The CPU is the brains of your computer, and the faster it goes, the faster you'll be able to get on with whatever it is you're doing. But should you go for AMD or Intel? Mono, dual, triple or quad-core? What do you need for gaming, office work or multimedia?

The CPU is the brains of your computer, and the faster it goes, the faster you'll be able to get on with whatever it is you're doing. The market is dominated by two big manufacturers, Intel and AMD, but the decisions don't stop there--is a dual-, a triple- or a quad-core processor best for you? And if you're upgrading, how do you know that a new processor is compatible with your existing hardware?

Are you little bit lost in the Product Face-Off for Processors? Don't panic, here's a summary of the performance of all the models we've tested using our latest procedures …

Various manufacturers allow us to use their hardware to complete our CPU tests. This is a list of the components we use for these tests.