What to buy if you're buying X86 desktop processors

CHOOSING A NEW PROCESSOR used to be easy. You'd pop down to the local computer store and pick up whatever you could afford. Those days are long gone. These days, you need to know so many things to make sure that you get something worthwhile that the only option worth thinking about is to read the INQUIRER first.

To keep things on the same footing as previous processor reports, this one is not going to try to tell you whether to buy an Intel or an AMD processor. It would be nice to say that this is due to them both being highly professional companies offering excellent processors at good value for money. The truth is, though, that recommending one over the other invariably leads to the kind of phlegms and flames that can curdle milk just by arriving in the INQ's inbox. Which is no fun if you're drinking a cup of tea at the time.

Now is a pretty good time to be buying a processor. There's a good amount of choice out there and you can get something pretty nippy for not too much money. There have also been some nice surprises from both Intel and AMD since the last processor report. Mind you, there are also some nasty surprises if you don't take care when you're out shopping.

Intel Desktop Processors
The Celeron and the Pentium 4 still rule the roost at Intel but it's not quite as simple as that. The Pentium 4 series isn't really one product range, there being single and dual core offerings.

Intel - Best on a Budget
Intel Celeron D 336	Manufacturer's Web Site Review
The D series Celeron from Intel seems to have answered every criticism of the previous series. Where the previous version of the Celeron was a turkey, this latest incarnation is one that you can purchase with confidence. It's pitched just right. It's almost but not quite as good as a Pentium 4 and the transition between the two product ranges is seamless. There is a slight downside to buying a Celeron D in that you have to be careful about which socket it uses. There are two different sockets and you should avoid the old Socket 478. Go for the Socket 775 version. The Celeron D for Socket 775 is just about the perfect budget processor. The 336 recommended here is a 2.8GHz model that will set you back around £60. It won't play the latest games but it will have a good stab at slightly older ones and will be fine for office work. But the real beauty of the Celeron D will come in a year or so if you feel like upgrading. Socket 775 also supports all of the best Pentium 4 chips. It will even take the latest dual-core Pentium 4s. So you have an excellent upgrade route.

Intel - Best Value
Pentium P4 D 820	Manufacturer's Web Site Review
This must be the biggest surprise of the report. Intel has managed to turn out a dual-core processor that is almost certainly the best value mainstream processor in its line-up. The 820D isn't going to break any speed records with older programs, particularly games, but it will cope with them. Its nearest competitor is the Pentium 4 650, a single core processor that costs slightly more and runs at 3.2GHz compared with the 820's 2.8GHz. What that means is that older programs will run 10-15% slower on the dual-core 820 in theory. But the moment you start running a virus scanner and your firewall and have an email client or Skype or whatever running in the background, the 820 will start to edge ahead. And as newer games are released that support dual cores and multi-threading, the 820 will push out into the lead. The Pentium 4 D 820 is absolutely spot on. If you're looking for a new Intel processor and want something that will last a good while without breaking the bank, this is the processor of the moment.

AMD Desktop Processors
If Intel is not putting a foot wrong at the moment, AMD seems determined to do the opposite. It has no credible competitor for the Socket 775 Intel Celeron D and it has no credible competitor for the Pentium 4 D 820. Would Jerry Sanders have let this happen?

AMD - Best on a Budget
Athlon 64 3000+ for Socket 939	Manufacturer's Web Site Review
AMD is unlikely to be happy with the idea of one of its Athlon 64s getting a 'best on a budget' but its current Sempron line of processors is a dead end that cannot be recommended. The Sempron sits in a Socket 754 and the only Athlon 64s for that socket are the ones left in the channel waiting to be sold. That means, if you were to buy a Sempron, in a year or so when you want to upgrade, you'd almost certainly need to buy a new motherboard too. So, the only choice remaining is to buy the cheapest of the Socket 939 processors if you want a fair chance of getting some longevity from your system. That means the 1.8GHz Venice processor is the one. It's a fine chip that will do you proud but it's a long way from a genuinely budget price. AMD has shot itself in the foot with its Socket 754 policy of Sempron only. It either needs to kill the platform or provide it with proper support. At the moment, it's just suffering a lingering death. At least buying a Socket 939 processor should let you get your PC that mid-life upgrade at a reasonable price.

AMD - Best Value
Athlon 64 3500+	Manufacturer's Web Site Review
AMD is on much safer turf with the 3500+ Venice processor. It's easily in the sweet spot of the mainstream market: fast enough for almost any game, great at office stuff, not too power hungry, etc. It is, in summary, a nice little processor at a great price. You might want to consider the 3700+ San Diego as it doesn't cost much more but all you'd be paying for would be extra L2 cache as it has the same clock speed as the 3500. The 3500 also gives you a reasonable upgrade path. Socket 939 should be around for a while even if its successor is already in the pipeline. When it comes time to give your machine its mid-life update, you should have no problems getting yourself a dual-core processor to drop into that socket.

Conclusion
Intel is definitely going through a good patch at the moment. Yes, it has some problems, not least that you can heat your house just by running one its high-end processors for a while, but it has some good stuff on the market. If it weren't for its incomprehensible processor numbering scheme, Intel would be on top of the world.

Meanwhile, AMD has some great mid-range stuff but no cheap dual-core processor to compete with the Intel 820. It has a budget line in the Sempron that lacks even a hint of longevity. If it had a Socket 939 Sempron and a cheaper dual-core processor, it could give Intel a good run for its money. Instead it simply seems that the firm wants to sit on its laurels and cream off some short-term money while the going is good.

If you're in the market for a processor at the moment, this report should leave you with at least a fighting chance of getting yourself well kitted up. It's a tough time out there at the moment and you'll need to be careful. But, at the same time, there are some great processors to be had from both Intel and AMD. µ