What is the processor used for? Types of processors and why they are needed. Main characteristics of the processor

Good day and my respects, dear readers, visitors, passing individuals and... in general, everyone who reads these lines. Today we'll talk about which processor to choose and how to do it.

Many of us want to always have adequate computer hardware at hand. good quality and powerful power, and even at an affordable price.

However, despite our wishes, not everyone (I would even say only a few) are able to immediately name all the main criteria for choosing a particular computer component. And if they somehow cope with the video card and everything else, then when it comes to the brain of everything and everyone, namely, CPU, then this is where the absolute ambush begins.

Therefore, we once again (for, as many remember, there were already articles on choice, and much more) decided to lend a helping hand to everyone in need and talk about how to choose the right processor, namely, what you need to know, what to look for pay attention to what characteristics there are and all that stuff.

In general, today we are waiting for an article from the series: “I want to buy a processor, but I don’t know what to look for.. Can you tell me?”

In short, make yourself comfortable and... Let's go!

Which processor to choose - main characteristics

As I said, the article will be as practical as possible, so we won’t rant for a long time about what a CPU is and what it’s needed for, but let’s get straight to the point.

We have already touched upon the topic of processors in articles such as and , however, questions are constantly pouring in from readers, they say, give clear instructions on what and how to buy.

And since the project is, so to speak, social (we take into account the “wants” of visitors), without thinking twice we decided to cover this issue in as much detail as possible.

Note:
Very often we have to deal with a situation where users buy various sophisticated and expensive ones in the hope that everything will fly and run at once, but the processor is not given due attention, after which it slows down the entire system, because it simply cannot provide all the necessary agility and nimbleness to everyone other operating subsystems and components.

Therefore, knowledge of the basic parameters is necessary, first of all, in order to assess the realistically possible computing performance of the future system. It turns out that by focusing on the characteristics of the processor, you will be able to fully reveal the potential of all the components of your computer brother.

Actually, here's what you have to decide on when choosing a processor:

• Manufacturer's brand ( Intel or AMD);
• Technical production process;
• Marking and architecture;
• Platform CPU or connector type (socket);
• Processor clock speed;
• Bit depth;
• Number of Cores;
• Multithreading;
• Cache memory;
• Power consumption and cooling;
• Branded bells and whistles of technology.

Was here large text, but I cut it out, because my, Sonikel’s, personal opinion still coincides with the article.

Technical process and how it is involved in the selection

Very often this parameter is simply forgotten, but performance sometimes depends on it. To make microcircuits and crystals CPU The photolithography method is used - applying conductors, insulators, etc. to a silicon substrate with special equipment, which form the processor core itself.

Depending on the resolution of this equipment, a certain type of technological process production. Most often it is indicated in nanometers: 130 nm, 90 nm, 45 nm, etc. What does the technical process influence and why is it important when choosing CPU?

Everything is very simple than smaller number, the smaller the size of the structures that are placed on the substrate. All this leads to lower power consumption of processor cores, greater processing power, and a reduction in overall cost CPU.

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? The lower the number in the technological process index, the more high-performance and less expensive (in comparison with its older brothers) the processor chip turns out. However, one should not be too deluded, it will take a lot of time until the end consumer can feel this “cheapness” of the new technical process.

Labeling, architecture and name code

All manufactured processors have special markings that indicate their belonging to a specific family (architecture) and main characteristics.

Below we will take a closer look at some of the markings so that you can easily read them and understand all the information contained in them. To put it simply, architecture is a set of instructions and properties inherent in more than one specific model, but to a whole family of microchips.

It defines the design features and organization of processors.

Architectures are almost always assigned a code name, i.e. code names that allow you to determine just by name what year a particular architecture was released and what characteristics are included in the models of this line.

Note:
For example, Intel has such architectures for Core 2 Duo(architecture Conroy): Lynnfield, Nehalem and so on. AMD: Piledriver, Bulldozzer, Trinity.

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? If you can touch the processor with your hands, pay attention to its markings on the front side. You can find a lot there additional information, not listed on the box.

