Intel Core 2 Duo for Dummies Guide

Core 2 Duo for Dummies - the Unofficial Intel Core 2 Guide

With over 30 Dual Core Intel processors out there, trying to decide on the perfect dual core Core 2 processor for you is a hard task. All those numbers and reviews and model numbers… Intel’s Core 2 Duo models numbers don't help the average buyer understand what he is getting (I still don't understand there model number system)
So we have gathered all the Dual Core Processors Intel makes (Pentium D and Core 2 Duo) in to one big table with all the specs that will make picking out your next processor a wee bit easier.

Since it a guide for dummies - a bit of explanations:

Number of Cores - Once upon a time a CPU was one processor and life was simple. Then Intel came along and decided that if one is good two should be better. Now most processors actually have two or more CPUs that work together and sit on the same die. They are not just stuck together like the first models, they were actually designed to work together and share some of there resources. In simple terms it 2 cores means two processors working together= more computing power and better performance.

Clock Speed - In real tech terms it means how many times a transistor can switch from 1 to 0 in a second. In English that means how fast the bloody thing works- the faster the better. (Throughout the years, Intel tried to make us believe that speed was everything, now even Intel admits that many other factors are important other then GHz, a lesson they learnt the hard way from AMD)

L2 Cache - Level 2 Cache - to make life simple cache is how much memory the processor itself has  (not RAM which is how much memory the computer has) - the more the better. The reason for this is the more cache the more information the CPU's can store without having to go to the RAM, which will take more time. In multi Core processor the L2 cache is shared between the different cores - which is a good thing.

FSB - Front Serial BUS - The FSB is how the CPU talks to the RAM. Having a great processor with a low FSB is the same as having a great party with only one single door way in and out. Nobody can get in and nobody can get out. The CPU's need information from the memory, the FSB is highway between the CPU's and the RAM, so you want a fast FSB so the information won't bottle neck. Note - the FSB should match the speed on the memory but that is already an advanced course.

Minimum chipset requirement - The processor you buy has to sit somewhere since it is part of a system and talks to other parts. In all cases the processor sits in a socket on your motherboard. Motherboards have a set of chips which take care of many different things (again that is advanced), the chips together are called chipsets. Certain processors are only compatible with certain chipsets, so make sure your numbers match. For more information on each chipset - Google the numbers. General rule of thumb - the higher the number the more advanced the chipset is.

After all that here it is: