text: That depends on which processor you are talking about.  The Pentium 4 tops out at 3.8GHz, the Pentium D tops out at 3.46GHz but the Pentium D is dual core and 64-bit.\n\nThe fastest AMD processor on the market is the Athlon FX-60 64-bit dual core processor which tops out at 2.8GHz but unlike the Intel Pentium D the Athlon FX-60 has two full 64-bit cores operating at 2.8GHz.  The Intel Pentium D on the other hand is composed of two 32-bit cores with a bridge to act as a 64-bit processor.  The AMD chip in a word crushes Intel.\n\nSo to answer your question THE FASTEST consumer processor at this moment is the Athlon 64 FX-60.\n\nCheck out the benchmarks at Tomshardware, http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/11/21/the_mother_of_all_cpu_charts_2005/page24.html