PROCESSOR (CPU)
The processor or “CPU” is the heart and integral part of the computer without which no modern computer could function. It sets the pace with its internal structure of the entire assembly and therefore affects the overall performance of the PC to the maximum extent. The choice of processor defines the PC as a whole.
There are many processors, but we will be interested in 3 basic platforms:
- INTEL
- AMD
- ARM
INTEL
It is the most widespread platform around the world, it stands out primarily for its price, but also for its performance. Intel made its mark mainly from the beginning of the computer era when it was the only one able to supply an extreme amount of XEON type CPUs (lots of cores and lots of threads) for the needs of servers, CENTRINO type CPUs which were widely used at the time of the first thin laptops with long endurance, however, it was still only about office machines and even though gamers had a choice at the time, INTEL was always on top. The first big revolution in processors came with the first Core-i3 (two-core) processor, followed by Core-i5 (four-core) and then Core-i7 (eight-core). Intel switched to TurboBOOST 2.0 technology and added Hyperthreading (multi-threaded processing, which until then was the domain of practically only data centers, servers and video editing assemblies). At that time, however, there was significant competition from AMD. So INTEL started pushing the saw and today we have the core-i3/i5/i7/i9 of the twelfth generation, which is still considered mainstream both in the work sphere and in the gaming world... We also like to use INTEL in our sets because it has the widest support and in in principle, it will always be cheaper than competing platforms.
INTEL is characterized by a cooler thermal profile, low consumption, wide and high frequencies and the possibility of OVECLOCKING, which we will talk about below in the article because it goes across technology.
AMD
AMD has always been Intel's biggest competitor both in industrial use and in the gaming world. At the time of the Intel Centers, AMD had the primary PC platform X2/X4 ATHLON, which has survived to this day in a greatly changed form known as ATHLON A6/8/10. Furthermore, the series known for its name architectures and that is BULLDOZER processors of the FX series.. Which were the most powerful and basically had unlocked multipliers so they could be clocked at incredible frequencies. here it should be noted that one of the records a youtuber known as "RX4D" got his FX-8320e over 10.2GHz. all four "Bulldozer cores". But such technology brings a problem and that is waste or lost heat and that is the real Achilles heel of AMD.. More than one joker when asked what CPU I have in my PC will answer "heating".. Which is still true of AMD even today despite the fact that it was Bulldozer technology overcome. So, in contrast to Intel, you need massive coolers and good airflow. Next, the server-based EPYC, which greatly surpassed Intel in terms of numbers, but the frequencies were extremely low and this kept it on the edge. AMD has learned from everything they have achieved and dealt a significant blow to Intel when it gave birth to the RYZEN and THREDRIPPER processors, which dominate the gaming world today, as many well-known components are created due to their popularity and expansion, and at the same time, thanks to this, AMD tries to push down the price. Another benefit of AMD is the production of its own GPUs (graphics cards), it creates its HW from the beginning much better set up for cooperation in the family circle of products, which today keeps it in the limelight of the gaming world more than ever before. It should be noted that AMD is more expensive than the previously mentioned Intel, sometimes even by tens of percent, but for your money you will get unrivaled performance from AMD.
AMD is characterized by extreme performance at the cost of a higher price, higher cooling requirements and more expensive components.
ARM
ARM processors are generally called SoC (or System on Chip) and are found everywhere in your phones, smart TVs, but also, for example, in refrigerators. But what is important for us is their performance vs consumption. everyone knows it.. You sit at home in front of your PC and turn on PUBG and hey.. FPS drops below 25 and the game is not only unplayable but unwatchable and at the same moment you pull your phone out of your pocket and join the fight and you are declared the winner and at the same time you have 1080P resolution in both cases what is it?? It's a difference in the ARM architecture, the platform is primarily unix (i.e. supporting primarily linux) and so it's much more efficient in the case of gaming and you enjoy absolutely smooth action.. how is that possible, you have a super budget PC after all.. as I said, it works about the combination of several factors Unix operating system, higher FPS/watt efficiency, completely different architecture... but why are we writing about it? Because everyone, young and old, wants to play and the manufacturers know it well... And so Qualcomm came up with the Snapdragon 8cx processor. here you can see its battle with the mainstream i5 from Intel https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/snapdragon-8cx-vs-core-i5/ it's not klasicwhich X86/X64 platform like Intel and AMD, but an X86 emulator has been cleverly forged inside and thanks to this you can install klasicoperating system instead of Unix and play and work just like on your PC with the difference that the consumption is 10x lower and the performance is identical... Although it is one of the first swallows, but as a Unix lover (Arch Linux, Manjaro, OpenSuse) I am incredibly looking forward to the first ARM dedicated gaming platform with the capabilities of a regular PC (not like PS or Xbox) I am looking forward to this year's news, which we will inform you about in the weekly blog on our website.
Now we will talk about how to choose the best processor for your needs and you will get an overview of performance measurement and thus the possibility to more appropriately choose a CPU for your setup according to your work or gaming PC.
A very suitable and well-known program is "PassMark" and "PCMark" which carry out the so-called "BENCHMARK" (a test of the PC assembly for stability, performance and detection of possible problems). whole, whether some components together do not create a HW/SW problem that can cause system instability. Every computer from us passes a very decent 4-hour test. Workingly called "Baptism of Fire" where all components artificially reach their maximum and are left in this way for the entire duration of the test.. For such assemblies, we monitor the correct function of cooling, stability, FPS drops, and overall stability of the assembly's performance.. In case something is always wrong we can only find a solution by updating and setting the bios, replacing components, or debugging the SW. We always communicate this with each customer individually, and everyone takes home a test certificate with written test values and a successful burn-in test. Then all you have to do is unpack the PC and start working, playing, watching YT or start streaming. You can get the programs here from the links listed below
https://benchmarks.ul.com/pcmark10 https://www.passmark.com/
And since you already know how it works, we will demonstrate 2 examples in practice. I chose the same graphics cards for both, we will distinguish between Intel vs Amd processors and you will immediately recognize the difference in performance.
