Years ago it was really easy to tell the difference from one Intel processor to the next. For example, you knew that a 386 was better and faster than the 286. You also knew a Pentium 4 3.0GHz was faster and better than a Pentium 4 1.6GHz. It was decidedly easy to tell the differences.

Well, that’s not the case at present.

Intel in a way is "pulling a Microsoft" by renaming their CPUs with titles that leave potential buyers scratching their heads.

The new chip names are simplified but not informative. You’ve got the Core i3, i5 and i7. But the problem is that the names don’t say anything about what the CPUs have for capabilities at a glance.

Quick quiz questions:

How many cores does an i3 have? You probably didn’t know it was 2.

How many cores does the i5 have? It can be 2 or 4.

And the i7? Four physical cores, eight logical.

Now I’ll confuse you even more.

What type of socket does the i3 use? Give up? mPGA-989.

And the i5? LGA 1156.

The i7? Socket B (LGA 1366).

Three different chips. Three different sockets. Each has different ways of doing cores.

This isn’t exactly simplified if you asked me.

What would work for you?

The "slowest" Core i3 will run Windows Vista and Windows 7 with absolutely no problems whatsoever. When you go from single to multi-core it makes a huge difference. Outfitted with at least 2GB of RAM, a decent video card and a modern SATA connected hard drive, the machine would be fast, no question.

But as far as what I’d recommend, a four-core Core i5 would be the better buy. This is upper-middle-grade territory. Two more cores, cheaper than the i7, and even with the "slowest" 2.66GHz version it’s still a solid speedy performer.

For gamers, well.. yeah, we all know you’re going with the i7. It pwns the most noobs. Says so in the instruction manual under "pwning".