By Sophia | Last Updated
Summary: We are very familiar with CPU. Lots of guys regard it as the most important part of computer. But is it the true? For the guy who want to buy a CPU, how can he analyze a CPU's performance? iSunshare will give the detailed introduction about it and help you clear the selecting puzzles.
2. CPU's parameters and quality analyzations
When we choose computer, the most concerned elements are the CPU, video card and mainboard. It is not say that the other hardwares are not important. Memory bank, disk, power adapter and even radiator can effect the computer's using experience.
In some easy using environment, CPU is not the most important part. If you just edit the Word documents, surf internet or watch video, a low-end CPU can meet your needing. At the same time you can use the saving money upgrade your disk or other hardwares.
We can compare the CPU as the computer's brain. Lots of instructs need CPU to process. When we run some multitasks or rendering work, CPU can process such a big mount's instructs per second.
Just like the video card's framework, new framework CPU have better design foundation than that of old framework CPU. The new framework represents the new generation processor. In other words, the same generation processor have the same framework, different generation processors don't have the same framework.
How to understand the different performance between old and new framework? Let's take an easy example: the old CPU is just like the common engine, the new processor is the lastest running car's engine. There is a big difference.
When we buying hardware, we prefer to choose the new one. The new technology usually brings better experience.
The CPU's manufacturing process is to use nano manufacturing process. At present, the AMD's 7nm manufacturing process is the lastest technology. 7nm is the distance between CPU's circuit. Newer nano manufacturing process brings smaller nano number. We can find that the processor is become smaller, cooler, more powerful.
Intel seems to have some troubles in nano manufacturing process. It stays in 14nm processing for a long time and be beyond by AMD.
We can think the CPU as a big ground and the core is the factory on the ground. When there are so many missions coming, these missions will be delivered to the factory to process. But for the different missions, one factory just can process a kind of mission. So the multicore CPU comes. Different factories can process the different missions at the same time, which will reduce the user's waiting time and bring the smooth using experience.
AMD brings lots of multicore CPU for customers, and Intel is also starting to increase the number of its core CPUs. It turns out that the multicore processors are valuable. If we run some multitask or rendering work, a multicore processor can help us finished the work more quickly. There are some software companies optimizing their software by using multicore. The match between hardware and software will bring more smoothly and faster experience for us.
But it is worth noting that multicore will increase the manufacturing cost. If we just use computer to edit work, surf internet or watch video, a common CPU can meet our needing and we don't need lots of multicores.
For processor's core, AMD is a generous guy. It usually offers more cores than the same price's Intel products. If you really need multicore, you can check AMD's firstly.
We think the CPU as a big ground, the core as the factories. Now we can think thread as the production line of factories.
We usually hear dual cores with quad threads, four cores with eight threads. So it said that there are how many factories and the factories have how many production lines in the processor's ground.
The single line factory's production efficiency is lower than that of the factories have multiline. So the Intel and AMD just put more threads into cores to improve the processing efficiency.
We can see some software have the multithreads option. If you turn on this option, you can make the software run faster. Because it will let more threads work together to finish your work. But you need a multithreads processor firstly.
We usually find the 3.3GHz, 4.7GHz in the CPU's details. The main frequency is clock speed too. It's unit is MHz or GHz usually.
The main frequency is the CPU's running speed. At the same generation CPU, higher main frequency usually brings better performance.
Maybe it was a curious guy who firstly tried overclock. Now the overclock becomes a cool thing in the world.
Overclock makes the CPU break the label frequency. The higher the frequency it runs, the faster the processor will be. Although the overclock is very complex, there are so many players who perfer super high speed.
A good processor is better to support overclock. Because the overclock sets a high requirement for processor's quality. A high quality hardware can make the overclock become more reliable.
The Intel CPU with ‘K’ , ‘KF’suffix supports overclock. AMD CPUs are easier, all its CPU can be overclocked. So there are more players like AMD.
The overclock is not easy for us because it needs rich knowledge and experience. How can we get higher performance? Intel's turbo boost technology gives the answer.
This turbo boost don't need us to do any thing. Processors will improve the clock speed when we run the big task.
Turbo boost technology is easier than overclock and have the higher success rate. But if you want to get the better CPU performance, overclock will help you reach the goal.
We won't start the turbo boost when we do some easy tasks. It will run when will do some hard work.
Like the Intel's turbo boost technology, AMD also have its boost speed.
In the memory article we introduced that if the memory bank is full, the CPU will transfer data to disk, which willl make the computer become very slowly.
Although the memory bank have the faster speed than disk, it is slower than the processor's processing speed. So the designers bring the cache model into CPU.
By using these cache model, the CPU can first query the cache. If the cache model doest not have the required data, the processor will check the auxiliary memory bank.
The processor has three level cache: level 1 cache, level 2 cache, level 3 cache.
Form level 1 cache to level 3 cache, the boost value becomes lower, but the cache capacity becomes bigger.
Be limited by the CPU's size and cost, manufactures can not offer big cache capacity. In any case, a larger cache size will help the processor run faster.
Power dissipation is an interesting thing. We can see some laptops' CPU with the ‘U’ suffix. The ‘U’ just represents the CPU is low voltage version. The low voltage makes the processor become cooler. No one want their computer hot like a stove. At the same time, the low voltage is low down the processor’s performance.
High-power CPUs typically have higher performance in the same generation of CPUs.
Although the processor can provide higher performance with lower power consumption as the framework and processing technology develops, as a new generation product, the higher power CPU is better than the low power CPU.
