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The processor, (also known as a microprocessor or a CPU
, which stands for Central Processing Unit), does all of the computing a computer does. In other words, it is like the computers brain. Not the part of the brain where memory is stored, that would be the hard drive and RAM, but the part of the brain which does the thinking.The silver metal strips on the side of the processor are heatsinks. A fan is also attached to the processor to prevent it from overheating too. Slot 1 processors have the microprocessor and cache memory attached to a circuit-board which is enclosed in a plastic shell which protects the processor.
The slot 1 processor card contains the central processing unit, also known as the Central Processing Unit, with its level 1 cache memory. The central processing unit also contains the control unit and the arithmetic/logic unit, both working together to process the computer's commands. The control unit controls the flow of data, in the form of electrical pulses, inside the processor. It gets it instructions in the form of code, made up of binary code (positive and negative charges or pulses of electricity that re represented by 1s and 0s) in the memory and translates the code into commands that the computer can understand. The arithmetic/logic unit handles all of the mathematical calculations and logical comparisons. It takes the commands from the control unit and performs them, storing the results back into memory.
These four steps, (fetch, decode, execute, and store), are what's called the "machine cycle" of a computer; they are the four basic steps to how the computer runs each and every program and process.
The Central Processing Unit can access the cache memory much faster than having to access the RAM, also known as Random Access Memory, because the cache memory is right inside the Central Processing Unit and the RAM is outside the Central Processing Unit. The control unit, arithmetic/logic unit, and level 1 cache are located inside the center Central Processing Unit chip.
Level 2 cache memory is on the right side of the processor chip. Level 2 cache memory is memory located between the RAM (Random Access Memory) and Central Processing Unit. Level 2 cache memory is used when the level 1 cache memory is full or is too small to hold the data.
The clock driver is what times sets the pace for the computer. The clock's speed is how the speed of processors is rated. Each machine cycle consists of two paces, set by the clock driver. On each beat of the clock driver the control unit decodes data, which is called the "instruction cycle of the processor. At the same time the arithmetic/logic unit computes and stores data, which is called the "execution cycle of the processor.
Slot 1 processors are not used much anymore. They have been replaced by faster types of processors, such as socket939 processors and socket775 processors. AMD Athlon 64 FX socket 939 processor and one picture of a Pentium 4 Extreme Edition socket 775 processor are more modern processors than slot 1 procesors. AMD and Intel are the two largest companies making processors. The way in which the processor connects to the motherboard is its socket type, or slot type. AMD makes socket 939, socket 940, and socket 754 type processors. Intel uses the socket 775 and socket 478 socket types for their Pentium processors. All of these processors look similar, but they do have some slight differences, such as the number of pins they have.Pins, also known as contact points, are tiny little pieces of metal that connect the processor to the motherboard. Modern processors have hundreds or even thousands of pins. The more pins there are the more routes data has to enter and exit the processor. The more routes data has to enter and exit the processor, the more data can flow in and out of the processor, and the faster the processor runs.
Another difference in some of the newer processors is that the level 2 cache memory is located directly on the Central Processing Unit. Some of the newest processors even have level 3 cache memory located directly on the Central Processing Unit itself; with any cache memory located outside of a Central Processing Unit called level 4 cache memory.
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How expansion slots work?
Expansion slots are located on the motherboard, and openings on the back of the computer allow the ports on the cards that go in the slots to be accessed.There are several types of expansion slots, including AGP, PCIe (also known as PCIexpress), PCI, and ISA.
ISA Slots: ISA slots are an older type of expansion slot, twice as big as PCI slots and slower than PCI slots as well. ISA slots are usually black, while PCI slots are usually white. ISA slots are not used much anymore, but most computers still have at least one of them.
PCI Slots: PCI slots can handle 64 bits of data at a time, twice as fast as ISA slots, which can only handle 32 bits of data at a time. PCI is an abbreviation for "Peripheral Component Interconnect." A 64-bit PCI slot has 64 connections to the motherboard, and each connection is capable of handling 1 bit of data at a time. A 32-bit ISA slot has 32 connections to the motherboard, each handling one bit of data at a time.
As technology changes, new expansion cards become available. These include video cards, which allow a monitor to be connected to the computer, sound cards, which allow speakers and a microphone to be connected to the computer, and networking cards, which allow computers to be linked together. There are many types of expansion cards.