Processor socket or socket type

The processor is installed in a special section on the socket or, as it is called, Socket(socket). Conventionally, we can say that this is the lifespan of your platform or the potential for possible development in the future. Socket number, i.e. its model (for example, Socket 775) must match the socket number on the motherboard, otherwise it will not be possible to install the processor on it.

Very often you can encounter a situation where people try to save money on the processor socket, i.e. They initially buy an obsolete processor and motherboard that have been in circulation for quite some time. This is bad because as soon as new standards and a new type of connector appear, then, most likely, new, more powerful processors will no longer be produced for the old one, i.e. You will be limited in the ability to upgrade your computer and if you want to improve it, you will have to change not only the processor, but also the motherboard.

Note:
The processor socket and motherboard socket must match, otherwise nothing will simply work.

However, not everything is always so critical, because, for example, AMD more flexible policy regarding this issue. The company makes it possible to carry out a painless upgrade for your wallet by supporting the compatibility of new platforms with old ones. Each manufacturer has its own types of sockets. The main ones of the new and conditionally new, say, for Intel are considered LGA 2011, LGA 1155, LGA 775 And LGA 1156, and the last two have practically “sunk into oblivion.” U AMD the most popular are connectors AM3, Socket AM3+ And Socket FM1.

The easiest way to distinguish a processor Intel from AMD- is to look at them and remember that the products are from AMD They always have a lot of contact pins on the back surface, with the help of which they are inserted into the motherboard connector. Intel for some time now, in turn, it has been using another solution - the contact pins are located inside the connector of the motherboard itself.

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? The CPU and motherboard socket must be the same or backward compatible.

CPU clock speed

The most well-known parameter for assessing processor performance is the number of operations/calculations performed per unit of time (measured in Hz). For example, if it is said that the processor has a clock speed equal to 3,4 GHz, this means that it processes in one second 3 billions 400 million clock cycles (operation execution interval).

Processors Intel And AMD have different frequencies, however, in general, “stones” (processors) often show the same performance. Many people believe that only the clock frequency clearly characterizes the power of the processor, and, therefore, the higher it is, the faster computer and that's it. However, this is not quite true. All components play an important role, for example, parameters such as RAM speed, data bus width, etc. Ideally, all computer components should work, so to speak, “in unison.”

Conclusion. Clock speed is an important performance parameter, but it is far from the only one, so you should not chase it alone.

Processor size

Also one of the the most important characteristics processor performance and shows the number of bits processed by the processor per clock cycle.

Currently the highest bit rate CPU- 128 , however, such models are extremely rare in the consumer market, but 32 And 64 bats are the most popular.

Note:
The processor capacity must be supported by the OS, in particular, for example, it must be able to work with 128- bit CPU.

When purchasing, many users are confused about the bit depth markings. 32 - And 64- bit "stones", so here you should remember that the bit depth 86 there are no bits, because such markings (“x 86 ") are designated 32 - bit processors. If the bit depth 64 bits, then the processor is marked as, for example, AMD64 or x64.

In one of the articles, in particular this one, we talked about the difference between bit depths. In the most general case, remember that 32 -bit architecture no longer supports 3,75 GB, so take this into account when upgrading your processor.

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? When purchasing, pay attention to the processor capacity, it is better to choose 64 -bit CPU.

Number of processor cores

A certain, very small number of years ago, such a thing as multi-core did not exist at all. Now, “everywhere you spit,” there are all multi-core processors. When choosing the number of cores, you should first of all proceed from specific tasks.

It is clear that the more cores the better, but if you use a computer to solve office tasks for working with documents, surfing the Internet and light multimedia tasks, then, most likely, a processor with more than two cores is a waste of money.

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? The “coreness” of processors is designed primarily to increase performance when working with specially optimized software, games and applications. Therefore, if you are a “full-time” user with minimal goals and objectives, then there is no point in overpaying for the number of cores. The best option will: 2 kernels - for standard office PC(kind of workhorse) And 4 and more cores - if you want to use your PC as a multimedia and game center.

Multithreading and the like

Many people often confuse the concepts of multi-threading and multi-core, but these are completely different things. Multithreading is the ability of a platform (OS, programs, applications) to work in several threads running in parallel. To unlock your full potential multi-core processors they need to work with multi-threaded applications. Such applications include: archivers, video encoders, defragmenters, browsers, flash etc.

From the OS, “lovers” of multithreading include: Windows 8, Windows 7 and various systems.

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? Multithreading depends on platform optimization by the developer. That's it now more games and applications adequately support this ability. However, it is not a fact that you should look for this parameter in the price lists for processors.

Cache memory and other tails

In addition to RAM, there is ultra-fast cache memory, with which the processor chip works, because it cannot wait for the RAM to “swing up” and perform the required operations.

Cache memory is an area of ​​the processor chip in which intermediate data between processor cores, RAM and other buses is processed and stored. In other words, it is an ultra-fast, volatile buffer that allows you to quickly access frequently used data.

The cache memory has a three-level organization (although some processors only have 2 ):

• L1– first level cache. The smallest (by volume, 16 -128 KB) and very fast, often operating at the frequency of the most CPU. It has high throughput and processor cores work directly with it.
• L2– slower, but more than L1 by volume.
• L3– the largest cache (from 6 before 16 MB).

In general, the main task of developers (in relation to the cache) is to define it optimal sizes for the released processor. After all, the increase in productivity in certain applications. Any cache memory is equipped with a protection system against possible errors ( ECC), upon detection of which the latter are automatically corrected.

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? If you are a passionate fan of good graphics, computer games and powerful video subsystems with two video cards, then choose a processor with a large amount of third-level cache ( 16 MB and above). In all other cases, a processor with almost any size will be quite sufficient ultra-fast memory.

Well, we're done with technical parameters, now let’s look at some, so to speak, tricks..

Power consumption and cooling

Of course, the development of processor production capacity could not but affect their energy consumption, which has increased significantly. If earlier it was possible to easily get by with a “complete” fan, now to remove heat you need special systems cooling (see image).

To estimate the heat release, the value was introduced TDP, which shows how much heat the cooling system should be designed to remove when used with a specific model CPU. IN currently, development era portable devices(tablets, netbooks, etc.) the energy consumption parameter, due to the technical process, etc., was significantly reduced. For example, TDP processors mobile solutions computers is only 40 W.

Information on choosing a cooling system for your processor was in the article "".

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? If you are a supporter of all kinds of laptops and similar portable devices, then TDP and all sorts of fans there should not be turned on special attention- everything has already been calculated and installed for you. If you want to assemble a high-performance desktop system, then you need to take a serious “cooler”.

Built-in graphics core

With the development of the technological process for producing processors, it became possible to place various chips inside the CPU, in particular the graphics core.

This solution is convenient because you do not need to buy a separate video card. It is focused mainly on the budget sector (office environment), where graphic capabilities systems are secondary. AMD embeds into their computing processors video chips Radeon HD, such a single element is called APU(accelerated processing element).

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? If your goal is budget computer, in which graphics do not play an important role (well, you don’t play powerful games, don't study 3D- design, etc., etc., but just watch movies, surf the Internet, etc., etc.), then hybrid processor with a built-in video core - this is what the doctor ordered, cheap and cheerful, so to speak. If you need video power, then, of course, there is no point in spending money on a processor with a video core - better.

All sorts of proprietary technologies

For so much for a long time existence of processors, their manufacturers acquired their own “bells and whistles” - additional functions, accelerating and expanding computing power CPU. For example, here are some of them.

From AMD:

• 3DNow!, SSE(instructions) – speeding up work in multimedia computing;
• AMD64- work with 64 -bit instructions, as well as with 32 -bit architectures;
• AMD Turbo Core- analogue Intel Turbo Boost ;
• Cool'n'Quiet– reduced power consumption by reducing the multiplier and core voltage.

From Intel:

• Hyper Threading (hyperthreading) – creation of two virtual (logical) computing cores for each physical core;
• Intel Turbo Boost– increasing the CPU frequency depending on the load on the cores;
• Intel Virtualization Technology – run multiple operating systems simultaneously without loss of performance.

