How to buy a Processor based on a CPU Speed Comparison

Doing a CPU speed comparison before you learn how to build a computer or replacing any CPU is a vital part in making sure you get what you pay for. The CPU is the engine inside that does all your calculations, the faster the CPU the faster the rest of the system.

The trick to buying a CPU that outperforms more expensive ones is actually a simple one. It's a matter of shopping around and checking some benchmark scores. There's a couple of things I like to do that I'll share with you to get the most CPU for your money.

1. Determine your budget - Whatever amount of money you want to spend on your CPU, you don't need to overspend, although more money will generally get you a faster CPU, this isn't always the case. That's what we're going to eliminate with the CPU speed comparison.

2. Find a good benchmark website - This really is the key to making this whole process work. Whatever benchmark site you use, you'll be looking to get a CPU with the largest score possible that still falls in your budget. The site that I like to use when checking CPU benchmarks is cpubenchmark.net. Although there are prices listed here, I recommend using a source you trust for pricing information.

3. Find a wholesale computer parts retailer - Here you need to be sure not to just look for pricing. Get a great price, but get a source that is trusted. You want an established retailer that has a good service reputation. In case you get a CPU that is a dud, or something is wrong with it for any reason that it doesn't work, this could potentially save you whatever you spent on your CPU because of RMA reasons.

Putting it all together

What I like to do is open up 2 tabs on my computer. One has the benchmark site open, the other has my pricing information from the trusted vendor. Now, find a CPU that has the best score, but still falls in your budget. The first time you do this you are more than likely going to be really surprised with the results. Often times, you can get a much faster CPU than what you may have originally thought.

The other tip that I can give you is not to be brand specific. Intel and AMD both make really great CPU's. Most of the time, if your under a strict budget you'll end up getting an AMD CPU, however because technology is constantly changing, there is times where the best CPU is going to be Intel. Using the above information hasn't steered me wrong yet.

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