CPU

The mighty CPU. The brainpower behind your entire computer. What to get? There are so many choices! Well here are a few things that should help you choose the right CPU.

For one, stick only to AMD and Intel. Both produce fantastic CPU's, and both have a wide selection.

You should stick to Intel, if you want efficient, compatible and powerful processing power. You may be tempted to get the PIII, but these are really expensive. If you wait a few months you can get these for cheaper. Your best buy with Intel would be a P4 (preferred for applications) or a Celeron (preferred for video games). As for the speed of these CPU's, 1.5 Ghz should be the minimum you'd want.

You can also opt for AMD. Actually, if you do a little research on the web, you'll find out that a lot of people actually recommend AMD. My own past experiences with AMD has been really great (yes I'm recommending AMD to you right now). Not only do they make good CPU's, but their costs are considerably lower than Intel. You can easily get an AMD CPU (and above) for about $100. Although you may want to get the speedy AMD Athlon64, which are just slightly more expensive.

Also, before buying the CPU, find out what Bus frequency the CPU can support (233mhz or 400mhz). Getting a CPU that supports a higher frequency will drastically affect the overall speed of your new computer.