CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)/ MICROPROCESSORS

The microprocessor performs all the arithmetic, and computing actions of a PC. You may see your PC as
a word processor, computer game, a World Wide Web browser, an e-mail tool or any of the other tasks
that you perform on your PC. In fact, each of these tasks is software that is made up of thousands of
instructions that the CPU executes one at a time to create the actions that you see and use. The
processor, which is short for both microprocessor and central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic
circuitry that uses digital logic to perform the instructions of your software.

Technically speaking, a microprocessor is an integrated circuit that contains millions of transistors that
are interconnected by small aluminum wires. The microprocessor’s processing capabilities control and
direct the activities of the PC by interacting with the other electronic components on the motherboard,
such as the main memory, bus structures, cache memory, and device interfaces.

There are two main Types:

Processor Socket Types

Socket types that are followed by a larger number are more current. For example, Socket 370is more
current than Socket 7. Processor technology and speed have improved with each update

Processor Slots

Slot-type processors are only on the market for a year. Intel moved from the socket configuration to a
processor packaged in a cartridge that fits into a slot in the motherboard for its Pentium II processor.
Similarly, AMD has progressed from Slot A, similar to Slot 1, to Socket A for its high-end AMD Athlon and
Duron processors.

HOW THE CPU WORKS:

The CPU contains three basic components: an input/output unit, one or more arithmetic logic units
(ALU), and a control unit. The I/O manages data and instructions entering and leaving the CPU. The
control unit manages all activities inside the CPU itself. The ALU unit does all comparisons and
calculations. The CPU also needs places to store data and instructions as it works on them. Registers