How can you see the same GPU (graphics card) and different CPU (processor) the difference in frequencies -100MHz for AMD and still it can beat Intel solidly.. How is that?? It's about efficiency. what Intel drives with AMD frequencies can make up for SMT technology (super multi treding), which increases its efficiency even at lower frequencies, and sometimes even 15-25%, of course it is more expensive, but the performance is indisputable. This is only one example of a player in the case of applications that use nothing but the first 2 cores and not threads, so Intel will dominate by 5-7%, but it will. so again the important question is what will the PC be used for.. The more we know your requirements, the more likely we will find the most suitable machine for you..
So at this point we have an approximate idea of what is the most suitable option for us according to our needs. But what to do if you want to share your gaming experiences with the whole world? How to do it? what do we need for that? and how will it affect us in this CPU? we will explain that here.
So.. What CPU for streaming? That's a tricky question.. So let's first explain the basics because this option depends on several factors. First of all, we will take the reference “AMD PC” with Ryzen 5. We will stream APEX LEGEND in 4K and we know that under such conditions it will give us a beautiful 106FPS. cases up to 30% Processing all events + sound processing and sending all of this over the network to the world under some profile simply takes a bite out of the performance... So we can afford to stream from 4K but only 60FPS so that the game experience is stable for both players and viewers on platforms. In the case of the reference “PC INTEL” with Core I-7 in 4K we have only 88 FPS. So with a 30% performance cut, we cannot expect a smooth 60FPS, so it will be necessary to settle for only 2K (1440p) at 60FPS... And the difference here is really "ONLY" in the type and performance of the processor, which drastically decides the result, although the graphics cards are identical and Ryzen is 100MHz weaker than Intel.. So you can say that for a stream in 4K 60FPS you need a CPU with 22182 points or better. 
22182 Points
In general, it can be said that streaming between 1080p and 4K requires performance equal to the performance of a Core i5 4th generation, i.e. 4 cores, 4 threads, approximately over 3GHz, such a processor has 5392 points. This performance is necessary for the streaming itself without the PC doing anything more.
That's why the decision about which CPU to use is extremely important.. And that's why every build should start with the choice of CPU. We always do it that way, and thanks to us, you now know it too..
Thermal Profile (TDP)
As I mentioned, another factor influencing the choice is the thermal profile.. for a computer for gaming, video editing and streaming, it is necessary to count on good cooling and therefore noisier operation, which can be limited by several factors that we will talk about. Silent operation and low temperatures, so even more compact packaging can be expected for office and multimedia PCs.. Furthermore, this parameter also affects the compactness of the design, because a 16cm cooler simply does not fit into MiniITX..
With gaming setups, you need to pay close attention to the proper cooling of the CPU, regardless of the type (even though we all know that AMD is a champion in high temperatures, including GPUs). So, let's talk about TDP, aka Thermal Design Power. So we are talking about the maximum heat loss of the processor, which is the ratio between the voltage and the current that the processor can withstand in the worst conditions.. that is, its healthy maximum for which the manufacturer guarantees functionality for the duration of the warranty period.
Each processor has this value elsewhere.. High TDP does not always mean high performance, as we have to look at it in relation to CPU generations where each next generation has a higher frequency, higher performance, lower or the same consumption. Consumption is given in units of Watt.. For example Core-i5 4670K, TDP-84Watt.
So with AMD, we generally have to count on a larger cooler, i.e. a maximum of MicroATX case for clasicof air, as the TDP for AMD is on average 75-125W. On the contrary, coolers from INTEL with "similar" performance (benchmark points) can also be used with MiniITX, as its average TDP is approx. 65-84W. Bad choice of cooling results in rapid destruction of the processor, or a slower variant where lags, shutter and finally an extreme drop in performance gradually appear. In the best case, you will "only" not reach the nominal performance.
However, air cooling, thermal pastes and water cooling will be its own chapter, which we will talk about in another article, where we will discuss it in detail...
I learned more concepts, understood more deeply the compactness of CPU selection and now we will look at something that interests every gamer and that is…
OVERCLOCKING (OC)
Asai's most interesting, most mysterious and least valued ability was to be able to squeeze more FPS from the CPU without burning it.. Previously, you had to set everything in the bios and understand individual terms.. Today, Overclocking is simply "OC" basically a toy.. Most modern bios today has an OC button or a PERFORMANCE mod.. So you can solve everything with one click without fear and without BSOD (blue death) For Deep OC you still need to know a lot of parameters and their mutual interaction.. The basis is the multiplier, CPU voltage, frequency cores and bus speed. Thanks to this, even a less experienced user can safely achieve up to 10-15% increase in performance without having to modify the cooling or anything else. Lately he hit PODVOLTAVÁNÍ. paradoxically, by reducing the voltage and maintaining the frequency, the current will also drop and thus the temperature, which will allow higher performance and a reduction in FPS drops and an increase in fluidity, since the processor can practically never throttle again, or reach the maximum TDP, and as part of "self-defense" the CPU will automatically reduce the frequency and thereby cool down which results in an enormous drop in performance.