Processor with vPro Technology provides excellent performance from the Dual-Core Intel® Core™2 Duo processor, as well as innovative security and manageability advantages.
Microsoft Windows Vista extends the capabilities of Intel Centrino with vPro Technology and Intel Core 2 Processor with vPro Technology and provides a stable, reliable operating environment where users can work and collaborate more easily and effectively.

AMD Fusion

AMD Fusion is the codename for a future next-generation microprocessor design and the product of the merger between AMD and ATI, combining general processor execution as well as 3D geometry processing and other functions of today's GPUs into a single package. AMD's merger with ATI closed on October 25, 2006. This technology is expected to debut in the second half of 2009 [1]; as a successor of the latest microarchitecture.Regarding future AMD microarchitectures beyond the introduction of the latest microarchitecture at mid-2007 and a refresh of the microarchitecture in late 2007 and early 2008; AMD executive VP Henri Richard's June 2006 interview with DigiTimes hints at the future processor development beyond that of the well documented one:" Q: What is your broad perspective on the development of AMD processor technology over the next three to four years?A: Well, as Dirk Meyer commented at our analysts meeting, we're not standing still. We've talked about the refresh of the current K8 architecture that will come in '07, with significant improvements in many different areas of the processor, including integer performance, floating point performance, memory bandwidth, interconnections and so on. You know that platform still has a lot of legs under it, but of course we're not standing still, and there's a next-generation core that's being worked on. I can't give you more details right now, but I think that what's important is that we're establishing clearly that this is a two-horse race. And as you would expect in a race, sometimes, when one horse is a little bit in front of the other, it reverses the situation. But what's important is that it is a race. "

64bit v 32bit

64bit processing for consumer PCs is still in its infancy, but AMD is nevertheless pushing its Athlon 64 range of 64bit CPUs. At the moment it's a bit of a red herring as you need a 64bit operating system to take advantage of this.
While several flavours of Linux support 64bit, the 64bit version of Windows XP won't appear until possibly late 2004. The Athlon 64 runs normal 32bit software as well as any other 32bit processor, so there's no disadvantage in buying it and you will get a little bit of extra future proofing.

AMD vs Intel

Both Intel and AMD offer a wide range of CPUs. The two companies' products are in direct competition and are both capable of running any current PC software. The differences are in technical details that, although they may be used for marketing, don't necessarily mean much to the end user.
Pricing is also very competitive, with AMD's products being generally cheaper than comparable Intel models. At the budget end of the market, Intel's offering is the Celeron which is a cut-down version of the Pentium 4. AMD's budget processor, the Duron, is still available although it's getting harder to find.
In the mainstream desktop market it's Intel's Pentium 4 versus AMD's Athlon XP and Athlon 64. The chief difference between the two is that the Pentium 4 and Athlon XP are 32bit CPUs, while the Athlon 64 is a 64bit model (see later on for an explanation).
Just recently both companies have launched new ranges of processors, Intel with the Extreme Edition of the Pentium 4, an expensive model for the hardcore gaming market, and a new version of the Pentium 4 processor. You might see this referred to as Prescott to differentiate it from the previous Northwood version. The technical differences aren't huge, but the pricing hasn't changed for models at the same clock speed. So if you're given a choice, ask for the Prescott models.
AMD has also introduced the Athlon 64 FX range, a high-end gaming/workstation CPU that prompted Intel to launch the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition.
Other choicesIf you're looking to build a very small system from scratch, then Via's Epia platform is worthy of your attention. This platform consists of tiny (17 x 17cm) motherboards with the Via C3 processor already fitted; you can't upgrade the CPU. At 1.2GHz, the fastest C3 may not be able to match its bigger desktop cousins in performance terms, but it allows you to build low cost, space saving systems.

The CPU

The CPU (central processing unit or processor) is the brains of your PC; everything that happens inside your PC has to interact with it. There's a bewildering number of processors out there for all budgets, with prices from around £25 for low-end CPUs up to £700 or more for the fastest models.
But with an equally bewildering amount of names and numbers, things aren't as simple as they once were. In this guide, we'll look at mainstream desktop and mobile processors. We won't be looking at specialised server or workstation models

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT

A Central Processing Unit (CPU), or sometimes just called processor, is a description of a class of logic machines that can execute computer programs. This broad definition can easily be applied to many early computers that existed long before the term "CPU" ever came into widespread usage. The term itself and its initialism have been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s (Weik 1961). The form, design and implementation of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation has remained much the same.

Early CPUs were custom-designed as a part of a larger, usually one-of-a-kind, computer. However, this costly method of designing custom CPUs for a particular application has largely given way to the development of mass-produced processors that are suited for one or many purposes. This standardization trend generally began in the era of discrete transistor mainframes and minicomputers and has rapidly accelerated with the popularization of the integrated circuit (IC). The IC has allowed increasingly complex CPUs to be designed and manufactured in very small spaces (on the order of millimeters). Both the miniaturization and standardization of CPUs have increased the presence of these digital devices in modern life far beyond the limited application of dedicated computing machines. Modern microprocessors appear in everything from automobiles to cell phones to children's toys.