The Latest from AMD is the Quad-Core Phenom range. The AMD Phenom processors are the most advanced processors for true multitasking offering true quad-core design. AMD Phenom processors deliver virtually uninterrupted information flow between processor cores, main memory and graphics and video accelerators for amazingly rapid system response and phenomenal system performance.
CPU frequency - The frequency of the CPU, usually measured in Ghz, shows the speed of the internal core of the CPU. This isn't the main performance indicator, you should also look at the cache and the amount of cores the CPU has.
Cache - Used by the CPU to reduce the average time to access memory. The cache is a smaller, faster memory which stores copies of the data from the most frequently used main memory locations.
