Processor

The processor also known as CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the brain of a computer. The faster the processor, the faster it will execute instructions and run your programs. The leading CPU manufactures are Intel and AMD. Whichever manufacturer you decide to choose you will have to make sure that you purchase a compatible motherboard.

Before buying your CPU consider what the system is going to be used for. If you are going to use your system for word-processing, browsing the web or other basic tasks, it may be sufficient for you to use an Intel Celeron or an AMD Duron processor, both of which are available at a very competitive price.

If the system is going to be used for spreadsheet, databases, graphics and playing advance games then you should consider an Intel Pentium 4 / Pentium D or an AMD Athlon 64 / Athlon 64 X2 processor. Pentium D and Athlon 64 X2 are both Dual Core. Which means they have two CPU in one Chip. They are also 64 Bit and will support the new Windows Vista Operating System. These processors are very fast and are capable of handling most of your computing needs. For building our demonstration PC we will be using an Intel Pentium III 866Mhz Socket 370 processor.