Basic Concepts Of Microprocessor

Microprocessor
A microprocessor is basically the brain of the computer. We can also
call it simply a processor or CPU. Furthermore, a microprocessor is
basically a computer processor that is mounted on a single IC
(Integrated Circuit). It means that all the functions of the processor are
included on a single chip. In 1971, Intel introduced the first commercial
microprocessor which was Intel 4004.

Furthermore, the basic task of a microprocessor is to input the

instructions from the memory, decode, and process them and produce
the output. It performs three basic tasks while processing the
information. They are as follows:

1. Performing some basic calculations using ALU for example, addition,

division, multiplication, subtraction, etc.
2. Moving data from one location to another.
3. It has a Program Counter (PC), which is a pointer that stores the
address of the next instruction. It keeps track of the PC and performs
instructions accordingly.

Types of Microprocessors
We have three basic types of microprocessors. They are as follows:

1. CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer)

As the name suggests, the instructions are in a complex form. It means

that a single instruction can contain many low-level instructions. For
example loading data from memory, storing data to the memory,
performing basic operations, etc. Besides, we can say that a single
instruction has multiple addressing modes. Furthermore, as there are
many operations in single instruction they use very few registers.

Examples of CISC are Intel 386, Intel 486, Pentium, Pentium Pro,
Pentium II, etc.

2. RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)

As per the name, in this, the instructions are quite simple, and hence,
they execute quickly. Moreover, the instructions get complete in one
clock cycle and also use a few addressing modes only. Besides, it makes
use of multiple registers so that interaction with memory is less.

Examples are IBM RS6000, DEC Alpha 21064, DEC Alpha 21164, etc.

3. EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing)

It allows the instructions to compute parallelly by making use of

compilers. Moreover, the complex instructions also process in fewer
clock frequencies. Furthermore, it encodes the instructions in 128-bit
bundles. Where each bundle contains three instructions encoded in 41
bits each and a 5-bit template. This 5-bit template contains information
about the type of instructions and that which instructions can be
executed in parallel.

Examples are IA-64 (Intel Architecture-64), etc.

Browse more Topics under Microprocessor

 Clock Speed
 Types of Microprocessor

Characteristics of a Microprocessor
There are three important characteristics of a microprocessor. They are
as follows:

 Clock Speed
 Word Size
 Instruction Set
Clock Speed

The speed at which a microprocessor can execute the instructions is

called the clock speed. Basically clock speed is the number of cycles
that the processor executes per second. We measure it
in MHz(MegaHertz) or GHz (Giga Hertz). Here, MHz means 1
million cycles per second and GHz means 1 billion cycles per second.
Moreover, a cycle basically means a single electric cycle. Besides,
every microprocessor has an internal clock that regulates the speed at
which it executes the instructions.

Word Size

It is the number of bits that a processor can process in a single

instruction. Furthermore, the word size decides the amount of RAM that
the processor can access at a time. Moreover, it also decides the number
of input and output pins on the microprocessor. These pins in to decide
the architecture of the processor.

The number of input and output pins is always equal. For example, the
first commercial processor Intel 4004 was a 4-bit processor. hence, it
has 4 input/output pins. Today, mostly 32-bit or 64-bit are used.

Instruction Set
An instruction is basically a command which tells the computer to
operate on some piece of data. The set of machine-level instructions that
a microprocessor executes is the instruction set. The operations
involved in the instructions can be as follows:

 Arithmetic operations
 Logical operations
 Data transfer
 Input/output operations
 control flow

Parts of a Microprocessor
The basic parts of a microprocessor are as follows:

 CPU
 Bus
 Memory
CPU (Central Processing Unit)

This is a really important part of a computer as it performs all the

processing parts of the computer. It processes the data and instructions
which the user gives. Moreover, it carries out the calculations and other
such tasks. Other names of CPU are Central Processor or Main
Processor. It has the following parts:

1. Arithmetic and Logical Unit

As the name suggests, this unit is responsible for performing arithmetic

tasks like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division moreover, it
also makes logical decisions like greater than less than, etc. And hence
the name, the ‘brain’ of the computer.

2. Control Unit

This unit is responsible for looking after all the processing. It organizes
and manages the execution of tasks of the CPU.

3. Registers

These are memory areas which the CPU directly uses for processing.
So, it’s function is to store data from input or store data between
calculations. Besides, it also stores the output results. Moreover,
accessing registers is much faster than accessing the RAM.

4. Decoder

It decodes the instructions from high-level language to machine

language and passes them to the CPU.

5. Instruction Register (IR)

It stores the instruction which will execute currently.

Bus

The functional components usually use a bus architecture for

communication. A bus is a collection of wires used for the
communication of different parts of a computer. Further, it uses electric
signals to pass the data and information.
Bus Architecture

Different Types of Buses used are:

1. Address Bus

The address bus is used to communicate the address of the given data
and instructions.

2.Data Bus

The data bus is used to communicate the data from one part to another.

3. Control Bus

The control bus is used to control the signals between different

devices. Therefore, in conclusion, we can say that these functional
components communicate through this bus architecture. The input
device takes the input, then the data is processed and the output devices
display the results. Besides, the system bus performs all the
communication that the cycle involves.

Memory

The parts of memory are:

Primary Memory

This is the internal memory that stores the data and instructions of the
CPU. It is volatile in nature (data is lost when the power is
disconnected).

The primary memory has two types:

1. RAM (Random Access Memory)

As per the name, data can be accessed randomly and quickly.

1. ROM (Read Only Memory)

As per the name, we can only read data and cannot write (store) to it.

Secondary Memory

As we know that the primary memory is volatile therefore, we need

some devices to store the data permanently so we use some external
storage devices for this purpose which we name as the secondary
memory. Some examples: CD, DVD, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is a microprocessor?

A1. A microprocessor is basically a computer processor that is mounted

on a single IC (Integrated Circuit). It means that all the functions of the
processor are included on a single chip.

Q2. What are the types of microprocessors?

A2. It has basically three types, they are as follows:

 CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer)
 RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)
 EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing)
Q3. What are the basic parts of a microprocessor?

A3. The basic parts are as follows:

 CPU
 Bus
 Memory