Processors explained
There are a huge number of different types of processor available for Windows based PCs. They are available from either Intel or AMD. We only supply systems with Intel processors these days - we have supplied AMD systems current the Intel ones are better supported and more powerful. The processor is referred to as the CPU (central processor unit) and is the "brains" of the computer. Most PCs normally just have one processor, although you can get PCs with 2. Dual processor machines use processors called Xeons.
Because Intel are continually making new innovations there are hundreds of different types of processors. We started many years ago with 286 and 386 processors and the current processors are "i5" and "i7" machines. The processor got faster and faster until they got to a stage where they were running so fast that they were getting extremely hot. This meant that the fans made a lot more noise and they used a lot of power. The speed "peaked" at around 3.8Ghz for an old Pentium D. Because they could not improve the performance by just increasing speed manufacturers turned to different solutions, and added more cores (so we had dual core and quad core processors) and other technology like "HyperThreading". They also improved other parts of the machine like the RAM and how the processors talk to the RAM. The RAM is the computers working memory and the fast the CPU can talk to the RAM the faster the computer works. They also improved the internal workings of the processor, making the connections smaller and various other enhancements. The net upshot of this is that a modern i7 processor which is running at, for example, 2.6Ghz is hugely faster than an old 3.8Ghz processor.
The most common current processors:
Intel Core2Duo processors - Dual core processors - one processor with 2 cores (brains, effectively). These days we mainly only supply these in laptops. Fine for SD editing, not so good for HD, although it depends on the format in which the footage is stored.
Intel Core2Quad processors - Quad core processors - one processor, with 4 cores. Good at HD and SD editing. Because programs do not take advantage of all available cores all the time a quad core processor is not twice as good as a dual core, but definitely better.
Intel i5 processors - because there were so many types of processor (Quad core, dual core, Pentiums etc..) Intel decided to try and simplify the names in the future, so the new ranges are going to be called "i5", "i7" and "i9". The I5s will eventually be the starting level of processors. They have a lot of the latest technology that first arrived with the i7s (i7s arrived first, i5s arrived second) but not everything. The i7s, for example need 3 ram chips per processor for the best results where are the i5s use two. The i5 processors are quad core and seen as 4 cores.
Intel i7 processors - One processor, with what is seen by the computer as 8 cores - though the processor actually has 4 'real' cores, with the rest are produced by a process known as "HyperThreading". More recent than the quad cores, the i7s are more advanced, and communicate with the computer's memory more effectively than quad cores. You need a minimum of 3 RAM chips for the best performance, so computers will have 3GB , or more typically, 6GB of RAM. Since this amount of RAM is only properly supported when using Windows Vista 64, this is now the default operating system that we use.
i7 processors are on average about 30% faster than quad cores. They start at a speed of 2.66Ghz and rise to 3.2Ghz. If you want to edit highly compressed hard to edit footage like AVCHD in its native form then you should buy an i7 based computer. All Intel processors have numbers to identify them and these i7s are all 9 series - so 920 (for the 2.66Ghz), 950 (for the 3Ghz) and 975 (for the 3.3Ghz).
Intel i7 8 series processors - If Intel introduced the idea of the i5 and i7 processors to make life easier they then decided it would not be good to make it too easy. So they invented a type of i7 processor which was really very much like an i5 processor, so the same size and using the same motherboard as an i5, but call it an i7 processor and give it a number that starts with 8. There are currently two - the 860 (2.8Ghz) and the 870 (2.93Ghz). Like the 9 series i7 they have "HyperThreading", so they have 4 real cores and 4 pretend cores and are seen as having 8 cores. This is really why they are called i7s because Intel refer to them as "Core i5" or "Core i7". Core i5 means quad core but a better type of quad core than the old Core2Quad. Core i7 means Quad Core with HyperThreading. The 8 series i7s only need two RAM chips per processor.
Intel Woodcrest Xeons - Two physical processors, each with 4 cores, so the computer sees 8 cores in total. This sounds similar to the i7s, but in practice it is better as there are two processors and 8 real cores, whereas the i7s are limited to 4 'real' cores (though through HyperThreading they are 'seen' as 8 cores).
Intel Xeons are on average about 25% faster than Intel i7s.
Intel Nehalem Xeons - the latest and fastest processors, we often refer to these as "i7 Xeons". They have all the clever jiggery pokery of the i7s, only with two processors instead of one. They are available in various speeds, up to 3.2GHz at present. How fast the RAM will run depends on which speed processor you use, with processor above 2.66Ghz running the RAM at the current maximum speed. However, these top speed processors are also pretty expensive so we tend to recommend the 2.4GHz models, which do not quite run the RAM at top speed, but give you a healthy increase in power compared with the single processor machines without breaking the bank.
