<b>Updated</b> CPU Cheatsheet - Seven Years of Covert CPU Operations

Introduction to the Processor Charts

Before we get to the actual charts, I want to take a minute to make clear how the charts are organized. Due to the number of features involved with modern processors, it can become difficult to determine which CPU is actually faster when comparing different models. For example, do you go with the 2250 MHz Athlon XP using the Thoroughbred core, which has a 2800+ model number, or should you go with the 2000 MHz Athlon XP that uses the Barton core, which also has a 2800+ model number? With Intel, it can be even more difficult: you have different cache sizes, bus speeds, and even architectures.

Since I figure a lot of people may actually find some sort of relative sorting useful, I have attempted to do this. How you wish to rate the various factors is of course a topic that could be debated ad nauseum . What I am presenting is by no means a definitive answer on which model is faster, but it should give a rough estimate. Below are the various families of processors and the weighting values that I used. I then took the weight factor and multiplied that by the actual clock speed to come up with a final performance ranking.

Since this is simply a rough estimate on my part, I am not including these ranking values in the actual charts, but they are how I sorted the data. Really, the reason for their existence was to get a sorting function that more or less agreed with my own personal opinion, so if I happen to have missed a processor, or if a new processor is released, I can simply add in the processor(s) to the chart and resort it. I'm open for suggestions on how these ratings might be improved, but please realize that there will never be a definitive formula, as relative performance depends on what specific code you are running.

If you don't like math or don't really care to know precisely how the charts are sorted, feel free to just skip to the next page. This is only for people that really want to know details. Also, the weighting factors are within each family - they have no correlation with other processor families. (So don't get upset that the Dothan has a 1.6 weighting and Athlon FX only has 1.15!) With that said, here are the weighting factors that I used.

Duron, Athlon, Athlon XP and Sempron

 64K L2 + 100 MHz bus = 0.7
 64K L2 + 133 MHz bus = 0.75
256K L2 + 100 MHz bus = 0.8
256K L2 + 133 MHz bus = 0.85
256K L2 + 166 MHz bus = 0.9
512K L2 + 133 MHz bus = 0.95
512K L2 + 166 MHz bus = 1.0
512K L2 + 200 MHz bus = 1.05

Athlon 64

 256K L2 + single-channel (Socket 754) = 0.9
 512K L2 + single-channel (Socket 754) = 0.95
1024K L2 + single-channel (Socket 754) = 1.0
 512K L2 + dual-channel   (Socket 939) = 1.04
1024K L2 + dual-channel   (Socket 940) = 1.11
1024K L2 + dual-channel   (Socket 939) = 1.15

Celeron 2 and Pentium 4

 128K L2 +  400 FSB =            0.6
 256K L2 +  400 FSB =            0.75
 256K L2 +  533 FSB =            0.80
 512K L2 +  400 FSB =            0.84
 512K L2 +  533 FSB =            0.91
1024K L2 +  533 FSB =            0.93
1024K L2 +  800 FSB =            0.98
 512K L2 +  800 FSB =            1.0
 512K L2 +  800 FSB + 2048K L3 = 1.15
2048K L2 + 1066 FSB =            1.2

Mobile Celeron, Mobile P4, Celeron M and Pentium M

 128K L2 + 400 FSB =             0.6
 256K L2 + 400 FSB =             0.75
 256K L2 + 533 FSB =             0.80
 512K L2 + 533 FSB + Northwood = 0.91
1024K L2 + 533 FSB + Prescott =  0.93
 512K L2 + 400 FSB + Dothan =    1.25
 512K L2 + 400 FSB + Banias =    1.3
1024K L2 + 400 FSB + Dothan =    1.35
1024K L2 + 400 FSB + Banias =    1.4
2048K L2 + 400 FSB =             1.5
2048K L2 + 533 FSB =             1.6