A number of various processors in the market always make me confused when I have to compare identical processors, although their prices and feature set help me a lot to differentiate them easier (however for getting accurate idea about their performances evaluation is necessary). I am sure this problem happens to many enthusiasts and oriented-costumers, because Intel has thought about this problem seriously and has started to rank its desktop and laptop processors (except Atom CPUs) since April 1st to help out the consumers to choose the right Intel processor easier. Intel has also livened up its traditional “Intel inside” logo with different color to differentiate the brands like Core 2 Due, or Core 2 Due Extreme etc from each other. 
PC Magazine reported:
On April 1 Intel began placing point-of-sale placards and other promotional materials in stores displaying between one to five stars. The company has also jazzed up its chip logos, adding a bit of color to the almost-uniform Intel blue.
Five-star desktop processors include the Intel Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme; four-star processors include the Q9300+ and E8000 series. Three-star processors include the Q8000 series and E7000 series. Intel has drawn a more distinct line between the three- and two-star designations, placing the Pentium line in its own two-star category. At the bottom of the heap is the Celeron, a one-star chip.
The stars have been given mainly according to two factors: performance and features like the "turbo boost" capability. This way Intel thinks that distinguishing between two identical processors such as quad core 2.5-GHz Q8300 CPU (1,333-MHz front-side bus with 4 Mbytes of cache) with three stars and quad core 2.5 GHz Q9300 CPU (featuring 1,333-MHz front-side bus with 6 Mbytes of cache) with four stars will be easier.
The revised logos also come with a little color change but they keep the same footprint of the traditional “Intel inside” logos.
Although the star rating makes easier the purchase of Intel processors, it is not very accurate and evaluation of CPU with simulated and real-world applications is necessary. However, I like the idea and I hope that other CPU makers like AMD and even graphic makers like NVIDIA try to follow Intel or find a better solution to evaluating and distinguishing CPUs or graphics card easier.
image courtesy of PC Magazine
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