Why does processor matter

Darron also works with a number of our clients as their CIO to provide them with his unique blend of technical and commercial expertise. As a keen golfer, he's often found on the golf course at the weekend, we think Victoria has enough of him in the office during the week!

There are a couple of commercial changes coming to Microsoft that you need to be aware of and prepare early for. All Rights Reserved. Company Reg No NI Is More Always Better? What is a multi-core processor? Clock speeds A high clock speed means faster processor. How does it relate to business? Previous Post. Next Post. Popular CMI Blog. Major commercial changes to Microsoft The processor, also known as the CPU, provides the instructions and processing power the computer needs to do its work.

In any business, time is money. But do you know how much a slow PC can really cost your small business? Not only that, but a slower computer could lead to frustrated employees, making your hardware investment as much of an employee retention issue as a technology issue. Decades of computer shopping have led many people to believe that more RAM is the ultimate solution for improving PC performance. The more RAM a computer has, the more data it can usually juggle at any given moment.

Think of RAM as a workspace: A giant workbench is obviously easier to work at than a tiny tea tray would be. Another critical limit is processing power. The more powerful and updated your processor, the faster your computer can complete its tasks. A good way to understand how a processor works is to imagine that your job is to tell a thousand people how to do their jobs. The faster you can do that, the faster everyone works. Computer processors, or chips, operate in a similar fashion.

A processor provides the instructions that multiple applications and processes need to perform their jobs. The faster it does that, the faster a computer operates. Faster computers often translate into increased productivity and efficiency. Computers onboard Apollo 11 in were less powerful than a cell phone.

Today, technological advances in chip manufacturing make it possible for computers with faster processors to run programs, play movies and blaze through complex calculations at remarkable speeds. These days it's a lot trickier. And even then, does it really matter?

There's a strong argument to be made that processor performance, even in low-cost, entry-level PCs, has reached a level that's good enough for most users -- folks who use their machines mostly for word processing, e-mail, and Web stuff. Of course, more and more users are turning to tablets for those activities, but that's another topic entirely. Obviously some people need all the processing power they can get -- though usually that's for graphics-intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, and Photoshop.

And that's where you need a desktop with a decent video card or a laptop with decent discrete graphics. Dual-core versus quad-core versus Core-this-or-that is less of a factor.