We referred to power dissipation and stove above. No one hope their processor as hot as a hearthstone. Let's see the overclock players' heat dissipation plan.
When the processor overclocks, it gets very hot. So they don't use ordinary cooling solutions like fan cooling or water cooling. They only use liquid nitrogen at -178 °C. By using this cold plan, the hot CPU becomes so cold and powerful.
The fan-cooling, water-cooling, liquid nitrogen are the external heat dissipation plan. The CPU have the heat dissipation too. The silicone grease is one of the plans, it is the Intel favorite plan too.
The silicone grease program is to fill in some silicone grease to the CPU and close the lid. In order to protect the CPU, the cover cannot touch the chip, so there is a gap. The silicone grease program just fills the gap, not the air. It will help the chip dissipate the heat more quickly.
But the silicone grease have a big disadvantage. When you use the CPU for a long time, the silicone grease will be dry and hard. It will make the heat dissipation rate very low.
Some readers may know to refill silicone oil to remove dry, hard silicone grease and reconstitute the new product. This operation should be careful about the grease's thickness. Too thin or too thick can not help the chip dissipate the heat.
The other plan is brazing. AMD is the fan of brazing technology. There are lots of AMD CPU using the brazing technology including the middle-end productions.
Brazing can bring higher heat dissipation rate than silicone grease. But its cost is higher. The other advantage is that brazing won't be dry and hard, it don't need us to maintain it.
Because the lower cost, Intel prefer to use silicone grease whileAMD use the brazing technology in lots of processors for better performance. For contend the users, Intel use the brazing in some processors too.
Common users don't care the packing technology. But for the DIY player, it have its special value. There are three packing technologies in the market: LGA, PGA and BGA.
LGA's stitches are on the mainboard. This packing plan have a big disadvantage: if you destroy one stitch, the mainboard becomes useless. Even you can repair the destroyed stitch. It is not easy for you to find the destroyed one in lots of stitches.
PGA's stitches are on the processor. Because the processor will be a little skew or shake when we install. So the manufactures make the processor's stitches become harder. PGA's fault rate is lower than that of LGA.
BGA makes the stitches become the balls. This design avoids the stitches destroy but makes users harder to change processor without professional set.
In these three packing technology, PGA CPU is the biggest but easy to be changed, LGA CPU can be smaller but the mainboard is easy to be destroy, BGA CPU is the smallest but also the hardest to be change.
No matter what we buy, we should evaluate it. Take an easy example, if we just use the computer to edit Word, surf internet, watch video or listen music, we don't need the high-end processor. A low-end processor can satisfy us.
But if we enjoy playing big game, we can check the game's requirements. Just like the PUGB(PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS), this big game needs a powerful video card not a high-end processor. we can ask the game's players or customer service what the game's first requirement is. Some games' download page will give these informations too.
If you are a professional worker usually run multitask or rendering work, multicore and multithread processor will be your good choice.
The new framework is always suggested. If you don't have enough money, AMD will bring you a better cost performance. In CPU field, a new framework represents a new generation's product. The Intel Core i7-9700's '9' is showing that it is the ninth generation. The AMD Threadripper 2990WX's '2' represents that it is the second generation product.
Intel stays in 14nm processing for a long time, the radical AMD brings CPU into 7nm's time. Before 2017, the AMD processor's performance is low. With the Intel less innovation, AMD improves its products without a break. Now the AMD challenges Intel in low, middle, high end productions. These challenges make Intel unprepared and loss some market shares.
Processing is one of the CPU's parameters, we should assess a processor by more parameters.
Easy tasks don't need lots of cores, the big game can use 4 to 8 cores. If you are more professional worker, you need more core's CPU. But just remember one thing, the more cores the processor have, the more experience the CPU will be. More threads is better.
It is irresponsible for one man to say the high main frequency is better without comparing framework. Just in the same framework's processor, we can say the higher frequency is better.
Please check the cache by following Level 1 cache, Level 2 cache, Level 3 cache's order. The level 1 cache is the most important one, level 3 cache is the latest. But bigger level cache is better.
AMD uses the brazing technology in lots of products, while Intel just uses it in a little part products. The brazing brings better hear dissipation rate and don't need us to maintain it.
Perhaps the DIY players are interested in packing technology. PGA CPU is easier to be installed but bigger, LGA CPU is smaller but easy to destroy mainboard, BGA CPU is very small but hard to change.
Turbo boost is the Intel's official technology, we don't need to do any thing just enjoy the higher frequency. AMD has the boost technology too.
Overclock needs professional knowledge and rich experience. But it can get the unbelievable clock speed.
For some computer fresh fingers, it is difficult to compare the above parameters. So we can search the CPU performance hierarchy chart to know which processor is our right choice. PassMark Software is a good site which will show you reliable CPU performance informations.
By reading this article, we know that in some easy tasks environment, CPU is not the important hardware. So we can save the money to upgrade our memory bank, disk or video card and so on.
We suggest you to buy the new hardware. The lastest technology usually brings you better experience.
If the CPU use the silicone grease to dissipate heat, you need to recoat it after it dry. Brazing plan is a better heat dissipation technology.
At last please buy the CPU from the reliable channel, some sellers will use the second-hand CPU to deceive customers. You can check the processor by using CPU-Z. It is a famous testing tool.
By reading this article I hope you can get more knowledge and choose the right CPU f. Thank you for your reading.
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