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Unofficial Basic Guide To CPU's

This is my first guide, and I am not a professional. So keep in mind that there could be mistakes in this, and if so, I would love it if you could correct me!
This will feature gifs, so watch out if your device doesn't support this.
If a tutorial like this has already been made, I don't mean to concurrent it, I'm doing this for fun!
 
In this post, I'm going to explain as much things that matter for consumers, when it comes to CPU's.

 

Essentials: these are the basics which are important, very important!

CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is literally the processor. It processes all 0's and 1's, and all other stuff. Yet, it doesn't do anything graphically (that's the Graphics Card, or the GPU), which doesn't make it any less important!

 

 

Spoiler

Cores and threads, one of the first thing that will pop up in the specifications.

  • 2 cores is great for normal PC's and basic gaming.
  • Advanced gaming will GREATLY benefit from 4 cores, BUT MORE CORES WILL NOT HELP A LOT IN GAMING.
  • Video editing, rendering and multitasking: more cores = faster performance in this --> In this territory there is NO overkill.

Too make sure you understand the use of cores and threads, I will be giving you a dramatizing visual of it.

Keep in mind, this is a dramatization of the process. The speeds and movements may differ from the actual happenings, and probably do!
 
2Xuv8X2.gif
 
not between different manufacturers/architecture. I will explain this in a second.

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As you can see, this is quite simple. Information gets on the thread, the thread sends it too the core. The core then processes the information, and voila!

 

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Processor frequencies are quite important in gaming, as well as heavier tasks like video editing and rendering. It's used to measure the total workspeed of the processor. You can compare GHz between the same manufacturer and/or architecture, but

  • Basic PC's don't really need a minimum GHz. Personally, I wouldn't go below 2 GHz. But, THEY DO NOT benefit from higher GHz in comparison to lower GHz's. It won't make your scrolling be smoother or give higher FPS in farmville, stop hoping.
  • Gaming. In here it depends on the games you play. I would recommend to stay around or above 3GHz as a minimum, but 4GHz or higher will be great for AAA, and CPU heavy games.
  • Video editing and rendering: go balls to the walls and get dat GHz going. The more, the merrier!



But Stijncat? Does IPC even matter? What is it even? It doesn't appear on any specification list!
And there, you would be correct. IPC is not mentioned anywhere, but it is one of the most important things about a processor.
IPC, or Instructions Per Cycle, is used to define the actual speed of calculations. Multiply the Core Frequency with IPC, and you get the full theoretical workspeed, or Instructions Per Second.

But why is IPC nowhere to be found in the specifications? Because it is defined by the architecture of the CPU. Most of the time, the IPC's of Intel are close to each other, as well as AMD's IPC's are close to each other.
This is why Intel is so expensive, their IPC is MASSIVELY superior when compared to AMD. This is why Intel CPU's are better in gaming and almost all other tasks.
Thus, a Quad core Intel @4GHz will beat a Quad Core AMD @4GHz MASSIVELY.

AMD tries to compensate with more cores for lower prices, which is great for specific tasks that get barely affected by IPC and need lots of cores, REALLY tight budget builds, or basic tasks (web browsing, mails etc.) (Do keep in mind that Intel can do all of these things as well, but more cores is expensive at their side)
But, did you notice that compensate is underlined? Because you need to keep the word into context. Compensate. An AMD CPU will almost never reign superior overall over an Intel CPU in our current day and age, even though it may be better bang for the buck. If you have the money, Intel is the way to go.


Cores are machines that move boxes.
Threads are the conveyor belts that bring the boxes to the cores.
Processor frequency is the speed of the conveyor belts.
IPC is the amount of arms that the cores have to move the boxes!
NxJU4zY.gif
3ON00hV.gif
As you can see, the first CPU works faster than the second CPU, even though it has less cores and only half the GHz. This shows how important IPC actually is, even though never mentioned in the specifications.

 
EDIT (Thanks @starcoaster!)
Now, a little bit of math to finish it off, involving IPC and IPS. Core frequency times instructions per second = IPS.
With this formula, you can see that sometimes, two totally different architectured CPU's can be get the same theoretical performance.

