So, I was looking around for CPUs, (Building my computer for the first time) and came across two brands. Intel and AMD

And, i was looking, and reading, and found out that Intel was the first to employ a dual processor system, through their Pentium D, then followed by AMD one month later. What's the difference of Pentium D, Core Duo, and Core 2 Duo ? How does it compare to the AMD Athlon 64 X2 ?

I'm quite confused now, since I saw that, for the same clock speed mentioned, AMD Athlon 64 X2 seems a lot cheaper than Core 2 Duo. Haven't seen any Core Duo around in the newegg.com yet, but Pentium D is a lot cheaper, compared to Core 2 Duo, with the same clock speed.

Or am i wrong to assume that clock speed is the most important thing, to measure a processor?

I was thinking of buying either a "Intel Core 2 Duo E6400" or "AMD Athlon 64 X2 X4600"

But, to compare the prices and clock speed, Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 = $ 187
AMD Athlon 64 X2 X4600 = $ 115

How can this be so obvious?

Yeah with newer processors, the clock speed really doesn't mean all that much, it's more the architecture itself. Basically the best way to see a fair and acurate view of all the latest processors, you need to check out various benchmarks.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html
There ^^ is a great link that will take you to an interactive CPU chart in which you can set variables for different benchmarks (such as gaming, virus scanning, audio editing etc) and really see for yourself how different processors perform when stacked up against one another. Once you've checked that out it's really just a judgement of price, and taking into consideration what you will be needing for day to day use.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that chart, someone posted about it in my last thread, asking about this also. lol

So, basically depending on the program you're running, the performance differs?

Yes. That's the skinny of it. It is pointless to sort out clock speeds and so on. The only thing that matters is performance, power consumption and heat generation. So you pick a price category and see which processor fits best.

After looking at the charts for a while, it seems like AMD is more like always in the middle of the chart, and Intel is on top of the chart, and the bottom of the chart.

However, the ones in the bottom of the charts are normally Pentium 4. lol

I'm still not sure of which one to buy though... oh well... I'm only gonna build the pc in three months time, any prediction that the price of Core 2 Duo will drop? It seems like if the prices of Core 2 Duo drops, it'd be a better deal.

The fastest Core 2 Duo is faster than the fastest Athlon X2, but unless you plan on spending $500-$1000 on a processor that doesn't matter. Remember to look at the price. As far as I know the only price drop coming from Intel is on the Core 2 Quads.

How significant do you think the drop will be, Alpha?

Rumor has it that it is something like this:What you need to remember is that most programs can't make use of a quad core processor.

Hmm...

I tried a few charts, and on one or two the Intel chip was fastest, on one or two others, the AMD.

Mostly, right now, what Alpha said is correct - the fastest Intel chip is faster than the fastest AMD.

But, one could also say that some of the new AMD CPU's are faster than some of Intel's new CPUs.

From a practical standpoint, the advice "pick a price category and see which processor fits best" is what most folks end up doing.

Besides the CPU, the systemboard you select will have an appreciable bearing on the performance of your system, too, as will the RAM and the video card.

No matter what you buy, there will be something faster and better in a few months or so after you put yours together, and it may even be less expensive. That's just the nature of the beast, so you've really got to put that out of the way or you'll never be happy.

That, is actually the thing that i can't get out of my mind. I kept telling myself that the processor is gonna get outdated, and that i should buy the newest one, when i don't have the money to.

But, there won't be any significant drop on the price of Core 2 Duo in the next 3 months would there?

The CPU's have a fixed clock speed - and it's as fast as the maker thinks that it can go. BUT, the decisions they make on how to use the onb0ard cache is the determining factor in how fast the processor appears to you.

If the cache is optimized for gaming, you'll get good gaming results - but the other results won't be optimized (but may work just as well - or may not). That's why they're different, because of the balancing act that the manufacturer's do with the signals. The best way (IMO) is to pick one that does the best in the benchmark that most closely resembles the primary use of your system.

Not long ago the conventional wisdom was that you didn't need a dual core processor because not much software took advantage of it. Well, look at things now! So with a quad core it's just a matter of figuring out when quad core capable programs will be out in significant amounts.