Relevant CPU specs

[AdmiralStanley]

Hey guys. I am a fairly new enthusiast who is trying to learn a bit more about what the relevant specs of my CPU are/mean. I downloaded CPU-Z to look at them and am trying to make sure everything is running well on my machine. So I was just wondering what specs I need to pay attention to. Core speed, Core voltage, TDP? and what they should look like normally. Thanks for any info you can provide and sorry If I sound like a noob. 

[KayTees]

Hey guys. I am a fairly new enthusiast who is trying to learn a bit more about what the relevant specs of my CPU are/mean. I downloaded CPU-Z to look at them and am trying to make sure everything is running well on my machine. So I was just wondering what specs I need to pay attention to. Core speed, Core voltage, TDP? and what they should look like normally. Thanks for any info you can provide and sorry If I sound like a noob. 

Everything matters. I always pay extra attention to  temps.

[AdmiralStanley]

Okay. I suppose that's fair. I was trying to figure out what things I need to look at while the system is under load, say playing Fallout 4, and figure out if everything was working the way it was supposed to. I watch temps carefully all the time and am just trying to educate myself about my system further. 

For the record I have a i5-3570K which is not overclocked. 

[Epiclol86]

First, the core temperatures: each cpu core has a different temperatures. these temps. may vary a lot depending on the cpu, and are generally situated between 20-100 degrees celsius. (although both extremes are quite rare) as you know you have to try getting your cpu's core temps as low as possible. The max temp recommended for your specific cpu can be found on the internets. test with an intensive game or with a cpu stress test for a few hours (some do it for days) to test if your cpu's overall temperature rise up over this limit. If it does, get a better cooler. The core voltages are, well, the voltages going through each cores. when not overclocking this will stay below a certain value, which is preset. The core voltage is the main factor in your cpu's temp. The higher it is, the hotter your cpu will be. When overclocking, brigning this value up a little will allow you to bring the core's multiplyer up more. the multiplyer is what your cpu's clock will follow. higher multiplyer = higher clockspeed=better performance. The voltage will also shorten your cpu's life expectancy. So the game when OC'ing is to balance between core voltage and core temp. to get the highest clockspeed which is stable, with the lowest voltage possible. Then if you are not OC'ing, you just have to pay attention to temperature vs. cpu core usage. the core usage is the percentage of the power of the core which is used. At 100% with stock cooler you can get to as high as 85 degrees, which is not harmfull but not great. At idle you can expect between 25 to 35 i think. If your cpu is getting hotter than 90 degrees, there is a problem and you should not use it intensively before you get a better cooler.

 

i hope i helped, sorry for the wall of text

[agent_x007]

CPU Cores, More = better (Quad Core = 4 Cores)
CPU Threads, More = better (usually Thread = Core, but if your CPU has Hyper Threading, Thread count is  double the number of cores).
Thread < Core (it is NOT the same thing).
Cache, More = Better.
Cache usually is multi leveled (like L1, L2 and L3). Levels are not THAT important, but having three or more level cache means U have an at least "OK class", modern CPU.

Last but not least : Code Name will give U all the details, about the chip inside your CPU.
Examples : Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, Haswell, Skylake, Vishera, Bulldozer - all they have in common are the things they describe in CPU (architecture and manufacturing process).
Sandy B. means it's based on 2-nd gen "Core i" series from Intel (only for LGA 1155), and it's build on 32nm process.
Vishera was build by AMD, and it's the heart of all newer AM3+ class CPU's (like FX-9590, FX-8350, etc.).