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Functions of the Control Unit The functions performed by the control unit vary greatly by the internal architecture

of the CPU, since the control unit really implements this architecture. On a complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor that executes x86 instructions natively the control unit performs the tasks of fetching, decoding, managing execution and then storing results. On a x86 processor with a RISC core, the control unit has significantly more work to do.[citation needed]It manages the translation of x86 instructions to RISC micro-instructions, manages scheduling the micro-instructions between the various execution units, and juggles the output from these units to make sure they end up where they are supposed to go. On one of these processors the control unit may be broken into other units (such as a scheduling unit to handle scheduling and a retirement unit to deal with results coming from the pipeline) due to the complexity of the job it must perform. The control unit coordinates the input and output devices of a computer system. It fetches the code of all of the instructions in the micro programs. It directs the operation of the other units by providing timing and control signals.

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