Conclusion. Which processor should I choose based on this? Of course, additional “goodies” in the form of proprietary technologies are not something you should base your choice of CPU on, but no one is stopping you from getting them for free as a pleasant bonus, the main thing is to decide what is needed.

So, the last thing for today is...

Processor marking

It is very important to be able to read and correctly interpret the processor markings, because stores are different, sellers are not always honest, but you have to pay extra N-thousands of rubles for an incomprehensible “stone” is hardly something anyone wants, and therefore it is important to be able to read the processor markings. Let's break it down into specific example, for example, for the manufacturer AMD.

IN general view marking from AMD(for generation Family 10h) can be represented in the following form(see image):

The decryption will be as follows:

Processor brand ( 1 ). The following characters are possible:

• A – AMD Athlon;
• H – AMD Phenom;
• S – AMD Sempron;
• O – AMD Optheron.

Processor purpose ( 2 ). Options:

• D – desktop– for workstations or desktop PCs;
• E – embedded server– for dedicated servers;
• S-server– for servers.

Processor model ( 3 ). Possible designations:

• E– energy efficient processors;
• X - locked multiplier;
• Z– unlocked multiplier.

Thermal package and cooling system class ( 4 ). The data is taken from the table (see image):

CPU case ( 5 ). The data is taken from the table (see image).

Number of Cores ( 6 ). Values ​​from 2 to C ( 12 ).

Cache memory size ( 7

Processor revision or stepping ( 8 ). Data from the table (see image).

So, based on the data in the table, you can easily determine what kind of processor we have in front of us, for example, judging by the model below (see image), we have it in front of us..

CPU AMD with markings HDZ560WFK2DGM, which means:

• H– CPU families AMD Phenom;
• D– purpose: workstations/desktop PCs;
• Z560– processor model number 560 (Z - with a free factor);
• W.F.– TDP before 95 W;
• K– the processor is packaged in a 938 pin OµPGA (Socket AM3) case;
• 2 – total number of active cores;
• D– L2 cache size 512 KB and L3 cache size 6144 KB;
• GM- C3 stepping processor core.

So, knowing the credentials of the tables, you can easily calculate what kind of instance is in front of you.

Actually, that's all I would like to tell you. I think that the information will be useful to you and will come in handy more than once.

Where is the best place to buy a processor?

• , - for those who are not afraid to buy abroad and save money. There are many, several popular brands, and overall a nice store with regulars and stuff;
• , - perhaps the best choice in terms of price-quality ratio SSD(and not only). The prices are quite reasonable, although the range is not always ideal in terms of variety. The key advantage is the guarantee that really allows for 14 days to change the product without any questions, and in case of warranty problems, the store will take your side and help solve any problems. The author of the site has been using it for years 10 at least (since the days when they were part of Ultra Electoronics), which is what he advises you to do;
• , - one of oldest stores in the market, as a company exists somewhere of order 20 years. Decent selection, average prices and one of the most convenient sites. Overall a pleasure to work with.

The choice, traditionally, is yours. Of course, there are all kinds Yandex Market"no one canceled it, but from good shops I would recommend these, and not some MVideo and others large networks(which are often not only expensive, but also detrimental in terms of quality of service, warranty, etc.).

Afterword

Today we found out in as much detail as possible which processor to choose and how to do it correctly, i.e. what you can pay attention to when purchasing it.

The information is quite specific and technical, perhaps difficult and unusual for some, so if you haven’t learned something, read it again, and then again, then open the price list and try to make several options for selecting processors for different needs.

Then reread again, then select again. In general, and so on in a circle until you get enough :)

We have fulfilled our good mission, which means it’s time to say goodbye for a while.
As always, if you have any questions, additions, thanks, etc., feel free to write comments.

P.S. Thanks to team member 25 KADR for the existence of this article

We all know that a video card and a processor have slightly different tasks, but do you know how they differ from each other in the internal structure? Like CPU central processing unit), and GPU (English - graphics processing unit) are processors, and they have a lot in common, but they were designed to perform various tasks. You will learn more about this from this article.

