Ten Tips for Choosing the Right CPU

it seems simple: Pick the fastest processor you can afford for your needs?

The hidden assumptions in that seemingly straightforward piece of advice are the killer, though. The words fastest, afford, and needs are too general for this to be really useful advice.

On top of that, you'll want to balance the overall platform needs of your PC. Buying a really fast, high-end CPU may mean skimping on memory, which can substantially reduce the perceived performance of a system. If your PC is constantly swapping chunks of memory out to the hard drive, then that hot-rod CPU will spend most of its time idling.

Even if you're not building a PC, you may be contemplating buying one from one of the many build-to-order manufacturers.

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