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I have included this information in many of my computer processor reviews and
after some comments from some people I decided to put this out separately. I
will just put a link to this whenever I write a processor review from now on.
HOW TO...
These are the seven most important questions I ask myself before I purchase
processors or other parts for my computer:
1. How fast it is? (speed/frequency)
2. What is an appropriate speed for you?
3. How much is it?
4. How much should it cost?
5. What else do I need with it? (motherboard/memory/etc)
6. What do the benchmarks say? (similar brands and models)
7. Where to purchase it from? (online/offline)
1. The speed is important because that is the 90 percent of
the reason I would even consider purchasing it. I want to know how it will
increase the performance of my computer and what kind of applications or games
will take full advantage of it. I want to know what this processor is specially
designed for; games or applications?
2. Deciding how fast you want your computer to be is based on what you
want to do with it. If you want to do lots of video/music editing, then you need
the fastest processor you can get that is still in your budget. If you just want
to play games, listen to music, and watch movies, then you need an average speed
processor. If you are just going to surf the web or typing, then you need the
cheapest processor possible.
3. The price is the second thing I look for when deciding
on purchasing a processor because I want to know that I can afford it before I
invest any more time in researching about it. I want to look at the MSRP and the
retail price for online and offline stores that I can trust.
4. To figure out if you are really getting the best deal possible, you
must compare prices from different retailers. If you calculate the average of
all the prices you get from different retailers, then you will know what price
you have to beat to get a good deal.
5. Now if it is in my price range I will research and see if I need to
replace my existing motherboard and memory sticks. I also want to know if it
will be compatible with my operating system. I want to know if it will support
my current hardware setup.
6. After research online and some
google
searches, I find some reliable benchmark results to see how the processor
compares with other brands of the same class or even other models of the same
brand. Just to see if I can get a lower model and still get what I want. It will
never hurt to just find out. You can also ask a sales representative if you have
questions about which brand to choose.
7. The last of all is deciding where to purchase the processor from. I
usually look at prices from
tigerdirect.com,
newegg.com,
Circuitcity,
CompUSA, and
Frys
Electronics and find the cheapest and the most reliable store that I
believe will sell me a product that is of good quality.
FINAL THOUGHTS :
I certainly hope this helps you make better decision when you want to purchase a
new processor for your computer. I know this helps me figure out which one to
get every single time. |