CPU

The main task of the CPU, speaking in simple words, this is the execution of a chain of instructions in the maximum possible time a short time. The CPU is designed to execute several such chains simultaneously, or to split one stream of instructions into several and, after executing them separately, merge them back into one. in the right order. Each instruction in a thread depends on the ones that follow it, which is why the CPU has so few execution units, and the entire emphasis is on execution speed and reducing downtime, which is achieved using cache memory and a pipeline.

GPU

The main function of the GPU is rendering 3D graphics and visual effects, therefore, everything is a little simpler: it needs to receive polygons as input, and after performing the necessary mathematical and logical operations on them, output pixel coordinates. Essentially, the work of a GPU comes down to operating on a huge number of tasks independent of each other; therefore, it contains a large amount of memory, but not as fast as in a CPU, and a huge number of execution units: in modern GPUs there are 2048 or more of them, while like a CPU, their number can reach 48, but most often their number lies in the range of 2-8.

Main differences

The CPU differs from the GPU primarily in the way it accesses memory. In the GPU it is coherent and easily predictable - if a texture texel is read from memory, then after a while the turn of neighboring texels will come. The situation is similar with recording - a pixel is written to the framebuffer, and after a few clock cycles the one located next to it will be recorded. Also to the GPU, unlike universal processors, you just don't need a large cache, and textures only require 128-256 kilobytes. In addition, video cards use more fast memory, and as a result, the GPU available is many times larger throughput, which is also very important for parallel calculations operating with huge data streams.

There are many differences in multithreading support: the CPU executes 1 – 2 computation threads per one processor core, and the GPU can support several thousand threads per multiprocessor, of which there are several on the chip! And if switching from one thread to another costs hundreds of clock cycles for the CPU, then the GPU switches several threads in one clock cycle.

In a CPU, most of the chip area is occupied by instruction buffers, hardware branch prediction, and huge amounts of cache memory, while in a GPU, most of the area is occupied by execution units. The above described device is shown schematically below:

Difference in computing speed

If the CPU is a kind of “boss” that makes decisions in accordance with the instructions of the program, then the GPU is a “worker” that performs a huge number of similar calculations. It turns out that if you feed independent simple mathematical tasks to the GPU, it will cope much faster than the central processor. This difference is successfully used by Bitcoin miners.

Mining Bitcoin

The essence of mining is that computers located in different parts of the Earth solve mathematical problems, as a result of which bitcoins are created. All bitcoin transfers along the chain are transmitted to miners, whose job is to select from millions of combinations a single hash that matches all new transactions and a secret key, which will ensure that the miner receives a reward of 25 bitcoins at a time. Since the computation speed directly depends on the number of execution units, it turns out that GPUs are much better suited for executing of this type tasks than the CPU. The greater the number of calculations performed, the higher the chance of receiving bitcoins. It even went so far as to build entire farms out of video cards.

Probably every user with little knowledge of computers has encountered a bunch of incomprehensible characteristics when choosing a central processor: technical process, cache, socket; turned for advice to friends and acquaintances who were competent in the matter computer hardware. Let's look at the variety of various parameters, because the processor is the most important part your PC, and understanding its characteristics will give you confidence in your purchase and future use.

CPU

The processor of a personal computer is a chip that is responsible for performing any operations with data and controls peripheral devices. It is contained in a special silicon package called a die. For short designation use the abbreviation - CPU(central processing unit) or CPU(from the English Central Processing Unit - central processing device). On modern market computer components there are two competing corporations, Intel and AMD, who constantly participate in the race for the performance of new processors, constantly improving the technological process.

Technical process

Technical process is the size used in the production of processors. It determines the size of the transistor, the unit of which is nm (nanometer). Transistors, in turn, form the internal core of the CPU. The bottom line is that continuous improvement in manufacturing techniques makes it possible to reduce the size of these components. As a result, there are many more of them placed on the processor chip. This helps improve CPU characteristics, therefore, its parameters always indicate the technical process used. For example, Intel Core The i5-760 is manufactured using a 45 nm process technology, and the Intel Core i5-2500K is manufactured using a 32 nm process. Based on this information, one can judge how modern the processor is and surpasses its predecessor in performance, but when choosing, a number of other parameters must be taken into account.