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Here's a good comparison (THIS IS NOT HOW CPU'S WORK, IT'S A COMPARISON)

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Something like a 1GHz processor that can do 2 Instructions Per Cycle will perform the same as a 2GHz processor at 1 Instructions per cycle.


 
That was all the basics on a need to know basis. I will be following this topic, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! And if I forgot something, please notify me as fast as possible!

 
I would love it if you guys gave me advice for the future, or to improve this guide!

 

Usefull stuff: really useful, but not needed at all times!

 

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Thanks @Picky Peep for the suggestion!
 
Ah, you did it again Intel! You confused everyone, including all the cool people on the forum.
When you start scrolling trough Intel Ark (Intel's catalogue for all their CPU's) you will suddenly face this.
t3hQQr9.png (Source: Intel i5-4690K)
 
Now, let's identify each of these things!

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Well, it's pretty simple. The version of the PCI-E that is

maximum supported(thus older versions still work).
So, I'll fill in the space here, I'll explain PCI-E for a second!
PCI-E are slots that you plug in your GPU / Graphical Processing Unit / Graphics Card. Basically, PCI-E is the USB for GPU's.
But, of course, it needs to become a little more complicated because computers.
Each revision GREATLY improves PCI-E. PCI-E DOUBLES it's bandwith with every generation.
 

Spoiler

Now, what is best described as the Connection Types. These are the x16, x8, x4 and x1. It's basically the amount of bandwith / working space that is given to the device.


 
Now, we must take motherboards into account too. Look into the specifications of some motherboards, and you'll see this.
2fhG05M.png(Source: ASUS Z97-Pro Gamer)
So Stijncat, 2x PCI 3.0 x16 slots, and other slots for other things like my sound and network cards? This looks amazing! I can have 2 graphics cards running at the maximum x16? SWEE...
 
No, you cannot. Read further. Single at x16, dual at x8/x8.
As soon as a second card is connected, your graphics cards will be running at x8. This may impact performance, but if it does, it's not too dramatic (otherwise people wouldn't do it, would they!)
And, the i5-4690K can only support x8/x8. So theoretically, even if this motherboard would support x16/x16, the CPU doesn't. CPU's and GPU's don't necessarily work together, but that doesn't mean that they aren't connected to eachother.

So, the i5-4690K can support...

  • A single card build at x16
  • A 2 graphics card build at x8/x8
  • A 3 graphics card build at x8/x4/x4


Now, it's almost over!
For this, It'll be easier for me to grab another CPU, the 5820K. It appears to support 28 lanes, and doesn't have a specified PCI-E Configuration guidelines.
Basically, I'm going to have involve math again.
So, let's grab a theoretical motherboard for a 100% theoretical example. that works like this:

 

Spoiler
  • 1 GPU: x16
  • 2 GPU's: x8/x8
  • 3 GPU's: x8/x8/x8
  • 4 GPU's: x8/x8/x8/x8

Now count the numbers of the combinations.

  • 16 lanes
  • 16 lanes
  • 24 lanes
  • 32 lanes

And here you have it. The 4 GPU config won't work, as it requires more than the supported 28 lanes that the 5820K supports!
 
Hope you enjoyed this! I'm not a big expert on the field of PCI-E, so don't forget to correct me if I'm wrong!
 


The CPU's socket, is exactly what it sounds like. It's a square room for the CPU to lie in, while it does what it does best.
But, not every socket is for every CPU.
Here's a comparison. I only function in my gigantic couch, which feels like it's made for me. I fit in it perfectly and function as I should in it.
And that's how the CPU feels. It will only function in the socket which is made for it. Otherwise, it will not fit or not function!
 
But of course, not every socket is the same, nor is the placement.

Intel
Socket type: The socket itself has many fine pins between the itself and the CPU.
Mechanism: You put the CPU in his cover, when you pull the lever, pressure gets applied onto the CPU and it gets pushed down onto the pins.
 
AMD
Socket type: the CPU itself has pins which fit into holes on the socket.
Mechanism: You lay the CPU directly on the socket, and pull the lever to lock the pins in place.
 
