![]() The processor package is a chip containing the processor(s) sealed inside a metal container and mounted on a small printed circuit (PC) board. There is really nothing to see here other than the processor package itself. ![]() Figure 1 displays a standard Intel processor package. We retain the term CPU today, but now it refers to the processor package on a typical motherboard. This frees the CPU up from input/output tasks so that its power is applied to the primary task at hand.Įarly computers only had one CPU and could only perform one task at a time. Modern peripheral devices have a significant amount of processing power themselves and off-load some processing tasks from the CPU. Peripherals included printers, card readers, and early storage devices such as drum and disk drives. The central processing unit also completed all processing for any attached peripheral devices. The term central processing unit originated way back in the mists of computer time when a single massive cabinet contained the circuitry required to interpret machine level program instructions and perform operations on the data supplied. The CPU in modern computers is the embodiment of the "mill" in Babbage's difference engine. Many of the topics refer back to the first article, so be sure to read it if you haven't already. In this article, I discuss the central processing unit (CPU), including its components and functionality.
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