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Chapter Three

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Chapter Three

Uploaded by

ibrahin mahamed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter Three

The processor/ CPU


 CPU is the “brain” of any computer which does all of the calculations and performs
90 percent of all the functions of a computer. It is the busiest and most expensive
chip(component) in the system.
 Also called microprocessor or processor -- is a complete computation engine that is
fabricated on a single chip. The first microprocessor was the Intel 4004, introduced
in 1971. The 4004 was not very powerful -- all it could do was add and subtract, and
it could only do that 4 bits at a time. But it was amazing that everything was on one
chip. Prior to the 4004, engineers built computers either from collections of chips or
from discrete components (transistors wired one at a time). The 4004 powered one
of the first portable electronic calculators.
 The first microprocessor to make it into a home computer was the Intel 8080, a
complete 8-bit computer on one chip, introduced in 1974. The first microprocessor
to make a real splash in the market was the Intel 8088, introduced in 1979 and
incorporated into the IBM PC (which first appeared around 1982).
 Latter, the PC market moved from the 8088 to the 80286 to the 80386 to the 80486
to the Pentium to the Pentium II to the Pentium III to the Pentium 4. All of these
microprocessors are made by Intel and all of them are improvements on the basic
design of the 8088. The Pentium 4 can execute any piece of code that ran on the
original 8088, but it does it about 5,000 times faster!
 Intel and AMD(Advanced Micro Devices) are the well know processor
manufacturers.
 The Processor bus also called Front‐Side Bus. Is the communication pathway
between the CPU and the Motherboard chipset.
 There are several factors that affect the performance of a processor. Among them
are availability of a math coprocessor, clock speed, data bit width and bus, internal
cache memory, and supporting circuitry.
 Math Coprocessor: What it does is increase the speed of calculations that involve
floating decimal point operations (such as calculations for algebra and statistics).
Since the introduction of the 486, the math coprocessor has been built into the
processor.
 Clock Speed: The clock speed is the frequency with which a processor executes
instructions. This frequency is measured in millions of cycles per second, or
megahertz (MHz).

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 CacheMemory: is a storage area for frequently used data and instructions. It
requires a small amount of physical RAM that can keep up with the processor.
 The Bus: The computer’s bus moves information into and out of the processor and
other devices. A bus allows all devices to communicate with each other.
The following table helps you to understand the differences between the different
processors that Intel has introduced over the years.
Clock Data Bus Speed
Name Date Transistors Microns MIPS
speed width

8080 1974 6,000 6 2 MHz 8 bits 0.64

8088 1979 29,000 3 5 MHz 8-bit 0.33

80286 1982 134,000 1.5 6 MHz 16 bits 1

80386 1985 275,000 1.5 16 MHz 32 bits 5

80486 1989 1,200,000 1 25 MHz 32 bits 20

75-266MHZ
Pentium 1993 3,100,000 0.8 60 MHz 100
32-bit

Pentium 32 bits 233-450MHZ


1997 7,500,000 0.35 233 MHz ~300
II

Pentium 32 bits 450-


1999 9,500,000 0.25 450 MHz ~510
III 1400MHZ

Pentium 1300-
2000 42,000,000 0.18 1.5 GHz ~1,700
4 64-bit 3800MHZ
 A microprocessor executes a collection of machine instructions that tell the processor
what to do. Based on the instructions, a microprocessor does three basic
things/functions:
 Using its ALU (Arithmetic/Logic Unit), a microprocessor can perform mathematical
operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
 A microprocessor can move data from one memory location to another.
 A microprocessor can make decisions and jump to a new set of instructions based
on those decisions.
 AMD , the next leading microprocessor manufacturer next to Intel has also introduced
processors named AMDK5,K6, Duron, Athlon, Athlon XP, AMD 64 etc.
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 To determine the transfer rate for the processor bus, you multiply the data bus width
(e.g 64 bits for a Celeron/Pentium III/4 or Athlon /Duron) by the clock speed of the
FSB.
 For example, if you are using a Pentium III, 1.3GHZ that runs at a 133MHZ Motherboard
speed, you have a maximum instantaneous transfer rate of roughly as 133.33 MHZ x 8
bytes(64 bits)=1066 MB/sec. With Socket 423/478 (Pentium 4 which is 400 MHZ FSB),
you get 400 MHZ x 8 bytes (64 bits) =3,200 MB/sec.
 Processors plays significant role in performance, software support, reliability and
stability, energy consumption, motherboard support etc.
 Processor function …
 Processors generally can be Pin Graphics Array (PGA) which is fitted to sockets or
Single Edge Contact (SEC) which is fitted to slots to be connected on the mother board.
 Intel and AMD have created a set of socket and slot designs for their processors. Each
socket or slot is designed to support a different range of original and upgrade
processors.
 Sockets 1,2,3 and 6 are 486 processors sockets.
 Sockets 4,5,7 and 8 are Pentium and Pentium pro processor sockets.
 Pentium II processors are slot-1 type. But Pentium III processors are slot-1 as well as
socket 370 type.
 Pentium 4 processors are of socket 423 and 478.
 With 80386 and earlier processors (slow and few transistors), there was no need for a
specialized cooling. The first processor that need specialized cooling(heat sink and fan )
was the 80486.
5.1 Upgrading/replacing CPU
New programs and operating systems can slow the CPU down significantly, demanding more and
more processing power just to accomplish seemingly simple tasks. When your system runs slowly,
your CPU could be the problem. The great part about current mother boards is that they support
more than one model or speed of CPU. You need to consult your mother board manual to verify
which processors the mother board supports. To upgrade your CPU follow these steps:
1. Disconnect the AC power on ATX systems
2. Remove the old CPU from the socket/slot
3. Remove the new CPU from its packaging. Be careful not to touch the pins on PGA packaged
CPUs. Because they can be easily bent.
4. Align pin 1 of the processor with pins of the processor socket.
5. Configure the jumpers on your mother board (if any) to reflect the new
processor model speedand voltage.
6. If you don’t have mother board jumpers, reconfigure the CMOS settings to reflect the
new CPU.

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