Top 5 Midrange Processors for Home Computing

Both Intel and AMD invested heavily in new architecture of low cost computing. Intel’s CPUs are better in terms of  games while AMD’s are more suitable for multi-core processes like video encoding. The Internet Database made a review of the chips based on their score in the £150-£200 price bracket. The findings are as follows:

• Intel Core i5 760 – £147:
  The Core i5 760 is  £9 more expensive than the Core i5 750. The difference gives you extra 0.14GHz, which can give you better processing power for gaming and it’s the best gaming CPU at this price level. But it’s not that good for highly threaded applications like video encoding. If you’re after something more suited to many threads like video encoding, it is good to have AMD Phenom chip.  However,  the Core i5 760′s your chip in case of Gaming performance.
• AMD Phenom II X6 1055T – £153:
  AMD’s  six-core Phenom II X6 1055T is reasonably priced because it comes with 904 million transistors in its silicon. Each core clocked at a mere 2.8GHz. But it is not meant for gaming.  However, when it comes to demanding multi-core performance like video editing, this is the most cost-effective chip in the world.
• Intel Core i7 930 – £190:
  Intel’s Core i7 930 is identical in most respects to processors that costs four times as much. The only issue of the processing power is the clock speed, which is  2.8GHz. But you’re still getting Intel’s incredible chip design, which means the 930 will happily help you play any game you may like. It’s not cheap to build a PC around this chip, and the LGA1 366 socket may be soon out of business. But, if you have money to spend on fast thrills, you will be very much satisfied.
• Intel Core i7 920 – £200:
  The Intel Core i7 920 was priced at £250 in the beginning. Now it’s dropped in price, but it’s still more expensive than the Core i7 930, which clocks in at a higher speed. The Internet Database recommends the Core i7 930 over the 920,  However, like the 930, you may have difficulty to find  a compatible motherboard and memory, and the LGA1, 366 socket may soon be out of stock in the near future. It’s very fast for gaming, too.
• AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition – £205:
  This is a faster version of the Phenom II X6 1055T. The AMD Phenom X6 1090T is based on the Thuban architecture, that includes six cores and a 45nm production process. Each of the cores is clocked at 3.2GHz which means that multi-threaded performance is simply outstanding, although gaming performance is a slight downside. Being a “Black Edition” CPU, it’s got plenty of headroom for overclocking. The Internet Database tested it to the peaks of 4GHz at low voltages with only air cooling. The best part is that the AM3 architecture means building the rest of the PC is very cheap.