PC: Between Intel and AMD processors

 Q: What is the difference between Intel and AMDprocessor? I wanted to buy a laptop and was asked which one I wanted. –Amoo D

Ans: Hi Amoo, thank you for sending in your question, we quite appreciate it. In the world of technology, especially computing, there are three major factors that drive all innovation and sustain the technology. They are;
•    Processing Speed
•    Storage
•    Bandwidth
The first one is driven primarily by processors; these are computer chips that perform calculations (processes) all the information going into and coming out of any computer or computerized gadget.
There are various manufacturers of processors in the market, but it is more or less a two-horse race for now. Intel Corporation and AMD - Advanced Micro Devices, Inc; are the biggest chip-makers or processor manufacturers in the world today.
As with any technology manufacturing company, they have various products build around their name, covering a wide gamut of functionality, price, power-consumption, size, and a host of other determining factors.
Intel has the popular Pentium I, II, III, IV, M, Dual Core, Quad Core, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, Atom, Celeron, Core i3, i5, and i7 range of processors in their kitty.
These also have been shipped with desktop computers, laptops, netbooks, tablets, servers and a couple of hybrid devices. Due to their popularity, Intel is almost as synonymous as processor.
AMD on the other hand, is not resting on its oars, as they have the Athlon, Mobile Athlon, Duron, Mobile Duron, Sempron, Mobile Sempron, Opteron, Turion I, II, and Phenom.
These have been the power under the hood of a wide array of desktops, laptops, servers and hybrid gadgets for a couple of decades.
Now, the question of which one to choose becomes very tricky. This is due to the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to technology gadgets, or more importantly, their specifications.
Depending on what you want to do or use the technology device for, various manufacturers have various devices tailored to suit your needs.
The implication is that sometime, you may want some work done that will require the use of a computer with a very long battery lifespan, or a very quiet device or if you like, a very cool device. All these will determine which processor to go for, even within the same brand.
AMD processors are not inferior to Intel processors, although they are known for generating a lot of heat during operations when compared to their Intel counterparts. As a way of escape or compromise, AMD have the best graphics processor in the industry, and their graphic cards are behind a greater percentage of the video gaming industry.
Contrary to popular opinion, the processor inside computers do not just process the data alone, they also process the visuals, that is, the graphics or video display that allows you to interact with the computer.
There is a term called UMA - Unified Memory Architecture; which describes how a computer uses part of the random access memory (RAM) to power the display and the rest is allocated to the normal operations of the computer.
The way the memory is shared is the same way the processing power is shared between the computer operations and the graphics display.
This drawback is taken care of in devices that sport dedicated video card or dedicated graphics card. This implies that they have chosen to dedicated all the processing power of the processor and all the capacity of the random access memory to the primary purpose, and introduce another processor, in this case, the graphics processor which has its own processor and memory with which it will power the operations of the computer effortlessly.
The various computer manufacturers in the market today are actually assemblers of computers; this is because they only put together the various components from the various technology manufacturing companies and slam their logo on it. Granted, a few of them actually give specifications to the manufacturers to design, and then pay them, and slam their label on it.
The bottom line is this; you need to find out what you want to use the computer for, not necessarily what you might use it for, and then get what will suit both your budget and get the work done.
The cost-to-performance (CTP) ratio is something to pay attention to, so that you do not end up getting a high-end computer and just use it to watch movies and type documents.



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