Processor For PC

 What does a processor means ? 

Processor is a chip present inside CPU which controls and coordinates different processes and functions of the programs in the PC or Laptop. They are also called Brain of the computer. Processors are present are present in various other devices such as smartphones, tablets, driverless cars, and even in Android T.V. In this I will mainly concentrate on PC and Laptop processors. There are mainly two types of processors : Intel and AMD. Both of them are best on their own. Intel processors are good as all rounder. They can maintain balance between gaming and performance. They consume less power (TDP) and provide more efficiency. On the other hand, AMD processors are really good at gaming. They provide processors at lower price with ability to overclocking. They consume more power than Intel due to which they also emit more heat than Intel processors. With the introduction of Ryzen series processors, AMD have taken a big leap in competition. These ryzen series processors are competitive with Intel core processors. For e.g. Ryzen 3 with Intel core i3, Ryzen 5 with Intel core i5, Ryzen 7 with core i7 and Ryzen 9 with core i9. 

What is a core in processor ? 

A core is a segment of processor chip which implements a program or function run on pc. To explain more clearly, imagine that a company got 10 projects to complete within 20 days. Company hired 5 person to complete the project and it took 20 days. What if the company had hired 10 people, then project would have been completed in 10 days only. Similarly is in the case of cores. Various processors with duo, quad and octa cores are available. Each cores will be occupied by ech programs that you open in your pc. Now if it is a game, then it would be taken over by 1 core completely as games are heavy programs and require more frequency to run smoothly. But in case of small programs or applications, single core can handle two or more programs with ease. Therefore, more the number of cores, more multitasking can be done. That means a dual core processor will only be able handle 2 big programs and if more programe are running in the background then there will be lag. On the other hand, quadcl core, hexa core and octa core processors can handle more large programs simultaneously without any lag, provided sufficient RAM and Storage. Earlier I had a PC with Intel Core 2 duo processor. I could run games like Assassin's Creed black flag in it without much lag. But when I try to switch tabs between other programs like opening chrome while the game running in the background, it take time for chrome to open and load. But now I have a Laptop with AMD Ryzen 5 quad core processor and now I could switch programs and applications while gaming without much lag. Other most important thing that you should know is that every processor comes with extra additional cores. That means, if its a Quad core processor then it will have 4 main cores and 4 additional cores. This is to compensate any main core if it gets damaged or not work properly. Cores can get damaged overtime due to overheating, so to maintain the performance of the processor for longer time, they comes with additional cores which will become activated as soon as any main core stops working, thus there will be no decrease in the processor performance. For e.g. a quad core comes with total 8 cores (4 main, 4 extra), octa core comes with 16 cores (8 main, 8 extra). 

About Clockspeed and Overclocking

Every cores in the processor comes with certain clockspeed. Almost every recent processors have base frequency more that 2 GHz. Each cores in the processor have its own frequency. More the frequency, more performance will be provided, and thus more power consumption will take place. This is why laptops always have less base frequency than desktops as laptops have limited power supply from battery. In smartphones, sometimes 2 processors are also provided along with main processor but 2nd will have less frequency than primary. This is done to provide best performance with efficient power consumption. Overclocking is another function provided by processor to enhance performance. In this, clockspeed of cores are increased by multiples of 10 or more. For e.g. i5 9th gen processor has base frequency of 3.6 Ghz but overclocking will cause cores to work at maximum of 4.6 Ghz which will enhance the performance of the processor. Overclocking can be done manually or will be already provided from company. For e.g. Intel processors with ending alphabet 'K' comes already overclocked from the company. One can easily overclock any processor by installing company software and enabling OC. Overclocking not only increases core frequency but also unlocks additional cores in the processor. Unlocking additional cores will enhance multitasking ability of the processor. This will not only increase the performance but also increase the power consumption and thus emits more heat. Due to this overheat emission, it is not advisable to overclock the processor manually as this overheating can cause rapid damage to cores of processor and may also damage the motherboard. If you are really willing to overclock the processor then make sure that your PC has enough power supply and sufficient cooling system which will endure the heat generated from processor. Stock coolers may not be sufficient for an overclocked processor. You may need a bigger cooling fan such as wraith cooler to overcome overheating. 

Processor Compatibility

Compatibility of processor with the motherboard and RAM is very important otherwise processor will not be able to utilize its maximum performance. Each processor has its own compatible LGA socket on the motherboard. For e.g. i5, i3 and i7 10th gen are compatible with LGA 1200 socket. They cannot be fixed on any other socket type. Some of the processors may fix on the different socket but will not provide normal performance that it should give with the right socket. In my old PC, I modified the processor from Pentium to core 2 duo with same motherboard. But core 2 duo needed different socket and motherboard due to which my PC was working but didn't provided much improvement than Pentium. Also sometimes, PC would restart automatically or crashes and will show blue screen. RAM is also a very important component for proper function of processor. If you have a processor with i5 10th gen and you are using DDR3 RAM then your PC will not get maximum performance with the processor. Your processor will be bottlenecked with less memory speed provided by DDR3. Atleast you should have 4 gb of DDR4 RAM to get sufficient performance with that processor. 

Integrated GPU

Most of the processors have Integrated GPU which provides sufficient graphics for gaming, watching videos and surfing youtube. Integrated GPUs have less frequency as compared to dedicated one. Some of the processor like Intel has UHD graphics in 8th gen core processor and AMD had vega 8 in ryzen series which also runs AAA titled games at low settings. These GPUs always depend on system RAM. Some of the processors like Intel processor ending with 'F' do not provide integrated GPU due to which dedicated GPU will be necessary to run graphics related programs in that PC. In laptops, both options for integrated and dedicated GPU are available. One can switch the GPU from respective dedicated GPU control panel. For e.g. In case of Nvidia graphic card you can switch GPU fron Nvidia control panel. If you are a casual gamer and are not serious into gaming then these integrated GPU is sufficient for gaming. If you are hardcore gamer then you would have to go for a dedicated one. 

Conclusion

With the above information, I believe that you must have got an idea about how to choose a processor while building a custom PC. Processors have evolved so much that various costly processors are there which could run two or more PCs with one single chip. Processors must be handled with intense care as droping them or putting any scratches on them may damage its cores. While changing or modifying a processor with new one, always check whether new processor is compatible with the motherboard or not. Processors are the brain of the PC and any damage to it may result whole PC to get damaged.