What is the difference between AMD and Intel processors. What is the difference between the AMD processors Athalon and Sempron? I need a laptop for school that I will also use for internet and downloading music. Im a freshman in college. I am just completely unsure of which is better.
Which is the best choice?
Thanx in advance.
2007-06-23 07:50:12 · 5 answers · asked by mike w 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Basically, Intel and AMD have been competing in the CPU arena for years. Up until fall 2006, AMD processors were considered better "bang for your buck" because they were priced lower than Intel, and better performers at any given price point. AMD's Athlon chips were faster than competing Pentium-4 chips from Intel. In the dual-core market, AMD's X2 series was faster than Intel's Pentium-D, etc.
Sempron was just a budget chip from AMD, just like the Celeron was a budget chip from Intel.
With the introduction of Core 2 Duo chips, Intel took the lead back. They beat AMD's X2 line on almost every benchmark, and were priced lower, too! AMD has responded with drastic price cuts to stay competitive.
So the best processors these days are Intel's Core 2 duos, the next best are AMD's X2 line. Both of these are better than Intel's Pentium-D. Of single-core chips, the AMD Athlon line is a better performer than Intel's Pentium 4 HT, which is better than a Sempron or Celeron.
So neither company is the best at every price point, it all depends upon what you're looking for and where your budget is- a computer for basic tasks like e-mail, word processing etc? Either companies processors are fine.
Complicating matters further is the fact that both companies have used different names for their mobile chips (the kind used in laptops) AMD has the Turion while Intel has the Core Duo.
For a new laptop, I would certainly recommend a dual-core processor. That means either a Core Duo, Turion 64 X2 or if your budget allows, a Core 2 Duo. But look at the specs of the entire system and decide based upon which is the better overall deal in terms of disk space, network features, RAM etc. Don't get too hung up on the brand-name of processor.
2007-06-23 08:29:55 · answer #1 · answered by Proto 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its really just about personal preference. There isn't a whole lot of difference between intel and AMD. Athlon should be a little superior to Sempron processors, but considering what you want to use the computer for, both should be ample. My recommendation is to make sure you have plenty of ram more than worrying about the processor.
2007-06-23 14:55:42 · answer #2 · answered by Connor 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Intel is the best pick. AMD just overclocks their processors, as INTEL doesn't. If you're wondering what overclock means, its when you make your Processors get higher voltage and it runs much faster, but is vulnerable to excessive overheating. Back on subject, even though it might say INTEL 2.4ghz, and you see AMD 2.8ghz, dont just buy it on the fact that it has more ghz. AMD's only have 1mb of L2 cache, as intels have 2mb or more. Well, not going to get more advanced with my vocab here, so get intel.
2007-06-23 16:36:08 · answer #3 · answered by Krispy 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you best bet is an Intel processor. AMD is a faster clocked processor, but because it is overclocked so much on the front end, it has a shorter overall life. intels aren't overclocked or overvolted unless you do that yourself. intel is more reliable and the mutli-core processors are lightyears ahead of AMD.
2007-06-23 14:57:28 · answer #4 · answered by Josh D. 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Intel processors are better.
2007-06-23 14:54:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