CPU (processor)

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) or processor is the brain of the modern PC. It is used to calculate all data within the PC. There are many kinds of processor that are in use today, the two main companies that produce Processors are:
· AMD
· Intel

Both Processors need specific hardware in the form of motherboards to be installed and function correctly. Although both of these manufacturers are in competition the processors that they produce are slightly different even though they may be competing for the same market. AMD processors are slightly cheaper to buy per MHZ than the Intel processors. This is not at a cost to speed (dependant on tests uses)

A processor is measured by the speed, which it runs; this is calculated in MHZ (megahertz). This is the number of calculations that the CPU can work out in a second. If we have an Intel Pentium 2, 450 MHZ processor this means that it can calculate 400 million instructions per second.

There are various classes and generation of processors. A very brief chronology of processors is:
· 8086
· 286
· 386
· 486
· Pentium (or AMD equivalent in speed)
· Pentium 2 (or AMD equivalent in speed)
· Pentium 3 (AMD Athlon processor)
· Pentium 4 (AMD Athlon XP processor)

One Problem with all Processors is the excessive amount of energy that is produced in the form of heat. In order to dissipate this heat we need to use a Heat sink and a fan. The heat sink is made of a metal alloy and is used to take the heat from the core of the processor. The fan is then used to cool the heat sink by blowing air over the fins in the metal