CPU / Central Processing Unit

The CPU is the brain of a computer, A central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry within a computer that carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetic, logical, control and input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions.

What is Clock Speed

The speed at which a microprocessor can execute the instructions is called the clock speed. Basically clock speed is the number of cycles that the processor executes per second. We measure it in MHz(MegaHertz) or GHz (Giga Hertz). Here, MHz means 1 million cycles per second and GHz means 1 billion cycles per second.

What is Core

Processor cores are individual processing units within the computer's central processing unit (CPU). The processor core receives instructions from a single computing task, working with the clock speed to quickly process this information and temporarily store it in the Random Access Memory (RAM).

In the old days, every processor had just one core that could focus on one task at a time. Today, CPUs have been two and 18 cores, each of which can work on a different task. As you can see in our CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy, that can have a huge impact on performance.

What is Thread

Threads are the virtual components or codes, which divides the physical core of a CPU into virtual multiple cores. A single CPU core can have up-to 2 threads per core. For example, if a CPU is dual core (i.e., 2 cores) it will have 4 threads.

There are plenty of CPU manufacturers in the world. Some of them are,

Intel
AMD
Apple Inc
Hygon
HiSilicon
Media Tek
Qualcomm
Samsung

Intel and AMD are the most used CPU in Desktop computers. Let's see some differences between these two CPUs.

Intel Processors

Intel is the world's largest manufacturer of PC microprocessors and the holder of the x86 processor architecture patent.

Intel sets the industry standard for processor innovation and performance, powering laptops, desktops, workstations, and servers for business and personal use, immersive gaming, content creation, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and more.

This resulted in generation of word of mouth, good margins for selling the products, as well as the trust of the sellers and the buyers on the product. Thus, the products and the accompanying reliability on the products are the core reason for the success of Intel corporation.

Popular Intel Processors

Pentium
Core 2
Celeron
Core i3
Core i5
Core i7
Core i9

AMD Processors

AMD was incorporated in 1969 but their first processor like component didn't release until 1970 with the Am2501 logic counter. At this point, the company was still public but that changed in 1972. When the 1980s came around, AMD started to take off because two main reasons.

AMD stands for Advanced Micro Devices. On a scale of 1-10, AMD processors come at 5-10. It is cheaper than Intel Processors at a similar range. These processors are efficient compared to the current generation Core series.

AMD is the only company in the world with both high-performance compute and high-performance graphics technology and the expertise to combine them into custom solutions. We're leading the way with powerful architectures based on the latest process technology.

Popular AMD Processors

Phenom
Athlon
Turion
Ryzen 3
Ryzen 5
Ryzen 7
Ryzen 9