S U B J E C T RE P O R T : C E N T R A L P R O C E S S I N G

U N I T ( C P U)

Prepared by: dejen ense

1.
CPU Definition
Stands for "Central Processing Unit." The CPU is the
primary component of a computer that processes
instructions. It runs the operating system and applications,
constantly receiving input from the user or active software
programs. It processes the data and produces output,
which may stored by an application or displayed on the
screen.
The CPU contains at least one processor, which is the
actual chip inside the CPU that performs calculations. For
many years, most CPUs only had one processor, but now
it is common for a single CPU to have at least two
processors or "processing cores." A CPU with two
processing cores is called a dual-core CPU and models
with four cores are called quad-core CPUs. High-end
CPUs may have six (hexa-core) or even eight (octo-core)
processors. A computer may also have more than one
CPU, which each have multiple cores. For example,
a server with two hexa-core CPUs has a total of 12
processors.
2.

CPU overview
The picture below is an
example of what the top
and bottom of an
Intel Pentium processor
may look. The processor is
placed and secured into a
compatible CPU socket
found on
the motherboard.
Processors produce heat,
so they are covered with
a heat sink to keep them
cool and running
smoothly.
As seen in the picture above, the CPU
chip is usually square with one
notched corner to help make sure it's
properly inserted into the CPU socket.
On the bottom of the chip are
hundreds of connector pins that plug
into each of the corresponding holes
in the socket. Today, most CPU's
resemble the picture shown above.
However, Intel and AMD have also
experimented with slot
processors that were much larger and
slid into a slot on the motherboard.
Also, over the years, there have been
dozens of different types of sockets on
motherboards. Each socket only
supports specific types of processors
and each has its own pin layout.
What does the CPU do?
The CPU's main function is to take input from
a peripheral (keyboard, mouse, printer, etc)
or computer program, and interpret what it
needs. The CPU then either outputs
information to your monitor or performs the
peripheral's requested task.

CPU history

The CPU was first developed at Intel with the

help of Ted Hoff and others in the early
1970s. The first processor released by Intel
was the 4004 processor, shown in the
picture.
Components of the CPU
In the CPU, there are two primary
components.

1. ALU (arithmetic logic unit) - performs

mathematical, logical, and decision operations.

2. CU (control unit) - directs all the processors

operations.

Over the history of computer processors, the

speed (clock speed) and capabilities of the
processor have dramatically improved. For
example, the first microprocessor was the
Intel 4004 that was released on November
15, 1971, and had 2,300 transistors and
performed 60,000 operations per second.
The Intel Pentium processor has 3,300,000
transistors and performs around
188,000,000 instructions per second.
Types of CPUs
In the past, computer
processors used numbers to
identify the processor and help
identify faster processors. For
example, the Intel 80486
(486) processor is faster than
the 80386 (386) processor.
After the introduction of the
Intel Pentium processor (which
would technically be the 80586),
all computer processors started
using names like Athlon, Duron,
Pentium, and Celeron.

Today, in addition to the

different names of computer
processors, there are different
architectures (32-bit and 64-
bit), speeds, and capabilities.
Below is a list of the more
common types of CPUs for home
or business computers.
Any questions