Desktop Processors
First off is the desktop market. These processors are best for general home users who want a reliable system. The high end ones are suitable for gamers and graphic artists, but all are made for home users and workstations.

High End Chips

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 - Prescott Core
Release Date: Early 2004
Speed Range: 2.4 GHz (533 MHz FSB) to 3.8 GHz (800 MHz FSB)
Price Average: $200 - $300

Pros
The new Prescott chips are quite promising, offering speeds up to 3.8 GHz, a bumped up Level Two cache (1MB) and the new 90 nanometer architecture. Starting with the 560J model, Intel made the Prescott the first chip with an XD (execute disable) bit, for a workstation computer. It provides advanced security technology for both your computer and your network (for more information, view Intel’s official information page). All the Prescott chips include Hyper-Threading technology, something relatively new to the desktop market, which allows the operating system to actually see two processors and do tasks faster. These chips are excellent for gamers, high end users, or someone who likes a lot of power.

Cons
The Prescotts are still somewhat in the “experimental” category, the older ones had some heat and stability issues. The performance edge over a comparable Northwood Core is marginal, but the Northwood core is more proven. The prices range greatly, from $135 - $795, depending on the socket type, speed, and features you wish to get

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 - Newcastle / Clawhammer Core
Release Date: Late 2003
Speed Range: 1.8 GHz - 2.6 GHz (FSB Integrated on Chip)
Price Average: $150 - $250

Pros
The Athlon 64 boasts as the first affordable desktop chip with 64 bit instructions. An excellent chip for the price, the 64 provides speed, stability, and the future promise of running 64 bit applications. It is meant for gamers and video editors, but is plausible for a home user or a workstation because of its price. It also offers a nice Level 2 cache of 1 MB in the FX class chips.

Cons
A vast majority of current software on the market will not utilize the 64 bit capabilities of this chip. The only desktop OS to support 64 bit processors is Linux, and even most software for it is written for a 32 bit processor. While it may provide a promising future and start developers thinking in terms of 64 bit, by the time it is mainstream in the software world, there will be newer, better processors out there. Prices of the Athlon 64s also vary greatly depending on features and speed, anywhere from $128 - $965.

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 - Extreme Edition - Northwood Core
Release Date: Early 2004
Speed Range: 3.2 GHz - 3.4 GHz (800 MHz FSB)
Price Range: $899 - $999

Pros
The Extreme Edition is the processor of any gamer’s dreams. A Level 3 cache of 2 MB makes this chip great for games and heavy loads. Basically, has all the same pros and cons of the regular Northwood, but has some performance tweaks here and there to push every ounce of power out of it. Designed and targeted specifically at gamers and high performance users.

Cons
Most of the cons for the Northwood are also true for this chip, except for it tends to run a bit hotter.