Architecture

Processors are also characterized by such a characteristic as architecture - a set of properties inherent in a whole family of processors, usually produced over many years. In other words, architecture is their organization or internal design of the CPU.

Number of Cores

Core- most main element central processor. It is a part of the processor that can execute one thread of instructions. The cores differ in cache memory size, bus frequency, manufacturing technology, etc. Manufacturers assign new names to them with each subsequent technical process (for example, core AMD processor- Zambezi, and Intel - Lynnfield). With the development of processor production technologies, it has become possible to place more than one core in one case, which significantly increases CPU performance and helps to perform several tasks simultaneously, as well as use several cores in running programs. Multi-core processors will be able to quickly cope with archiving, video decoding, the operation of modern video games, etc. For example, rulers Core processors 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad from Intel, which use dual-core and quad-core CPUs, respectively. On this moment Processors with 2, 3, 4 and 6 cores are widely available. A larger number of them are used in server solutions and are not required by the average PC user.

Frequency

In addition to the number of cores, performance is affected by clock frequency. The value of this characteristic reflects the performance of the CPU in the number of clock cycles (operations) per second. Another important characteristic is bus frequency(FSB - Front Side Bus) demonstrating the speed at which data is exchanged between the processor and computer peripherals. The clock frequency is proportional to the bus frequency.

Socket

So that the future processor, when upgraded, is compatible with the existing one motherboard, you need to know its socket. A socket is called connector, in which the CPU is installed on the computer motherboard. The socket type is characterized by the number of legs and the processor manufacturer. Different sockets correspond to specific types of CPUs, so each socket allows the installation of a specific type of processor. Intel uses the LGA1156, LGA1366 and LGA1155 socket, while AMD uses AM2+ and AM3.

Cache

Cache- memory capacity with very high speed access required to speed up access to data that is permanently located in memory with a slower access speed (RAM). When choosing a processor, remember that increasing the cache size has a positive effect on the performance of most applications. The CPU cache has three levels ( L1, L2 and L3), located directly on the processor core. It receives data from RAM for higher processing speed. It is also worth considering that for multi-core CPUs indicates the amount of L1 cache memory for one core. The second level cache performs similar functions, featuring lower speed and higher volume. If you plan to use the processor for resource-intensive tasks, then a model with a large second level cache will be preferable, given that for multi-core processors the total L2 cache size is indicated. The most powerful processors are equipped with L3 cache, such as AMD Phenom, AMD Phenom II, Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7, Intel Xeon. The third level cache is the least fast, but it can reach 30 MB.

Energy consumption

The power consumption of a processor is closely related to its manufacturing technology. With decreasing nanometers of the technical process, increasing the number of transistors and increasing the clock frequency of processors, the power consumption of the CPU increases. For example, Intel Core i7 processors require up to 130 watts or more. The voltage supplied to the core clearly characterizes the power consumption of the processor. This parameter is especially important when choosing a CPU to use as a multimedia center. IN modern models processors are used various technologies that help combat excess energy consumption: built-in temperature sensors, systems automatic control voltage and frequency of processor cores, energy-saving modes with low load on the CPU.

Additional features

Modern processors have acquired the ability to work in 2- and 3-channel modes with RAM, which significantly affects its performance, and also support larger set instructions, raising their functionality to new level. GPUs process video on their own, thereby offloading the CPU, thanks to technology DXVA(from the English DirectX Video Acceleration - video acceleration by the DirectX component). Intel uses the above technology Turbo Boost to dynamically change the clock frequency of the central processor. Technology Speed ​​Step manages CPU power consumption depending on processor activity, and Intel Virtualization Technology hardware creates virtual environment to use multiple operating systems. Also, modern processors can be divided into virtual cores using technology Hyper Threading. For example, dual core processor capable of dividing the clock frequency of one core into two, which helps high performance data processing using four virtual cores.

