What is and what is the microprocessor or cpu for?

Also known as a CPU or central processing unit, the microprocessor is a complete computing engine that is manufactured on a single silicon chip. It is also known as the heart of any normal computer, be it a desktop machine, a server or a laptop.

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Index of contents

What is a microprocessor?

Surely the microprocessor you are using on your computer is a Pentium, an AMD Ryzen or one of the generations of Intel Core i3, i5, i7 or i9. These are the most popular processors… but they really all do “approximately the same” (I leave it in quotes, because there are technologies that differentiate it) and in the same way.

The first microprocessor was the Intel 4004, introduced in 1971. It wasn't very powerful, since all it could do was add and subtract, and it could only do that at 4 bits at a time. But it was amazing that everything was on a chip.

The microprocessor is usually housed through a specific socket on the computer's motherboard; and to which is added, for its stable and correct operation, a cooling system, which includes a heat sink and fans, which are responsible for eliminating all the excess heat that the heat sink absorbs.

Between the microprocessor capsule and the heatsink, thermal paste is commonly used in order to make heat conductivity more effective. In addition, there are other more modern and more efficient methods on the market, such as liquid cooling or the use of peltier cells for greater cooling, although these practices are used almost exclusively for overclocking.

What is a microprocessor for?

A microprocessor is a component that performs the instructions and tasks involved in computer processing and is the "engine" that starts when you turn on the computer. In a computer system, the microprocessor is the central unit that executes and manages the logical instructions that are transmitted to it.

A microprocessor is designed to perform typical operations such as add, subtract, divide, multiply, interprocess and device communication, input, output management, and more.

It is made up of integrated circuits that contain thousands of transistors, depending on the power of the equipment.

Microprocessors are generally classified according to the number of instructions they can process in a given time, the clock frequency measured in megahertz, and the number of bits used per instruction.

A microprocessor is designed to perform arithmetic and logical operations that use small number retention areas called registers.

When your computer is on, the microprocessor receives the first basic input / output system (BIOS) instruction that comes with the computer as part of its memory.

After that, the BIOS, or the operating system that the BIOS loads into the computer's memory, "drives" the microprocessor, instructing it to do so. A microprocessor accepts binary data as input and provides output after processing, according to instructions stored in memory.

What is a Chip?

A chip is also called an integrated circuit. It is generally a small, thin piece of silicon onto which the transistors that make up the microprocessor have been etched.

A chip can be as big as an inch on one side and can hold tens of millions of transistors. The simplest processors can consist of a few thousand transistors engraved on a chip of a few square millimeters.

How does a microprocessor work?

Image from wikipedia

A processor is the brain of a computer that basically consists of an arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), a control unit, and a register matrix.

As its name indicates, ALU performs all arithmetic and logical operations on the data received from the memory or input devices.

The register matrix consists of a series of registers such as accumulator (A), B, C, D, etc., which acts as temporary locations of fast-access memory to process data.

For its part, the control unit manages the flow of instructions and data throughout the system.

So basically, a microprocessor takes the input from the connected devices, processes it according to the instructions given in memory, and produces the output.

Advantages of a microprocessor

• Low cost : microprocessors are available at low cost thanks to integrated circuit technology. Which reduces the cost of a computer system. High speed : Microprocessor chips can work at very high speed thanks to the technology used in them. It is capable of executing millions of instructions per second. Small size : Due to large-scale and ultra-large-scale integration technology, a microprocessor is manufactured with a greatly reduced surface size. This will reduce the size of the entire computer system. Versatile : Microprocessors are very versatile, the same chip can be used for a number of applications by simply changing the program (instructions stored in memory). Low Power Consumption : Microprocessors are generally manufactured using complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, in which MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors) work in saturation and cutoff modes. Therefore, the power consumption is very low.

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• Less heat generation : Compared to vacuum tube devices (thermo-ionic valve), semiconductor devices do not emit as much heat. Reliable : Microprocessors are very reliable, and the failure rate is much lower as semiconductor technology is used. Portable : Computer devices or systems made from microprocessors can be made portable due to their small size and low power consumption.

Common terms used in a microprocessor

To understand how a microprocessor works, it is helpful to look inside and learn about the logic used to create one. In the process you can also learn about the native language of a microprocessor and many of the things that engineers can do to increase the speed of a processor.

Here are some common terms used in the field of microprocessors:

The bus

A bus is a set of conductors intended to transmit data, addresses or control information to different elements of a microprocessor. Usually, a microprocessor will have 3 types of buses: Data Bus, Control Bus and Address Bus. An 8 bit processor will use an 8 bit wide bus.

Instruction set

The instruction set is the group of commands that a microprocessor can understand. The instruction set is an interface between hardware and software. An instruction instructs the processor to change the relevant transistors to do some data processing. For example ADD A, B; used to add two numbers stored in registers A and B.

Word length

Word length is the number of bits on a processor's internal data bus, or is the number of bits that a processor can process at one time.

For example, an 8-bit processor will have an 8-bit data bus, 8-bit registers, and will process 8 bits at a time. To perform higher bit operations (32 or 16 bit), you will divide that into a series of 8 bit operations.

Cache

Cache is a random access memory built into the processor. In this way, the processor can access the data in the cache memory more quickly than with normal RAM. Also known as "CPU memory." Cache is used to store data or instructions that are frequently referenced by the software or program during operation. This will increase the overall speed of the operation.

Clock frequency

The microprocessors use a clock signal to control the speed at which instructions are executed, synchronize other internal components, and control the transfer of data between them. Therefore, the clock speed refers to the speed at which a microprocessor executes the instructions. Generally, it is measured in hertz and is expressed in megahertz (MHz), gigahertz (GHz), etc.

Microprocessor classification

Microprocessors can be classified as follows:

Word length

Based on the word length of a processor, we can have 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit processors.

RISC - Reduced Instruction Set

RISC is a type of microprocessor architecture that uses a small, general-purpose, highly optimized instruction set, rather than a more specialized set of instructions as found in other components.

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RISC offers high performance over its opposite CISC architecture. In a processor, the execution of each instruction requires a special circuit to load and process the data. Therefore, by reducing the instructions, the processor will use simple circuits and faster operation.

These microprocessors have:

• Simple instruction set Larger programs Consists of a large number of registers Simple processor circuit (small number of transistors) More use of RAM Fixed length instructions Simple addressing modes Normally the number of clock cycles to execute an instruction is set

CISC - Complex Instruction Set

CISC is the microprocessor architecture opposed to RISC. It is done to reduce the number of instructions per program, ignoring the number of cycles per instruction. In this way, complex instructions are converted directly into hardware, which makes the processor more complex and slow to operate.

This architecture is designed to reduce the cost of memory, reducing the duration of the program.

These microprocessors have:

• Complex instruction set Smaller program Fewer registers Complex processor circuit (more transistors) Little use of RAM Variable length instructions Variety of addressing modes Variable number of clock cycles for each instruction

Special processors

There are some processors that are designed to handle some specific functions:

• DSP (Digital Signal Processors) Coprocessors: processors used in conjunction with a main processor (math coprocessor 8087 used with 8086) I / O processorsTransputer: microprocessor with its own local memory

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Finally, a microprocessor is the most important unit within a computer system and is responsible for processing the unique set of instructions and processes, therefore, it is essential to analyze which are the best microprocessors today to make a good choice. These details that we have commented are of a processor, but basic to understand how a processor of 20 - 30 years ago works. There are currently many more features, which we invite you to investigate. What did you think of our article? We are waiting your comments!