Would be nice, wouldn’t it? The problem is that processor speed comparisons aren’t usually a matter of apples-to-apples numbers. Take the Pentium-M vs the Pentium 4. The P4 is a CPU designed for high clock speed and long micro-op queues. The P-M is much lower clockspeed but more efficient and with a large L2 cache (especially the recent Dothan line) so a P-M can be as fast as a P4 chip that’s 800MHz faster. You can’t even necessarily compare across CPU lines. There are differences in bus speeds, instruction sets, cache sizes, dual vs single-channel RAM, registered vs ECC vs unbuffered memory (yes, this can be CPU-dependant), instruction set support and HyperThreading. That’s why sites like AnandTech and TomsHardware test new products with a battery of tests and games with various test parameters. You’ll notice that very often products are faster or slower than compeditors based on the type of test done.
Unfortunately, some research (or asking experts) is required to figure out what’s best for your specific needs.
