Ok, so here is the scoop. I have a coworker who is looking to get a refresher on computer components, and the difference between the Intel and AMD processor architecture. I remember one of the two has shorter "channels" for processing data, and the other longer, but cannot remember which is which.
I would appreciate any links or articles I can share with her to get a refresher on the basics, and more advanced information on computer hardware.
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Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute - G.B. Stern
You're probably thinking of the pipeline length, which was huge for the previous generation (Pentium 4) but not so for the Core 2. Core 2 is the best available right now, AMD is supposed to be having something coming but I haven't kept up on the release dates. Even their current gen 65nm parts at a decent clock rate aren't very readily available.
The Core2 Chips are simply faster than X2 chips at the moment.
AMD has slashed the prices of their CPUs and Chipsets so that they may make cost analysis sense even though they cannot provide the same level of performance.
AMD is in the process of preparing to ship the Phenom which is their next gen processor. It appears as if this will make the clock for clock performance much closer, though this chips will not clock as high as the Intel chip.
Truthfully, either chip would be a good chip for many people.
For the average person, all of the CPUs give plenty of power.
For the most part, Gaming is what requires the most power for home users.
Gaming relies more on Graphics power than CPU power.
The current big advantage for Intel is its ability to be overclocked by enthusiasts. When looking at retail systems that cannot be OC'd, then Intel stands out less.
