The CPU is the main engine in your system and has the biggest impact on system performance. It is impossible to know how fast any CPU is just by knowing the frequency and number of cores. A good analogy would be car engines. Two different 8 cylinder engines both running @ 6000 RPM can have dramatically different horsepower depending on their design specifics.

With each CPU we show a "Speed Rating", based on a Passmark CPU benchmark score. It lets you know how fast the CPU is compared to any other CPU. As a reference a CPUs will range from a Passmark score of "3000" for a very very basic value priced CPU to over "20,000" for a very very high powered commercial workstation / supercomputer CPU.