Notes and Recommendations: Several new high-end CPU's have appeared on the market since the last chart- the most notable being the Pentium 4 3.06 GHz. The fastest P4 to date sports an exciting technology called 'hyperthreading'. Hyperthreading simulates a dual-CPU multiprocessor setup with just one CPU. For instance, Windows XP sees a CPU with hyperthreading turned on as two CPU's. And from all accounts hyperthreading really speeds up applications that are running simultaneously. Unfortunately the Pentium 4 3.06 GHz is extremely expensive at an average selling price of $810. When that price comes down (like when even faster P4's are introduced) then it will really make an impact in the marketplace. Trying to play catchup, AMD has introduced faster Athlons (2400+, 2600+, and 2700+) manufactured with 0.13 micron technology. However we will probably continue to see AMD lag behind Intel in terms of performance until the new "Hammer" chips appear the second quarter of next year. The older 2100+ and slower Athlon are very good bargains right now, however.
Best high-end, best-bang-for-the-buck CPU for this time: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
Best value-based, best-bang-for-the-buck CPU for this time: AMD Athlon XP 2100+
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Chart created using JpGraph, a PHP OO Class.
