which one of these would be better:
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor here’s the product info.
# Series: Phenom II X3
# Hyper Transports: 4000MHz
# L1 Cache: 128KB+128KB
# L2 Cache: 3 x 512KB
# L3 Cache: 6MB
# Manufacturing Tech: 45 nm SOI
# 64 bit Support: Yes
# Cooling Device: Heatsink and Fan included
OR
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7400 product info.
# Processors Type: Desktop
# Series: Core 2 Duo
# FSB: 1066MHz
# L2 Cache: 3MB
# Manufacturing Tech: 45 nm
# 64 bit Support: Yes
# Virtualization Technology Support: No
# Voltage: 0.85V – 1.3625V
Please also tell me what motherboard would be best for whichever one is better(Intel or AMD) I want to play high requirement-needing games such as assasin’s creed 2, gta iv or prototype also I want to be able to use this processor for games for a couple of years or so(PLEASE GIVE AN ACCURATE ANSWER AND WHY IT IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER)

I am looking to built a new computer and i need to know which CPU Processor is better? Here is the info for both CPU’s both made by AMD

—->
#1 CPU
AMD ATHLON II X4 QUAD CORE 630 2.8 GHZ

CPU Socket Type Socket AM3
Multi-Core Quad-Core
Athlon II X4 630
Operating Frequency 2.8GHz
Hyper Transports 4000MHz
L2 Cache 4 x 512KB
Manufacturing Tech 45 nm
64 bit Support Yes
Hyper-Transport Support Yes
Virtualization Technology Support Yes
Voltage 0.90-1.425V
Thermal Design Power 95W
CPU BENCHMARK–>3360 from [url]http://www.cpubenchmark.net[/url]
PRICE: 8

#2 CPU
AMD PHENOM II X4 QUAD CORE 925 2.8GHZ

CPU Socket Type Socket AM3
Multi-Core Quad-Core
Frequency 2800MHz
System Bus 4000
Operating mode 32/64 bit
L2 cache 512KB x 4
L3 cache 6MB
CMOS Technology 45nm SOI
CPU BENCHMARK–>3420 from [url]http://www.cpubenchmark.net[/url]
PRICE: 2
______________________________________…

Ok so lets get this straight.

The similarities are:
They both are AM3
They both are quadcores
They both are 2.8GHZ
They both are 4000 system bus
They both are 64bit
They both are 512KB x 4 L2 Cache
They both have similar CPU benchmark scores. The Athlon II is 3360 and the Phenom is 3420 (pretty close)

Now the difference:
The Athlon II does not have a L3 cache and the Phenom has a 6MB L3 cache
The Athlon II is cheaper 8 and the Phenom is more expensive 2

Ok, so from my understanding is i’m paying more for the 6MB L3 Cache??? What is so great about the L3 cache? And why do both CPUs score almost the same in the CPU benchmark test. I don’t understand this. I am pushing to go to the Athlon II since it’s cheaper, i need to know what’s so good about the cache. what cpu should i go for? i’m confused

I’m kind of selling my old computer to my brother and he asked me to fix it up and that he’d pay me for it. He didn’t really say what he wanted, but if he wants an upgrade to the processor/motherboard, I really need help with the processor area.

I currently have an ASUS A7V600-X motherboard and an AMD Athlon 2500+ Barton 1.833GHz processor in it, along with some ram. If he wants all that upgraded, I’m sure I won’t be able to reuse the ram and MB.

What I need help on is picking out a CPU. I’ve always used AMD, and after switching to Apple a couple of years ago, I really haven’t kept up with the technology with them. What do I need to look out for and what do I need to make sure I buy so that it’ll be good for at least 2 years. I doubt he’ll be doing heavy serious gaming, although I’m not sure.

I did a search on newegg for processors, and was looking between 2.0 and 2.4GHz. I also don’t know if Hyper-Threading Support and Virtualization Technology Support are "must-haves."
I forgot to add, I have everything else, just wondering in case he wants a faster CPU. I’m kind of pricing them right now, a C2D and a MB with onboard video and audio. If it looks like it’ll be cheaper to get a new one, he may do that or keep this one. Thanks for the answers so far!

What do these specs mean?

Operating Frequency(GHz)
Hyper Transports
L2 Cache
L3 Cache
64 bit Support
Hyper-Transport Support
Virtualization Technology Support

Operating freqeuncy is the measure of raw processing power right? As in the number of operation it can perform in a second. A 1ghz cpu can perform 1 billion operations per second right?

What are hyper transports?

What does each level of cache do? Is it where data is stored before being processed by CPU? If so, is data only stored there when there is too much data being given to the CPU for proccessing that it has to wait there, or is data always transfered into the cache. What is the difference between the different levels of Cache?

I understand that 64 bit architechture gives you 2^64 memory adresses rather than 2^32 increasing the amound of RAM that can be used. Are there any other advantages of 64 bit? And disadvantages?

What is Virtualization Technology?

What is the difference between GFLOPS and GHz? What does each mean, and how does it affect performance? What other factors affect processor performance, other than raw GHz? I know that old pentium CPUs clocked at like 4 Ghz, but they suck compared to modern 2.1 GHz CPU’s.

Also how can the PA semi CPU clocked at like 700 mhz used in the iPhone render 3D graphics better than the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU? Is it because the PA semi chip has a better onboard graphics controller?

Do all CPUs have an onboard graphics controller or just ones meant for crappy computers?

I know these are a lot of questions, but i would really appreciate it if you gave me a somewhat in depth explanation, suitable for a 9th grader, or atleast a link to a good site. Im not stupid, so please dont dumb it down too much.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E7400 (2x 2.66GHz/3MB L2 Cache/1066FSB)
Description:
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E7300 (2x 2.66GHz/3MB L2 Cache/1066FSB)

Specification:
CPU Socket Type
CPU Socket Type: LGA 775

Tech: Spec
Core: Wolfdale
Multi-Core: Dual-Core
Name: Core 2 Duo E7300
Operating Frequency: 2.66GHz
FSB: 1066MHz
L2 Cache: 3MB
Manufacturing Tech: 45 nm
64 bit Support: Yes
Virtualization Technology Support: No
Voltage: 0.85V – 1.3625V
Thermal Power: 65W

or

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8400 (2x 3.0GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)
Description:
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8400 (2x 3.0GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Specification:
CPU Socket Type
CPU Socket Type: LGA 775

Tech Spec
Multi-Core: Dual-Core
Name: Core 2 Duo E8400
Operating Frequency: 3.0GHz
FSB: 1333MHz
L2 Cache: 6MB
Manufacturing Tech: 45 nm
64 bit Support: Yes
Virtualization Technology Support: Yes
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, EM64T
Voltage: 0.85V – 1.3625V
Thermal Power: 65W

THE FIRST ONE IS LESS AND I DONT HAVE A LOT OF MONEY IF THE DIFFERENCE IS NOT A BIG DEAL THEN SHOULD I GET THE FIRST ONE TELL ME ALL I SHOULD KNOW AND I WILL BE USING THIS COMPUTER MOSTLY FOR GAMING AND ALL AROUND INTERNET STUFF.
ok lets change the question if i get the first one would it make my computer unusable… cause i dont have any money and i really need to know if i get the first one if it will affect me in any way if it is good enough to run a computer fast. so is the first one good enough