Now, all that is left for you to know!

ojgNsjX.png (Source: Intel Ark)
leVbRiE.png (Source: AMD Products Catalog)
 
DrUJDHB.png (Source: MSI Z97 Gaming 5 specifications)
 
If you want to be 100% certain that everything is compatible, use PCPartPicker. It's a free online tool that allows you to select all your parts, and will check their lowest prices (if the parts are still available), and also check if they are compatible. (Also, please use a permalink when sharing the builds!)
 
Currently, the most common CPU sockets are (mind the colours for the brand!):

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A big shoutout to @starcoaster, for not only the suggestion, but also a great amount of info!

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  • LGA 1150 (current generation Refresh Celeron, Pentium, i3, i5, i7, except the i7 Extreme Editions).
  • LGA 1151 (next generation Celeron, Pentium, i3, i5, i7).
  • LGA 2011-v3 (current generation Xeons and current generation i7 extreme gaming editions).
     
  • (I'm just going to 100% quote @starcoaster here, I have no idea about AMD's sockets :P)

    FM2/2+ (These sockets mainly feature amd's A-series APU's).

    AM3/3+ (This is the generic socket for AMD, featuring the FX-series processors on the 3+ platform).

Well, you now know almost everything that you should know!
But, here's a few important caution lines!

Spoiler

 

  • As I said here: Intel, masters of confusion. There are 3 names that people use for a single socket. (# = a number) There is FCLGA####, which is the official name. LGA#### is the shortened, but still a pretty official name. And than you just have ####, which is a slang name for the Intel sockets. These all are the same. For example, FCLGA1150 = LGA1150 = 1150. Don't let yourself be confused by this!
     
  • AMD uses +'s in his sockets, because those versions have extra pins. But, these are very smartly engineered! (Kudo's to AMD for that!)
    If you have an FM2 CPU, you can put it into an FM2+ socket without any troubles! The same goes for AM3 CPU's and AM3+ sockets.
    BUT: FM2+ don't fit into a FM2 motherboard, same goes for AM3+ CPU's and AM3 sockets.
     
  • Intel does not work like the above situation of AMD. For example, you can't use a LGA771 on a LGA775 motherboard.
    But, will it though?
    If you love modding, you will love this. @harrynowl made a tutorial here, for extreme modders. Caution, this contains risks that no one is responsible for, but yourself. But, if you are feeling adventurous, and you love modding, this is one of the most extreme mods you can get. This is not official in any way. Because it's a mod. But it's a cool project, and sadly the only way I know to make Intel CPU's work with other motherboards than exactly specified.

     
  • The pins, on the CPU and/or on the motherboard, are EXTREMELY fragile. You can repair them if the gods of hardware have mercy on you, but don't test your luck with this.

Well, that was it!
Hope you enjoyed this. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
 

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Chipsets. See chipsets as a fancy touchscreen controller on a fridge. You don't need that, but it gives you extra control and fancy features, that you may or may not need.


Well, that's actually the best way to describe a chipset's general function! :P
 
Chipsets are electronic devices that get put into a motherboard. The more advanced your chipset is, the more features you have.
Chipsets determine if you have support for SLI, overclocking, and things like that. But keep in mind, the motherboard itself needs to support this natively too! An SLI supporting chipset with a motherboard that only has one PCI-E slot for graphics cards, will not SLI. Always double check all specifications, and when in doubt, PcPartPicker!
 
Now, which are the recommended desktop chipsets?

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From most expensive to cheapest! (Most of the time, of course. It still depends on the motherboard in total.)

  • X99: This is the enthusiast chipset. Only found on FCLGA2011-3 sockets, aka the Xeons and i7 Gaming Extreme Editions. Six core and higher, only giants will find their place here. Obviously, it has all the features (for DDR4 (NO DDR3 support!)). And it even has the possibility of 8 RAM slots, which is insane for consumers!
  • Z97: All the fancy features (for DRR3). Overclocking of the CPU, RAM and GPU is possible, as well as SLI/Crossfire, M.2, SATA Express and Thunderbolt (again, as long as the motherboard itself has this supported). (Obviously, only DDR3 is supported).
  • H97: Like Z97, but without the normal CPU and RAM overclocking. You can only overclock the GPU, and adjust CPU ratio on some motherboards.
  • B85: This is the value, need to have basis, motherboard. No fancy features, no overclocking of the CPU or RAM (besides CPU ratio on some motherboards) and no fancy things like M.2, SLI/Crossfire, etc. Also, this chipset may need a bios update before Haswell Refresh CPU's work on this!

