INTEL i7-3610QM (Sockel FCPGA988) 4x 3300MHz
| 07.04.2011 This is the best CPU for your HTPC and CarPC at the day I wrote this comment (07-Apr-2011) since it fulfil all ideal CPU requirement for the purpose: - Very High performance This 2nd generation Sandy Bridge is not comparable to previous core i3/i5/i7. It's 2 core, Hyperthreading (4 logical threads!), and new design makes this CPU surpass many powerful CPU in all application and realtime benchmark. It scores 3110 Passmark compared to i7 620M Turbo 2.67GHz (2790 Passmark) and i3 390M 2.67GHz (1960 Passmark). *Passmark = realtime application benchmark, not just synthetic/speed counter like SiSoft Sandra. With this powerful CPU you can boot your car PC on full Windows 7 Ultimate x86 in 11 seconds since you switch your PC on. - Powerful onboard graphic Intel HD Graphics 2000 eliminate your need to buy additional graphic card. Once again, it's not comparable to previous Intel onboard graphics. This DirectX 10.1 graphics performance is even higher than dedicated graphic card (i.e. Mobility Radeon 5430 and NVidia GeForce G 205M). Playing 1080p movies will draw less 3-10% CPU load, thanks to it's You can even play latest Call of Duty: Black Ops (2011) at your 800x480 7" Car LCD at 28 fps! - Multimedia dedicated MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, Intel 64, and smart cache makes all your multimedia run flawlessly at almost idle like CPU load. It's HD Graphics 2000 can even encode 3 minutes 1080p BluRay sample in 14 seconds! - Very low CPU TDP It consumes and dissipate 35 watt at full load, which I doubt you will ever reach in your HTPC or CarPC. Combined with Intel Speed Step and Smart Fan Tech, you can use many silent low profile HSF or the fanless one. You can even keep your stock fan (w/ Silent or Quite BIOS option) and can barely hear the fan in very close range. Perfect for audiophile HTPC. - It's not a mobile CPU It means you can use any LGA1155 Desktop board (from mini-ITX to full ATX) which is readily available anywhere and your options are vast. It's amazing since it's a 35W CPU and powerful too! - Relatively cheap For this desktop performance, low TDP, and high performance onboard graphic it's very cheap! You can deduct the need for mobile CPU chipset based motherboard and dedicated graphic card. Tips : Pair it with Intel H67 mini-ITX chipset motherboard and any SSD - and you'll be golden!
	INTEL i3-540 (Sockel LGA1156) 2x 3060MHz
| 07.04.2011 It's indeed a good CPU, but I would recommend Intel i3 2100T Sandy Bridge 2nd Gen instead (you can find it in cartft.com at the same price) instead of this one. - This CPU is very hot (73 watt) thus require bigger heatsink, noisier fan, and draw 6 Amps current from your car battery (just for the CPU) compared to 2100T at 35 watt. - It's onboard GMA graphic card is only good for decoding video/audio, compared to Intel HD Graphics 2000 in 2100T which can decode any 1080p movie at very low cpu load and can even encode 3 minutes BluRay sample in 14 seconds! It's also powerful for gaming at your car LCD (800x480) without additional dedicated graphic card - it even plays Call of Duty : Black Ops at 28 fps! -i3 2100T is about 11% faster on realtime application. It means faster boot for your carpc and faster performance on any application - at less than half heat and current draw. I hope this short review will help you choosing a better CPU for your CarPC and HTPC needs.