it is common for techgeeks to talk in numbers such as megahertz number of processor cores clock time threads cache and other terms that would intimidate the firsttime buyers before purchasing a laptop purchasing a laptop is not as easy as it looks there are so many things one needs to consider and one of the most important things is the processor fitted in the laptop you can understand a processor as an integrated electronic circuit that performs calculations that allow your computer to run programs this integrated circuit does arithmetic logical calculations to perform various tasks today the words processor and computer processing unit cpu are interchangeably used however it is to be noted that the processor is not the cpu it is a part of the cpu similarly the graphics processing unit gpu is also a part of the cpu these components together make up the cpu of a laptop while buying a laptop you must look out for certain details about the processor and the kind of tasks it can run just before you get into the world of processors do know that there are only two processor making companies intel and amd you would be able to recognise intel processors such as i3 i5 i7 and others amd on the other hand boasts amd a8 amd a9 amd ryzen series refer to the table below to know which processor would suit your requirements then read the guide on how to choose a processorrequirements intel processor familiesamd processor familiesbrowsing or chatting intel celeron intel pentium intel core i3 amd a4 amd a6watching or streaming content intel core i3 amd a8 a10 amd ryzen 3office work or studyintel core i3 intel core i5 amd ryzen 5 amd ryzen 7programming intel core i5 intel core i7 amd ryzen 5 amd ryzen 7gamingintel core i5 intel core i7 amd ryzen 5 amd ryzen 7designing intel core i7 intel core i9 amd ryzen 7following are the steps to choose the right processor you can either purchase a laptop that contains the processor you want or you can upgrade your current processorhow to choose the right processor for your laptopchoose between amd intelcheck processor labels and generationsenquire about cores and threadsknow more about integrated graphics clocks and ipcpower and thermals specificationsstep 1 choose between amd and intelyou must be wondering when there are galaxies of laptops available to purchase from and each laptop is different from another one in one or more specifications then why do you have to select between only amd or intel when it comes to processor this is because amd and intel are the two largest manufacturers of processors till a few years ago if you were looking to purchase a budget laptop then you had no choice but to stick with intel fortunately amd has also landed in the budget laptop market space each of them varies in performance and what comes along with them there is no better or worse comparison for these two both