There are other versions of X##,Z## ,H## and B## too, but if it is possible, go with the ones listened above. If it is just way cheaper for you to use another chipset, you can find these on Intel Ark, the Wikipedia List of Intel Chipsets and on the Wikipedia article of the socket that is affiliated with the chipset. You can also find Mobile and Server chipsets there, if that is what you need.


Now, the AMD chipsets. Bassically, I'm going to be a little rude here and give you two links, one for the 9## series and one for the A## series. Please excuse me for this, but I'm doing this for two reasons:

Spoiler
  • I'm not a chipset expert, but definitely not an AMD chipset expert. The first time I ever heard of the AMD chipsets is at the time of writing this. I don't want to put too much time into something that I know may confuse people. And I know that I will probably make mistakes.
        
  • AMD does a pretty good job at explaining it. There's a good reason that I gave you three reference pages for chipsets that aren't on the recommended list.
        Because Intel does an atrocious, and also an absolutely atrocious job at explaining them on Intel Ark, or the normal Intel site for all that matters. Intel: Masters Of Confusion all over again.

Hope you enjoyed that! Excuse my sloppy work on the AMD chipsets, but I won't take the risk of misinformation and confusion. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them! Even regarding AMD chipsets, I'll do my best to find a way to help you out!
 

So, what does that say us?
Basically, Cache SRAM, which I believe is standing for Supersaiyan RAM by now.
Even though SRAM cannot keep information permanently, just like DRAM, the performance is higher AND, it can keep information until it's overwritten with something else, or powered off. (Unlike DRAM, which needs to keep refreshing to remain functional!)
 
The Cache is the CPU's own little superstorage. It stores the most important data for the CPU, right next to it. This way a lot of time can be saved!
But because of the cost, it remains to only have a few megabytes currently.
 
So that's the basics of the cache. A superior DRAM. But... how much do you need?
I wish I could give you a clear answer on this, but I'll do my best.
The best reference material I could find was this article, which is outdated. Results may vary with what is currently available, but normally, it should remain close.
If anyone has any recent benchmarks, please send them to me!

Spoiler


Big shoutout too @GrimNeo for the suggestion, @BlackXbonE for sending me the As Fast As Possible link which I used below and @SSL for extra info!
Side note: this was the most difficult thing to write. I had not a single prior knowledge about this, the internet is full of noncontent when it comes to Cache AND all the info that is there is outdated. Please, notify me of any possible mistakes!
 
Now. Cache. This is a difficult subject, with again no official information source available, as far as I could find. And I'm really unsure about this, so I won't go in depth in unnecessary things (for example, different types of cache) since they won't make a difference for consumers.
 
So, let us begin!
 

Spoiler

ncO3K93.png


Side note: Volatile = as soon as there is no power delivery too it, the content is gone!
  • Gaming: Cache CAN make a difference, but don't bet on it.
  • Winrar file compression: When you go from 1MB to 4MB, you get a 10 second difference. Quite a lot, but the price gap may not be worth it.
  • 3D rendering: No difference in the benchmarks, at least for 3D Studio Max 8.0.
  • Audio/Video conversions and transcoding: A few seconds difference, at best.
  • Benchmarking things like 3DMark: at maximum: 200 points difference. But that's also from 1MB Cache too 4MB Cache.

Conclusion:
Cache is important, and more is definitely still better. But, don't spend 100 bucks on just 1-2MB extra cache.
BUT, this conclusion is made from older benchmarks. So...
 
Totally unbiased conclusion:
Cache is like DRAM. More cannot hurt, but sometimes it's not always as beneficial and bang for the buck to have more.
So, what I suggest, get more if you can, but don't empty your wallet for it.
 
 
Hope you enjoyed that! Point out any mistakes and ask any questions. I'm eager to help!

 

The More You Know: you don't really need this, but oh well. I made it anyway!
 

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Thanks too @Jerky for recommending this! (I will have my revenge! :P)

 

Oh, and since this was a difficult chapter (again) with a lot of non-info on the internet, there could be mistakes on this. Correct me if there are!

