Techtonic #3

 Hello everyone! Today I will be throwing some light on CPUs (central processing unit), their purpose, kinds and the advantages of better CPUs in your machine. Most people know CPUs as a part that goes into the computer, but basically a CPU is the brain of a computer, it retrieves commands and executes them. The light tasks don’t require as much power as the heavy ones do. Let’s go a bit deeper - Each CPU has cores and threads, where cores are actual hardware which increase the amount of work accomplished at a time, and threads are virtual snippets of code that manage tasks. Each CPU can have up to 2 threads per core, if a CPU has 4 cores it will have 8 threads, 12 cores will have 24 threads etc.etc.. 

For tasks like rendering heavy applications or video editing, it is advisable to opt for a CPU with more cores, while for gaming it is advisable to opt for a CPU with a higher clock speed on each core. Every CPU has a clock speed, boost clock and performance core clock. They also have TDP which is essentially the power requirements. I recommend allocating at least 15W above the CPUs TDP to ensure that you can overclock at a later date. In terms of sockets, AMD processors use am4 while intel processors use lga1700(12th gen), lga 1200(10th and 11th gen) and lga 1151(most of the earlier gens). Keep in mind some CPUs might have different sockets but all the major CPUs will have these. 

Coming to architecture, most modern AMD CPUs run on Zen 4 while intel CPUs run on rocket lake, comet lake, cascade lake, and alder lake. Some of you may not know what SNT is, it stands for simultaneous multi-threading which basically means it allows multiple threads to work together for a faster result. Most CPUs support SNT. Some CPUs contain integrated graphics which are usually horrible, but if someone doesn’t require a graphics card this could be an option. Please keep in mind CPUs have bios versions so the motherboard has to be compatible with the same bios version. Else you will need to buy a different CPU to update the bios. 

Now that we understand CPUs slightly better, let's take a look at some of the better CPUs out there. I will not be including M1 chips as they can only be used in Apple computers. According to me, the intel 12th gen has the best CPUs in the world right now. Although I am unaware if Ryzen 7000 (coming soon) will be better or not. 

If you want a simple CPU that can handle all the basic tasks of computing I recommend an intel core i3-12100f as it can handle all basic tasks with ease at an affordable price ( Intel Core i3-12100F - Core i3 12th Gen Alder Lake Quad-Core 3.3 GHz LGA 1700 58W Desktop Processor - BX8071512100F ). Next is the intel core i5-12600k/kf. With the i5 - 12600k you get access to 10 cores and a high clock speed making it the best CPU for gaming for most people, as it has a TDP of 125w, a core clock of 3.7 GHz, a boost clock of 4.9 GHz and runs on alder lake ( https://a.co/d/bMeyx5g ). It is one of the better choices for CPUs. The intel core i7-12700k ( https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i7-12700k-core-i7-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118343?Item=N82E16819118343&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https%3a%2f%2fpcpartpicker.com%2f&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-fSVWLg8rZWa_0OJPqa8L_Q ) is an absolute powerhouse featuring 12 cores & clock speeds up to 5 GHz. It is a fantastic choice for people who do have a heavy workload on a daily basis, or serious gamers given the high TDP of 125w. 

Hope the info herein helps people select better-suited computers for themselves. 

Until later, take care...