[Azred]

That depends upon which processor you are buying. There are plenty of laptop CPUs that will outperform desktop CPUs even though they cost only $100 more (an amount chosen at random). You can find plenty of tech discussion boards where processor debates are heated and often wind up involving discussions of the other person's mother.

When someone is looking into getting a new computer, I advise them to begin by thinking about only two things: 1) how much are you willing to spend and 2) what do you want the computer to do? Once you answer those questions you may begin looking at computers, ruling out the ones not in your price range. Clearly, a gaming computer will need the best processor, video card, and as much memory as you can afford; a computer for general home, school, or office use doesn't need as much performance so more memory is the key factor.

Ironically, the people who seem to know the most about the technical minutae of computers and their internal components tend to make the worst choices, often because they are convinced that what they want is the best and no other options could possibly be better. I also see some of those people making choices that look "cool" rather than ones that will perform well, especially when they are building their own. Anyway....I am digressing.