 

Warning! Personal message from the writer of this!
1380572833-2462194-the-more-you-know.png

This chapter is unnecessary to a consumer. Reading this will increase your knowledge, but it is NOT necessary to consumers when buying or choosing a processor.


Now, Instruction Set Architecture or ISA, and Instruction Set Extensions.

Basically, ISA is quite simple.
For example, on the i5-2500. The (Hardware) Architecture is Sandy Bridge. The Instruction Set Architecture (Software Set Architecture) is 64-bit.

So, that was simple wasn't it!
Now it would be so good if Intel didn't flip me the double bird again.
There are also ISA Extensions. And here it gets confusing.
sDOqF5Z.png
Yes, this is as confusing as it looks
Allow me to explain:
The Core Category is needed as a base for a current Intel CPU, whatever happens. (It does not refer to the cores of the CPU)
The Green Category has a normal name. Well, it's also normal to find it. 64-bit or 32-bit (Side note: a CPU can only have 1 of each category)

The rest of the categories are mainly optional as far as I know. But extra won't hurt nobody.
So, for example. An Intel CPU can have x86, x86-64, AVX 2.0 and SSE4. But, he can't have SSE4 + SSE4.1. But, he CAN have SSE4.1 and SSE4.2.

Reread what I wrote a couple of times, take a few good looks on the pic, and it should make sense eventually.

So, conclusion. Does ISA matter? No. I can't believe this matters to any consumer. Maybe some of the ISA's have better features then the others, but it is probably already included in the first place.
But, the only ISA that matters currently is 64-bit and 32-bit. But with 32-bit slowly disappearing from existence, there is nothing to worry about. Stay away from ISA, and remain your sanity in my opinion :P

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Basic guide to CPU's!

If I said I were 14, you would call me a kid. If I say 70, you’ll entitle me too old. If I say 20 you say I’m inexperienced and if I say 40 than I'm too boring.

龴 ͡ↀ ◡ ͡ↀ龴#locked( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °)

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62846772.jpg

Love cats and Linus. Check out linuscattips-fan-club. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z9QDVn and Asus ROG Swift. I love anime as well. Check out Heaven Society heaven-society. My own personal giveaway thread http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/387856-evga-geforce-gtx-970-giveaway-presented-by-grimneo/.

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Noice guide  :D Now make one about GPU's :P

[spoiler=My PC]

Spoiler

CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K | COOLER: Corsair H105 | MOBO: ASUS Z170i Gaming Pro AC | RAM: Corsair LPX DDR4 16GB 2400MHz | GPU: EVGA GTX 980 Classified | CASE: BitFenix Prodigy | SSD: Samsung 950 Pro 512GB | PSU: XFX XTR 650W [spoiler= Le Other Stuff] Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z | Keyboard: Ozone Strike Pro | Mouse: A4 Tech X7 F4 | MousePad: Ozone

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PlayStation 2 | PSP 2000 | Game Boy Color | Nintendo DS Lite | Nintendo 3DS | Wii

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Sony Xperia J (Why u so bad D:) | iPod 4th gen | iPhone 4 | Yarvik Xenta 13c (3muchchrome5her)

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Pentium B980 | 500GB WD Blue | Intel HD Graphixxx | 4Gegabeytes of REHAM

Current OS: MSX 10.0 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)Ilikethelennyfaceyouknow( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Windows Password Reset Guide

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Noice guide  :D Now make one about GPU's :P

Thanks! but it would be a bit easy wouldn't it, to make a guide about GPU's :P.

Just look at benchmarks.

Or am I in need for a guide? :P

 

I like this a lot. Good guide!

 

in your IPC, just mention something like a 1GHz processor at 2IPC will perform the same as a 2GHz processor at 1IPC for those who do not have a gif supported device

Good comparison, thanks! Will update in a second!

Basic guide to CPU's!

If I said I were 14, you would call me a kid. If I say 70, you’ll entitle me too old. If I say 20 you say I’m inexperienced and if I say 40 than I'm too boring.

