Table of Contents
Overview of microprocessor – CPU
CPU’s abbreviation is Central Prossing Unit, also known as data processing center, or simply understood, it is the brain that controls most of the remaining components in a computer. The function of the CPU is to process and analyze all data as it is entered into it, and it will handle all computational requests from the computer user.
Similar to the mainboard, the CPU is also a component that is rarely replaced in a computer set, mainly because of compatibility issues. A CPU needs a suitable mainboard to be installed. Normally, Intel changes the socket – where the CPU is installed about every 2 years, this is also the time when your CPU weakens significantly and needs to be upgraded, replaced, instead of just upgrading the processor, You have to replace the motherboard. AMD is much more lenient on the socket issue because they haven’t changed the socket in over 3 years and there is no sign that they will change the socket in the next few years.
To summarize, we have the following list of commonly replaced/upgraded components: RAM>Hard drive>Graphics card>Case>Power>CPU>Mainboard.
Important parameters of CPU
Compatibility
This issue has been mentioned in detail in the article “Building a PC Gaming configuration – Choosing a motherboard (mainboard)” so I won’t write it again.
Clock, core, thread count
These parameters are all clearly stated in the product names on the Biareview website, so you can quickly see and compare the processors with each other. But please note that only comparing the clock speed, core number, number of threads of CPUs of the same brand will give certain results. For example, in the image above you can immediately see that Core i5-9400F is definitely stronger than Core i3-8100 because it has more cores and higher clock speed. But it’s not certain that Ryzen 5 3400G is stronger than Core i3-8100 even though it has up to 4 more threads because those 2 CPUs simply come from 2 different brands.
So how many kernels is enough? Of course, the more the better, but you need to spend money on other components, especially discrete graphics cards (VGA). If you put too much money into VGA, the CPU will be too weak, then a bottleneck will occur. If you put too much money into the CPU, you won’t have enough budget for a strong VGA, so you can’t play games at “max settings”. Therefore, to easily choose the CPU that suits your needs and budget, Biareview has the following table:
Whether there is an integrated graphics card or not
You’re probably wondering why the Core i5-9400F is more powerful than the Core i3-8100 but the price is about $12 more expensive? Simply because the Core i5-9400F does not come with an integrated graphics card, that means you must have a separate graphics card to be able to turn on the computer. How to distinguish whether or not a CPU has an integrated card is very easy:
With Intel CPU: All codes ending in F mean there is no integrated graphics card, the remaining codes are yes.
With AMD CPU: All codes ending in G mean integrated graphics cards, the remaining codes do not.
If you choose to buy a gaming computer, there is a high possibility that you will have to buy a separate card, so does it make any difference whether the CPU has a separate card or not? The simple answer is for playing games, surfing the web, watching movies, editing documents, etc is no effect.
TDP
This is a parameter that is easily confused with CPU power consumption. Although in theory, the more power a CPU consumes, the more heat it generates, the opposite is not necessarily true. The simplest understanding is that these two parameters are not very related to each other. TDP is simply the heat dissipation level of the processor at its base clock speed, it shows how big a heatsink you need to equip your CPU. And reality shows that this parameter is not very reliable, for example the Core i9-9900K CPU has a TDP of 95W, which means the DeepCool Gammaxx L240 heatsink with a cooling capacity of 165W is completely satisfactory. But many tests showed that DeepCool Gammaxx L240 cannot effectively cool the Core i9-9900K CPU. Therefore, Biareview has a classification table for CPUs and corresponding heatsinks as follows:
| CPU | Recommended heatsink |
| Intel from Core i5-9400 and below AMD from Ryzen 5-3600 and below | The heatsink that comes with the CPU (stock) is enough |
| Intel from Core i5-9600K to Core i7-9700K AMD from Ryzen 5-3600X to Ryzen 7-3700X | Air radiator over $18 Dissipate any AIO Remove any custom |
| AMD Ryzen 3900X, 3950X | Noctua NH-D15 CPU Fan airsink or higher AIO cooler from Corsair Hydro Series H115i RGB PLATINUM and above Custom water cooler Custom Freezemod Elite RGB kit and above |
| Intel Core i9-9900K, Core i9-9900KS | Noctua NH-D15 CPU Fan airsink or higher AIO radiator from NZXT Kraken X72 RGB and above Freezemod Rainbow RGB P3 Kit custom cooler and above |
Summary
In short, to compare CPUs of the same brand, compare their clock speed, core count, and thread count. CPUs without integrated graphics cards are cheaper, allowing you to invest in additional graphics cards. If you only play games and do not livestream, then an Intel Core i5-9400F or AMD Ryzen 5-3600 CPU is enough combined with the most powerful graphics cards, most importantly, you will not have to worry about choosing the right heatsink for them.