How to choose the perfect processor for you

Which CPU is best for your needs and how to choose it.

Whether you are building or updating a computer, or simply purchasing one already assembled, the processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit), is one of the fundamental elements to take into consideration. A higher clock speed and higher core count can make a huge difference in overall performance, ensuring a more responsive system, smoother gameplay, and faster speeds when completing heavy tasks like video transcoding.

Intel or AMD?
To date, the two leading brands in the PC CPU sector are Intel and AMD, but which should I choose? Which is the best? There really is no right or wrong answer to this question. Be wary of anyone who tells you Intel is better than AMD or vice versa as it is an answer dictated only by a subjective choice. However, it must be considered that Intel CPUs (the famous i5 or i7) are perhaps the most widespread choice for the consumer line and also the most widely distributed in our catalogue. The factors to really take into consideration when choosing a processor are 2: the clock frequency (the classic Mhz or Ghz) and the number of Cores. Higher frequencies translate to better performance in common and simple tasks, while more cores will help you complete heavier, time-consuming loads, such as video editing, faster.

Which CPU should I buy for my needs?
The choice of any product is bound by the use we have to make of it, especially when choosing a new PC, its use is decisive for making the right choice. If our intent is to purchase an office PC, therefore for word processing, surfing the internet and sending emails, then it would be more than superfluous to purchase a latest generation Intel Core i7. Just as if we want a PC for gaming and video editing, an Intel Pentium is not enough. Below we will see in broad terms the characteristics that a CPU should have for each use.

Office PC
If you're looking for a PC that lets you watch videos, browse the web, and do basic productivity tasks like typing in Word or a spreadsheet, then an entry-level chip with 2 or 4 cores might be what you need. However, if you often find yourself doing more than one of these basic operations at a time, it would be better to go up a model or two and perhaps opt for an Intel Core i5 generically from the fourth Gen onwards, in order to have a PC that is both high-performance but can accompany you for a long time.

Gaming
If you are primarily interested in gaming performance, you need at least a mid-range Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 CPU. Considering that the video card is more important for gaming than the processor, you can save money by not buying a more powerful Core i7. The processor is a fundamental part of every PC but in the gaming field the video card is the tip of the balance that will allow you excellent performance. Our recommendation is an Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU from the 6th Gen onwards.

Creative work
If our new PC is intended for operations that require a lot of resources such as video editing or system virtualization, we will necessarily have to rely on high-performance CPUs with a high number of cores and a high clock. Let us therefore consider, as far as Intel is concerned, exclusively the i7 line from the sixth Gen onwards or even the i9 line. So, if you find yourself waiting hours for your system to render a 4K animation or video, or are dealing with huge databases and complex mathematical calculations, you should only choose high-performance CPUs