龴 ͡ↀ ◡ ͡ↀ龴#locked( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °)

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Excellent representation of IPC. This should serve as a great general understanding for people looking to buy a CPU, but are only looking at clock speeds. Hopefully this gets a sticky somewhere, as i often see the clock speed argument show up, and explaining this information over and over again becomes taxing. Being able to link to a thread like this will save a ton of time in the future.

My (incomplete) memory overclocking guide: 

 

Does memory speed impact gaming performance? Click here to find out!

On 1/2/2017 at 9:32 PM, MageTank said:

Sometimes, we all need a little inspiration.

 

 

 

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@Stijncat

 

Could you explain how cache works in relation with the cpu?

 

http://ark.intel.com/products/80807/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_40-GHz

Love cats and Linus. Check out linuscattips-fan-club. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z9QDVn and Asus ROG Swift. I love anime as well. Check out Heaven Society heaven-society. My own personal giveaway thread http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/387856-evga-geforce-gtx-970-giveaway-presented-by-grimneo/.

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@Stijncat

 

Could you explain how cache works in relation with the cpu?

 

http://ark.intel.com/products/80807/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_40-GHz

 

Excellent representation of IPC. This should serve as a great general understanding for people looking to buy a CPU, but are only looking at clock speeds. Hopefully this gets a sticky somewhere, as i often see the clock speed argument show up, and explaining this information over and over again becomes taxing. Being able to link to a thread like this will save a ton of time in the future.

+1 

[spoiler=My PC]

Spoiler

CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K | COOLER: Corsair H105 | MOBO: ASUS Z170i Gaming Pro AC | RAM: Corsair LPX DDR4 16GB 2400MHz | GPU: EVGA GTX 980 Classified | CASE: BitFenix Prodigy | SSD: Samsung 950 Pro 512GB | PSU: XFX XTR 650W [spoiler= Le Other Stuff] Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z | Keyboard: Ozone Strike Pro | Mouse: A4 Tech X7 F4 | MousePad: Ozone

Spoiler
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PlayStation 2 | PSP 2000 | Game Boy Color | Nintendo DS Lite | Nintendo 3DS | Wii

Spoiler

Sony Xperia J (Why u so bad D:) | iPod 4th gen | iPhone 4 | Yarvik Xenta 13c (3muchchrome5her)

Spoiler
Spoiler

Pentium B980 | 500GB WD Blue | Intel HD Graphixxx | 4Gegabeytes of REHAM

Current OS: MSX 10.0 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)Ilikethelennyfaceyouknow( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Windows Password Reset Guide

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Nice just add not to get AMD CPUs and we are good.

My Rig:  CPU: Core i7 4790K @4.8ghz  Motherboard: Asus Maximus Vii Hero  Ram: 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400mhz (Red)  Cooling: Corsair H105, 2x Corsair SP120 High Preformance Editions, Corsair AF 140 Quiet Edition  PSU: Corsair RM 850  GPU: EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0  Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB, WD Blue 1TB  Case Corsair 760t (Black)  Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Chroma  Mouse: Razer Deathadder Chroma  Headset: ATH-M50X Mic: Blue Yeti Blackout

 

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Excellent representation of IPC. This should serve as a great general understanding for people looking to buy a CPU, but are only looking at clock speeds. Hopefully this gets a sticky somewhere, as i often see the clock speed argument show up, and explaining this information over and over again becomes taxing. Being able to link to a thread like this will save a ton of time in the future.

I'm flattered, thanks a lot!

 

@Stijncat

 

Could you explain how cache works in relation with the cpu?

 

http://ark.intel.com/products/80807/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_40-GHz

Working on it!

I'm not an expert on this though, so if anyone has any good articles regarding too this, it'll be useful :P.

I'll finish it as fast as I can!

 

Nice just add not to get AMD CPUs and we are good.

xD

Well, sometimes AMD CPU's are good, but only specific tasks, as I said :P

Basic guide to CPU's!

If I said I were 14, you would call me a kid. If I say 70, you’ll entitle me too old. If I say 20 you say I’m inexperienced and if I say 40 than I'm too boring.

龴 ͡ↀ ◡ ͡ↀ龴#locked( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °)

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Great work but what about PCI lanes?

Thanks!

And what do you exactly mean by that?

Basic guide to CPU's!

