Processor confusion

Buying a processor for my pc and having trouble understanding as im a bit of a newbie to pc building.
Could somebody explain exactly what determines the power/speed of a processor

i was confused by the fact some quad cores have 3.4ghz and there are sixcores taht have 3.3 or 3.2 ghz.

basically, what relelvance does the quantity of "cores" have in comparison to ghz?

Thanks in advance guys

Core's vs speed depends on what you want to do with your computer. For gaming a computer uses about 2-3 cores. So if were to pick up a 6 or 8 core processor you would be wasting your money because more than likely your game will never make use of all 6 or 8 cores. So to sum it up if you buying for pure gaming you want less cores and faster GHz speed. If you're doing something like 3d modeling more cores and slightly slower speeds is ok.
When you are buying a new processor you want to make sure of a few things

1) correct socket
2) correct TDP

Its always a good idea to check your motherboard compatablity list before you actually buy the CPU.

The thermal design power (TDP), sometimes called thermal design point, represents the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate. It refers to the maximum amount of energy that needs to be dissipated at stock speeds and voltages. Obviously if you increase power consumption (and thus heat output) significantly and you keep your cooling system strictly to the TDP it won't be good enough.

Simple question, ill give a simple reply.

Cores are like engines, they really "do" stuff.
Ghz is how fast they do that stuff.

The two aren't related. And because 2 CPU work at the same Ghz doesn't mean they can do the same amount of "stuff" per core.

Like a game, with much more variables than that. So like was said before What is your current CPU and Motherboard ? Motherboard is where the CPU is fastened. it usually is written on the motherboard the brand and model. The cpu model can be seen in Windows.