Ever been curious how L1 and L2 cache work? We're glad you asked. Here, we deep dive into the structure and nature of one of computing's most fundamental designs and innovations.

But the easier way to tell how well your processor stacks up against others is to simply look up benchmark results for the things you do regularly: office work, gaming, video encoding, etc.

A computer is a machine that executes a pre-written program—essentially a series of operations. This program is stored in memory, and the operations are carried out by the processor.

Processors work according to a clock that beats a set number of times per second, usually measured in gigahertz. For instance, a 3.1-GHz processor has a clock that beats 3.1 billion times per second.

Your CPU is at the center of your computer, handling the underlying math that makes your machine tick. In this guide, we show you how to choose a CPU.