If I said I were 14, you would call me a kid. If I say 70, you’ll entitle me too old. If I say 20 you say I’m inexperienced and if I say 40 than I'm too boring.

龴 ͡ↀ ◡ ͡ↀ龴#locked( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °)

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Man, don't start the flame war please please! This is 21st century, can we just get along? 

It's not a flame war? I'm just stating facts.

My Rig:  CPU: Core i7 4790K @4.8ghz  Motherboard: Asus Maximus Vii Hero  Ram: 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400mhz (Red)  Cooling: Corsair H105, 2x Corsair SP120 High Preformance Editions, Corsair AF 140 Quiet Edition  PSU: Corsair RM 850  GPU: EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0  Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB, WD Blue 1TB  Case Corsair 760t (Black)  Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Chroma  Mouse: Razer Deathadder Chroma  Headset: ATH-M50X Mic: Blue Yeti Blackout

 

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It's not a flame war? I'm just stating facts.

Fact is, is that AMD CPU's ARE sometimes the more budget friendly options, if you do very specific tasks.

But, almost noone does these specific tasks. And if they do, they would sometimes STILL go with Intel, because even though less budget friendly then, it will be a lot better!

Basic guide to CPU's!

If I said I were 14, you would call me a kid. If I say 70, you’ll entitle me too old. If I say 20 you say I’m inexperienced and if I say 40 than I'm too boring.

龴 ͡ↀ ◡ ͡ↀ龴#locked( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °)

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Thanks!

And what do you exactly mean by that?

 

A 4690K has 16 PCI Express Lanes, what does that mean?

Look at the product specifications of a 4690K on Newegg or somewhere.

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Fact is, is that AMD CPU's ARE sometimes the more budget friendly options, if you do very specific tasks.

But, almost noone does these specific tasks. And if they do, they would sometimes STILL go with Intel, because even though less budget friendly then, it will be a lot better!

Note the word very here. By very we mean APUs for ULTRA cheap gaming PCs. That's it

My Rig:  CPU: Core i7 4790K @4.8ghz  Motherboard: Asus Maximus Vii Hero  Ram: 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400mhz (Red)  Cooling: Corsair H105, 2x Corsair SP120 High Preformance Editions, Corsair AF 140 Quiet Edition  PSU: Corsair RM 850  GPU: EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0  Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB, WD Blue 1TB  Case Corsair 760t (Black)  Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Chroma  Mouse: Razer Deathadder Chroma  Headset: ATH-M50X Mic: Blue Yeti Blackout

 

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@Stijncat sensi, can you please explain what the heck is this feature? SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0 and how they work on i7 - 4790k?

Intel: Masters Of Confusion. I'll research into this after CPU Cache!

 

A 4690K has 16 PCI Express Lanes, what does that mean?

Look at the product specifications of a 4690K on Newegg or somewhere.

Ah!

As above, Intel: Masters Of Confusion. I will add this in a second, it won't take long!

 

Note the word very here. By very we mean APUs for ULTRA cheap gaming PCs. That's it

APU is indeed a very budget friendly choice.

But, let's say a little theoretical comparison. A task that doesn't benefit too much from IPC, but just needs a s***load amount of cores. 8 cores on Intel's side cost you 1K, while AMD gives just that for 200 bucks!

Thus, indeed, very specific. This makes them a bad all round choice, but does not make necessarily make them a bad choice.

Basic guide to CPU's!

If I said I were 14, you would call me a kid. If I say 70, you’ll entitle me too old. If I say 20 you say I’m inexperienced and if I say 40 than I'm too boring.

龴 ͡ↀ ◡ ͡ↀ龴#locked( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °)

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Intel: Masters Of Confusion. I'll research into this after CPU Cache!

 

Ah!

As above, Intel: Masters Of Confusion. I will add this in a second, it won't take long!

 

APU is indeed a very budget friendly choice.

But, let's say a little theoretical comparison. A task that doesn't benefit too much from IPC, but just needs a s***load amount of cores. 8 cores on Intel's side cost you 1K, while AMD gives just that for 200 bucks!

Thus, indeed, very specific. This makes them a bad all round choice, but does not make necessarily make them a bad choice.

