What is Processor?
The CPU (pronounced sea-pea-you) is the Central Processing Unit of the
computer. Also called as a processor, central processor, or microprocessor, A computer's CPU handles all instructions it receives from hardware and software running on the computer.
Tip: The CPU is also know as the brain of the
computer. However, it is more appropriate to refer to software as the brain and
the CPU as a very efficient calculator. A CPU is really good with numbers, but if it wasn't for the
software it wouldn't know how to do anything else.
Here is the picture of intel core i7:
Functions of Processor:-
1.
Fetch Each instruction is stored in memory and has
its own address. The processor takes this address number from the program
counter, which is responsible for tracking which instructions the CPU should
execute next.
2.
Decode All programs to be executed are translated to
into Assembly instructions. Assembly code must be decoded into binary
instructions, which are understandable to your CPU. This step is called decoding.
3.
Execute While executing instructions the CPU can do
one of three things: Do calculations with its ALU, move data from one memory
location to another, or jump to a different address.
4.
writeback The
CPU must give feedback after executing an instruction and the output data is
written to the memory.
CPU history:-
The CPU was first developed at Intel with the
help of Ted Hoff and others in
the early 1970's. The first processor released by Intel was the 4004 processor, shown in the
picture to the right.
Components oR Elements of the CPU:-
Ø
Components
Of The Processor
In the CPU, the primary components are
the ALU(Arithmetic Logic Unit) that performs mathematical,
logical, and decision operations and the CU (Control Unit) that directs all of the processors
operations.
A processor contains the following
components,
·
Control Unit -
fetches, decodes, executes instructions.
·
Arithmetic & Logic Unit -
performs arithmetic and logical operations on data.
·
Registers -
fast, on-chip memory inside the CPU, dedicated or general purpose.
·
Internal Clock -
derived directly or indirectly from the system clock
·
Internal Buses -
to connect the components
·
Logic Gates -
to control the flow of information
Types of Processor Connection:-
A processor connects directly to the
computer's motherboard. Processors can be categorized by the way they are
connected to the motherboard.
There are two main types of processor
connections to motherboards:
- Sockets
- Slots
Sockets:-
The processor socket (also called a CPU socket) is the connector on the
motherboard that houses a CPU and forms the
electrical interface and contact with the CPU. Processor sockets use a pin grid array (PGA) where pins on the
underside of the processor connect to holes in the processor socket. Computers
based on the Intel x86 architecture include socket processors.
Below the picture of CPU Socket LGA 775(T):
Slot:-
A slot is a computer processor connection designed to make
upgrading the processor much easier, where the user would only have to slide a
processor into a slot. The original slot, or Slot 1 (pictured below), was first released by the Intel Corporation in 1997 as a successor to the Socket 8. Later, AMD released another slot processor known as the Slot A in 1999. Both slots look similar but are not compatible.
Later, Intel released the Slot 2, which was a bigger slot used with the later
versions of the Pentium II processors. Today, slot processors are no longer
found in new computers and have been replaced by sockets.
A slot is another name for an expansion slot such as an ISA, PCI, AGP slot, or memory slots. See the motherboard definition for a visual example of all of these slots.