When thinking about the configuration of your future PC, do not forget about the video card and its GPU(from the English Graphics Processing Unit - graphic processing unit) - the processor of your video card, which is responsible for rendering (arithmetic operations with geometric, physical objects, etc.). The higher the frequency of its core and memory frequency, the less load on the central processor will be. Special attention Gamers should be interested in the GPU.

The processor is, without a doubt, the main component of any computer. It is this small piece of silicon, several tens of millimeters in size, that performs all those complex tasks, which you place in front of your computer. This is where the operating system runs, as well as all programs. But how does it all work? We will try to examine this question in our article today.

The processor manages the data on your computer and executes millions of instructions per second. And by the word processor, I mean exactly what it really means - a small chip made of silicon that actually performs all the operations on the computer. Before we move on to how a processor works, we must first consider in detail what it is and what it consists of.

First let's look at what a processor is. CPU or central processing unit (central processing unit) - which is a microcircuit with a huge number of transistors, made on a silicon crystal. The world's first processor was developed by Intel in 1971. It all started with the Intel 4004. It could only perform computational operations and could only process 4 bytes of data. Next model came out in 1974 - Intel 8080 and could already process 8 bits of information. Next were 80286, 80386, 80486. It was from these processors that the name of the architecture came.

The clock speed of the 8088 processor was 5 MHz, and the number of operations per second was only 330,000, which is much less than in modern processors. Modern devices have a frequency of up to 10 GHz and several million operations per second.

We will not consider transistors; we will move to a higher level. Each processor consists of the following components:

• Core- all information processing and mathematical operations are performed here; there can be several cores;
• Command decoder- this component belongs to the kernel, it converts program commands into a set of signals that the core transistors will perform;
• Cache- an area of ​​ultra-fast memory, a small volume, in which data read from RAM is stored;
• Registers- this is very fast cells memories in which currently processed data is stored. There are only a few of them and they have a limited size - 8, 16 or 32 bits; the processor bit capacity depends on this;
• Coprocessor- a separate core that is optimized only for performing certain operations, for example, video processing or data encryption;
• Address bus- for communication with all devices connected to the motherboard, can have a width of 8, 16 or 32 bits;
• Data bus- for communication with RAM. Using it, the processor can write data to memory or read it from there. The memory bus can be 8, 16 or 32 bits, this is the amount of data that can be transferred at one time;
• Synchronization bus- allows you to control the processor frequency and operating cycles;
• Restart bus- to reset the processor state;

The main component can be considered the core or arithmetic computing device, as well as processor registers. Everything else helps these two components work. Let's look at what registers are and what their purpose is.

• Registers A, B, C- designed to store data during processing, yes, there are only three of them, but this is quite enough;
• EIP- contains the address of the next program instruction in RAM;
• ESP- address of data in RAM;
• Z- contains the result of the last comparison operation;

Of course, these are not all memory registers, but these are the most important ones and are used most by the processor during program execution. Well, now that you know what the processor consists of, you can look at how it works.

How does a computer processor work?

The CPU's compute core can only perform math, comparisons, and moving data between cells and RAM, but it's enough to let you play games, watch movies, browse the web, and more.

In fact, any program consists of the following instructions: move, add, multiply, divide, difference and go to the instruction if the comparison condition is met. Of course, these are not all commands; there are others that combine those already listed or simplify their use.

All data movements are performed using the move instruction (mov), this instruction moves data between register cells, between registers and RAM, between memory and hard drive. For arithmetic operations there are special instructions. And jump instructions are needed to fulfill conditions, for example, check the value of register A and if it is not zero, then go to the instruction on to the right address. You can also create loops using jump instructions.

This is all very well, but how do all these components interact with each other? And how do transistors understand instructions? The operation of the entire processor is controlled by an instruction decoder. It makes each component do what it's supposed to do. Let's look at what happens when we need to execute a program.

At the first stage, the decoder loads the address of the first instruction of the program in memory into the register of the next instruction EIP, for this it activates the read channel and opens the latch transistor to put data into the EIP register.

In the second clock cycle, the instruction decoder converts the command into a set of signals for the transistors of the computing core, which execute it and write the result to one of the registers, for example, C.