+100, you should be a teacher or a professor in my school/college/university, i will cry if i meet you.

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Intel: Masters Of Confusion. I'll research into this after CPU Cache!

 

Ah!

As above, Intel: Masters Of Confusion. I will add this in a second, it won't take long!

 

APU is indeed a very budget friendly choice.

But, let's say a little theoretical comparison. A task that doesn't benefit too much from IPC, but just needs a s***load amount of cores. 8 cores on Intel's side cost you 1K, while AMD gives just that for 200 bucks!

Thus, indeed, very specific. This makes them a bad all round choice, but does not make necessarily make them a bad choice.

Yes, but they are 8 VERY slow cores a 4790K will crush a 9590

My Rig:  CPU: Core i7 4790K @4.8ghz  Motherboard: Asus Maximus Vii Hero  Ram: 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400mhz (Red)  Cooling: Corsair H105, 2x Corsair SP120 High Preformance Editions, Corsair AF 140 Quiet Edition  PSU: Corsair RM 850  GPU: EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0  Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB, WD Blue 1TB  Case Corsair 760t (Black)  Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Chroma  Mouse: Razer Deathadder Chroma  Headset: ATH-M50X Mic: Blue Yeti Blackout

 

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+100, you should be a teacher or a professor in my school/college/university, i will cry if i meet you.

Spoiler
happy-oh-stop-it-you.jpg

 

Yes, but they are 8 VERY slow cores a 4790K will crush a 9590

Reread what I wrote!

 

 

AMD tries to compensate with more cores for lower prices, which is great for specific tasks that get barely affected by IPC and need lots of cores, REALLY tight budget builds, or basic tasks (web browsing, mails etc.) (Do keep in mind that Intel can do all of these things as well, but more cores is expensive at their side)

But, did you notice that compensate is underlined? Because you need to keep the word into context. Compensate. An AMD CPU will almost never reign superior overall over an Intel CPU, even though it may be better bang for the buck. If you have the money, Intel is the way to go.

 

This makes them (an AMD cpu) a bad all round choice, but does not make necessarily make them a bad choice.

Basic guide to CPU's!

If I said I were 14, you would call me a kid. If I say 70, you’ll entitle me too old. If I say 20 you say I’m inexperienced and if I say 40 than I'm too boring.

龴 ͡ↀ ◡ ͡ↀ龴#locked( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °)

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This makes them (an AMD cpu) a bad all round choice, but does not make necessarily make them a bad choice.

 

I'm not natively speaking english.. but isn't there a "make" too much? 

As far as I can tell there are some grammar mistakes too, but nothing serious. Please don't see me as a grammar-nazi - even thoug i'm austrian xD -, my English isn't the perfect either. It's just that you wanted any mistakes to be reported :P

 

Nevertheless your guide was REALLY helpful to me, since I didn't really know about that IPC stuff so  I guess I have to thank you :D

B.t.w. - if IPC isn't displayed anywhere in the specifications, where do I find it then?

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Your graphic for hyper-threading isn't; what you've depicted is essentially normal multi-threading, which all modern x86 processors are capable of.

 

Hyperthreading goes one step further by allowing idle functional units in a single core to be used by different processes at the same time; normally, the instructions from only one process can be executed per tick, which results in idle time if the CPU has to wait for data from memory. It effectively increases the number of independent instructions in the pipeline, leveraging superscalar (instruction-level parallelism) architecture.

 

CPU cache is functionally identical to system memory. It simply stores data and instructions that will be used or will be used repeatedly in a high-bandwidth, low latency storage medium. Its saves the processor from having to wait for data to arrive from main memory, which can take tens of cycles (a very long time).

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ANewFace- the FX CPUs were very good option when they were released, that's why I got FX-4170. Now you compare them to Haswell, that's like comparing core 2 and core i. It's just not a fair comparison. My FX is slow at today standarts, but I can still play 90% of the games at high to ultra.

The guide is pretty good, nice work.

Bulgarian, WoT nick- ivelinv8, War Thunder- BEST_NOOB_BG, GAMING PC: FX-4170; R9 280X TOXIC; 16 GB RAM; Fortron Raider 750W; Raidmax Helios case; WD Green 1TB. 50Mb/s + 50% bonus

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