A sound card is what processes sound and allows speakers and a microphone to be hooked up to the computer. When you hear music coming from your computer's speakers, the sound card's digital signal processor, also known as the DSP, is working together with the digital-to-analog converter, also known as the DAC, processing and converting digital sound data (electrical pulses represented by binary code) to analog sound data (increases and decreases in electrical pulses that the speaker interprets and generates as increases and decreases in tone, frequency, and volume.) When you talk into your computer's microphone, the sound card's digital signal processor works along with the analog-to-digital converter to process and convert analog sound data to digital sound data, which can be saved onto your computers memory
SCSI (pronounced "scuzzy") is an abbreviation for "Small Computer Interface System." With a SCSI expansion card, you can connect up to fifteen devices to one SCSI connection. SCSI is one of the fastest data transfer interfaces there is. SCSI cards are available with transfer rates up to 320 MB per second! The Ultra320 SCSI-3 interface is the fastest SCSI interface, with a 320MB/sec data transfer rate
AGP Slots: The AGP expansion slot connects AGP video cards to the motherboard. Video cards are also known as graphics cards. They process video and image data that will be displayed on your screen. The monitor plugs into the video card. AGP is an abbreviation for Accelerated Graphics Port. Most AGP video cards are capable of a higher data transfer rate than PCI video cards.
AGP slots and cards come in four different modes, and you must be careful to match the card and slot with the correct mode. Some AGP cards and AGP slots are capable of running in more than one mode. AGP 1x mode is the oldest; it transfers data at 266MBs per second. AGP 2x mode transfers data at 533megabytes per second. AGP 4x mode transfers data at 1.07 gigabytes (1007 megabytes) per second. The latest AGP mode is AGP 8x. It transfers data at 2.14gigabytes (2140 megabytes) per second.
PCI EXPRESS: PCI Express is a new technology that is slowly replacing AGP. PCI Express x16 slots can transfer data at 4GBs per second, which is about twice as fast as an AGP 8x slot. PCIe stands for PCI Express, or PCIexpress. PCI Express slots come in five different sizes and speeds: PCIe x1, PCIe x2, PCIe x4, PCIe x8, and PCIe x16. PCIe x16 slots are used for graphics cards
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What happens when your PC is powered on?
When your PC is powered on a sequence called the bootstrap is run. It occurs in two steps, Power-On Self Test and Operating System Load.
Power-On Self Test is a series of tests to make certain that necessary is present and properly operating.
First the Central Processing Unit (CPU) is reset.
The CPU checks itself and the POST program stored in the BIOS memory.
Then the CPU begins using the code located in BIOS to check components in the PC.
The Keyboard is checked for attachment and to see if any key has been pressed.
Pushing certain keys during boot up tells the CPU you want to modify the BIOS code. You would want to do this if a new piece of hardware has been added.
The Floppy and Hard Drives are checked to make sure they are present.
The Mouse is also checked to make sure it is attached. Finally, the test results are compared to the configuration data in the BIOS. Any mismatches causes the POST to fail and an error message appears on the display.
Operating System Load
After the POST is successfully completed the CPU searches Storage devices for special files that indicate the beginning of the OS and then loads it into memory.
The sequence in which the storage devices are searched is part of the configuration set-up stored in BIOS.
Once the Operating System (OS) is located, the CPU copies whats called the 'boot record' from the OS into DRAM.
Control is then passed to the 'boot record' in DRAM, which then continues loading the rest of the OS.
This process continues until the OS load is completed.When the OS load is completed the Desktop appears in the display and waits for you, the user, to tell it what you want it to do
Which processor is right for you?
The central processor unit (CPU), often called just the 'processor', is the heart of the PC. It controls everything that happens in the computer, but its overall performance is determined by a couple of factors. The first is clock speed which is measured in Ghz (billions of clock cycles per second). The second is the size of the L2 cache that the processor uses. L2 cache is a special memory that the processor uses frequently.
The Intel Pentium class of processors are the most popular type found in PCs, and are offered in a couple of versions:
The Celeron is an entry level processor. It is really a Pentium 4 that runs at a slower clock speed and uses a smaller L2 cache. A smaller L2 cache guarantees more overall cache misses which results in lower performance.
A Pentium 4 runs at it's full rated speed and uses a large L2 cache.
AMD makes processors that directly compete with Intel.
The chief competitor for Intel is AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). They make the Athlon processor which competes with the Pentium 4 and the Duron which competes with the Celeron.
If you want to surf the web, send and receive e-mails, create basic word processor and spreadsheet documents, then a 1.7Ghz or higher Celeron or Duron will work fine for you.
For those who want to run high performance applications that require serious number crunching and fast graphics, then a Pentium 4 or Athlon processor running at or above 2Ghz is the way to go.
by: jame hugg
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