Speed is not all a buying factor for a P C

Buying a PC processor a couple of years ago was fairly simple. All one needed to do is upgrade to a faster version of an already existing processor. Today, from a consumer perspective things are no longer that simple. Purchase decisions are made after evaluating a range of features such as CPU architecture, application-performance, vendor support, pricing, and most importantly, the desired performance attributes of the buyer.

While basing one's decision on multiple criteria ensures a better fit between buyer requirements and seller specifications, the process of evaluation more often than not, ends up confusing the average PC buyer. It would be fair to say that the average consumer, even today would pick a 2 GHz processor, believing that the former would outperform the latter without evaluating the actual "application performance" or output both processors deliver.

The reality, however, is that by using a higher GHz number as the purchasing criteria, consumers end up buying a PC that mismatches expectations and is considerably more expensive.

The question then is, how does a consumer evaluate and purchase the best processor for his requirements? From a layman's perspective, what matters most to an end - user is how fast his applications run.

In the old generation days of '286, '386, and '486 processors, the basic architecture of competing x86 processors was exactly the same and hence, frequency was increasingly used as the only differentiating factor. Performance was thus synonymous with frequency, as the amount of work done in one clock cycle defined as 
Instructions per clock cycle (IPC), was equivalent among all competing processors.

With the rollout of fifth generation x86 processors post 1993, this equation no longer held true, as competing companies took different approaches to configuring their internal CPU architecture, While remaining compatible with the x86 instruction set.

As a result, IPC also became variable in the performance equation for competing processors running the same applications. Technically processor performance has always been defined as, Performance= IPC x frequency (MHz) alone did not determine a processor performance.

Today, with the advent of seventh - generation CPUs, architectural designs and IPCs, have clearly diverged. Now, more than ever, it is important to look at the combination of the amount of work being done per clock cycle and the operating frequency of the processor to judge a PCs true performance.

Any improvement in overall performance is a result of enhanced frequency and work per clock cycle, not just a factor of higher GHz value.

Given the illusion of the gigahertz race, there is an increasing need to define a more accurate measure of PC processor performance - a measure that looks beyond PC processor frequency and focuses on actual performance of processor.

When buying your PC, it is advisable not to get misled by the megahertz myth. Because you may have a higher megahertz processor, but not the output to match the speed. 


Courtesy : The Economic Times  


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