There’s definitely a lot of information and buzz around the number of cores that a CPU or central processing unit has. It’s not uncommon to hear that a higher number of cores correlate with more processing power. However, while this is technically true, it’s not everything. There are many differnet factors that determine how powerful and fast a processor is going to be, even if it’s not the newest option on the market. Sometimes, older processors might be better suited to some tasks than others. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the main factors to consider to help you decide if a newer processor is worth the money.
Cores
If you’re looking for a computer with a newer processor such as the Lenovo Intel 11th Gen Desktops, then you’ve probably heard a lot about cores. Cores are just another name for processors. So, if your computer has a quad-core CPU, then it simply has four smaller processors, while a dual-core has two, and an octa-core has eight, etc. The more cores in a CPU, the more tasks it will be able to manage reliably. However, more cores doesn’t always mean that a CPU is going to be faster or better automatically. It simply means that it is better able to handle tasks where multiple cores at once are required.
Clock Speed
The clock speed of the CPU is measured in Hz and GHz. This determines how much data the CPU can process each second. One GHz equals one billion instructions. So, if the CPU is 2.7Ghz, it can handle 2.7 billion instructions per second. The faster the clock speed of the processor, the better the performance is likely to be.
Cache
The cache of the CPU refers to how much internal memory it has available. A larger cache is usually the better option for multitasking. However, sometimes a CPU with a smaller cache will run faster, so the size of the cache should be based on what you want out of your computer or laptop, as a bigger cache does not always mean that it is going to be a better CPU.
Thermal Power Design
This measures the power requirements of the CPU. Although it does not mean much in terms of the performance of the CPU, it is worth considering if you are buying a processor to upgrade your current PC or build a new one yourself. This is because you are going to need a power supply unit (PSU) that is reliably able to power every component in your PC including the CPU.
Hyper- and Multi-Threading
Threading is a technology that is found on some CPUs to allow cores to perform more than one process at the same time. This ultimately doubles the core count of the CPU. Hyper-threading is the name given to the process by Intel, while it’s called multi-threading if you have an AMD processor, but essentially, they are the same thing.
Newer does not always equal better when it comes to getting the right CPU. Keep these factors in mind to help you decide which one is right for your needs.
