The processor world is a fast moving one. A soon as people get used to one technology, a completely new one appears to baffle you even more. So, what do you do? Come to PC Mechanic of course!

This guide will focus on the current technologies available from AMD on the desktop, and also some insight into what may be here next.

Right now, AMD are focusing on turning the world X86-64. This is a technology developed by AMD, which allows 64 bit programs to run on the chip, along with current 32 bit programs with no performance hit. This means you can run today’s 32 bit software, then when 64 bit takes hold you can simply upgrade the software with no hardware trouble. 64 bit programs are supposed to run faster, increasing performance over 32 bit programs. AMD’s mainstream and high end desktop processors are 64 bit, the server chips are 64 bit, and their laptop chips are 64 bit. If you buy a recent chip from AMD, chances are you will have a 64 bit chip unless you buy a budget processor, which I will go into later.

But, you would be foolish to think you are completely futureproof. Lets say you buy a 64 bit processor today, and later on when 64 bit software phases out 32 bit software you buy 64 bit software to replace your 32 bit software. How old would your processor be then? Very old. Consider that nearly all Windows software is 32 bit apart from beta software, and you can see why it will take so long to change the world to 64 bit. This is why Intel are only just bringing their 64 bit processors to market, there is no rush for 64 bit processing.

Ok, so into the actual processors. Basically there are 3 types of processors from AMD on the desktop, the Athlon 64, Sempron, and Sempron. That’s not a typo, there are two Semprons, and if you make the wrong decision you will regret it. One Sempron is based on the old K7 technology, while the other is based on the superior K8 technology. Lets explain the difference.