On the third cycle, the decoder increases the address next command by one, so that it points to the following instructions in mind. Next, the decoder proceeds to loading the next command and so on until the end of the program.

Each instruction is already encoded by a sequence of transistors, and converted into signals, it causes physical changes in the processor, for example, changing the position of a latch that allows data to be written to a memory cell, and so on. To execute different commands you need different quantities clock cycles, for example, one command may require 5 clock cycles, and another, more complex one, up to 20. But all this still depends on the number of transistors in the processor itself.

Well, this is all clear, but all this will only work if one program is running, and if there are several of them and all at the same time. We can assume that the processor has several cores, and then each core runs a separate program. But no, in fact there are no such restrictions.

Only one program can be executed at any given time. All CPU time is shared between everyone running programs, each program executes for a few clock cycles, then the processor is transferred to another program, and all the contents of the registers are stored in RAM. When control returns to this program, the previously saved values ​​are loaded into the registers.

conclusions

That's all, in this article we looked at how a computer processor works, what a processor is and what it consists of. It may be a little complicated, but we've made it simpler. I hope you now have a better understanding of how this very complex device works.

To conclude the video about the history of processors:

CPUs and GPUs are very similar; they are both made of hundreds of millions of transistors and can process thousands of operations per second. But what exactly is the difference between these two important components of any home computer?

In this article we will try to explain in a very simple and accessible way what CPU difference from GPU. But first we need to look at these two processors separately.

The CPU (Central Processing Unit or Central Processing Unit) is often called the “brain” of the computer. Inside the central processor there are about a million transistors, with the help of which various calculations are performed. Home computers typically have processors that have 1 to 4 cores with clock speeds of approximately 1 GHz to 4 GHz.

The processor is powerful because it can do everything. A computer is capable of performing a task because the processor is capable of performing that task. Programmers have been able to achieve this thanks to the wide instruction sets and huge lists of functions shared in modern central processing units.

What is GPU?

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit or Graphics Processing Unit) is a specialized type microprocessor optimized for very specific calculations and graphics display. The GPU runs at a lower clock speed than the CPU, but has many more processing cores.

You can also say that a GPU is a specialized CPU made for one specific purpose - video rendering. During rendering, the GPU performs simple mathematical calculations a huge number of times. The GPU has thousands of cores that will run simultaneously. While each GPU core is slower than the CPU core, it is still more efficient at performing simple math calculations needed to display graphics. This massive parallelism is what makes the GPU capable of rendering the complex 3D graphics required by modern games.

Difference between CPU and GPU

The GPU can only do a fraction of the things a CPU can do, but it does it at incredible speeds. The GPU will use hundreds of cores to perform urgent calculations on thousands of pixels while rendering complex 3D graphics. But to achieve high speeds, the GPU must perform monotonous operations.

Let's take for example Nvidia GTX 1080. This video card has 2560 shader cores. Thanks to these cores, the Nvidia GTX 1080 can execute 2,560 instructions or operations in one clock cycle. If you want to make the picture 1% brighter, the GPU can handle it without much difficulty. But the quad central Intel processor Core i5 will only be able to execute 4 instructions per clock cycle.

However, CPUs are more flexible than GPUs. Central processing units have a larger instruction set so they can perform more wide range functions. Also CPUs operate at higher maximum clock speeds and have the ability to control the input and output of computer components. For example, the central processing unit can be integrated with virtual memory, which is necessary to run modern operating system. This is exactly what the GPU cannot do.

GPU Computing

Even though GPUs designed for rendering, they are capable of more. Graphics processing is just a kind of repetitive parallel computing. Other tasks, such as Bitcoin mining and password cracking, rely on the same kinds of massive data sets and simple mathematical calculations. This is why some users use video cards for non-graphical operations. This phenomenon is called GPU Computation or GPU computing.

conclusions

In this article we carried out CPU comparison and GPU. I think it has become clear to everyone that GPUs and CPUs have similar goals, but are optimized for different calculations. Write your opinion in the comments, I will try to answer.