The CPU (CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT) is the most
important part of your computer. It has to perform millions of
calculations just to get your computer to turn on. There are
several different styles of CPU and CPU Socket. therefore you must
buy a CPU to support your motherboard The CPU does not have one
standard size and interface, so make sure the Motherboard. there
are currently only two major chip manufacturers, INTEL and AMD,
below is a list of the CPU types they produce.
CELERON
Intel introduced the Celeron as watered down cheap version of the
Pentium Processor. Despite a smaller High Speed L2 cache memory
and a slower bus speed it gives relatively good performance. The
Celeron is a Socket based chip requiring a socket 370 or 478 motherboard.
Intel Celeron 1.7Ghz Socket 478 With Fan
PENTIUM III
The Pentium III is the 3rd generation of Pentiums made by Intel.
It has a 100MHz Bus Speed and can have 256K or 512K of L2 cache
memory compared to the Celeron's 128k or less. The Pentium III was
first made using the Slot 1 packaging that was used by the Pentium
II. It has since been reintroduced in a Socket 370 format that
allows the L2 cache memory to be placed directly on the Processors
die. The Pentium III is available as a Slot 1 or Socket 370 CPU.
it has now been superseded by the Pentium 4.
PENTIUM IV
The new player in Intel's line up is faster and more expensive,
not only is the chip expensive but we are now dealing with new
motherboards and new memory. The Pentium 4 uses a socket 478
motherboard.
Intel P4 2.4Ghz Socket 478 Processor
AMD K6
Based around the extremely popular socket 7 motherboard the K6
range was AMD's first competitor to Intel's Pentium. the last processors in the
series the K6-2 can be an economical upgrade for anyone using a super socket 7 motherboard.
AMD K6-2 450MHz Socket 7 Processor
DURON
The Duron is AMD's equivalent to Intel's Celeron. It offers great
performance for the price and has a 200MHz bus. Due to licensing
issues AMD use their own type of motherboard socket and the Duron
uses a Socket A format Motherboard. AMD Duron
1.3GHz Socket A Processor
Athlon
This is AMD's high performance chip, with higher processing speeds
and more cache built in to it. As with the Pentium III The Athlon
is sold either in a Slot A format or a Socket A format. AMD Athlon XP1800 Socket A Processor
