3 Tips for Choosing a Dell Desktop PC with AMD's Athlon 64
If you're looking for a desktop PC that uses an AMD processor, there are a number of Dell models on the market that feature the Athlon 64. These desktops can be used as a family computer in a household or an added workstation in an office. Learn more about choosing a desktop PC here.
What are some features of desktop PCs?
Desktop PCs have been a flexible and modular product since they were first introduced, and this makes them fairly simple to compare when shopping. There are several main features to watch for when considering a desktop PC. Here's a list of some of them.
- Central processor (CPU): The CPU is the baseline for the performance of any PC because a computer won't be able to run any faster than its processor can go. One way to evaluate a CPU's performance is to look at its benchmark score.
- System memory: System memory, also referred to as RAM, is the short-term storage that the CPU uses while the computer is powered on and executing software. More system memory will make multitasking and handling large amounts of data go faster.
- Hard drive: The hard drive is a computer's long-term storage. When software and media files are installed, this is where the files are kept to be loaded when needed.
- Graphics card: A dedicated graphics card is not a requirement for a desktop PC, but it does help if you want to play demanding games or edit videos.
Which Dell desktop PC models have the Athlon 64 processor?
Dell produced several desktop PCs for business and home customers that use the Athlon 64 processor. Some that you might find include PCs that are part of their OptiPlex and Dimension product lines.
What features does AMD's Athlon 64 processor have?
The Athlon 64 is Dell's eighth-generation microprocessor; it was first released in 2003 and continually produced until 2009. It was the second processor to use the AMD64 architecture and the first 64-bit processor targeted for use in consumer PCs. Athlon 64 processors were made to fit Socket 754, Socket 939, Socket 940, and Socket AM2 on various motherboards. Below is a list of some of this CPU's features:
- 64-bit architecture
- Clock speeds from 1 to 3.2GHz
- L1 cache and L2 cache between 128KB and 1MB
- Cool'n'Quiet speed throttling technology
- On-chip memory controller
- Support for DDR2 RAM added in 2007