Tutorials > Hardware > CPU box

What are we referring here as CPU (central processing unit) is actually incorrect as the CPU is in fact the processor of the computer system.
The real name should be the " box " or the " case ", which contains virtually all the active parts of the computer.

The Processor

The processor of a computer system is what is commonly called " the brain " of the computer. The other name used is CPU (Computer Processing Unit), because it performs all the calculating and processing of the computer system.
The CPU is normally the most expensive part of the system. In today market the major producer of CPU are :

Intel (with the old 8080 , 286 , 386 and 486 series , the newer Pentium , II , III , IV and Celeron series). Nowadays we have Dual 2 core and Quad core (a little like 2 brains in one box at a lower speed, which means lower power consumption but an higher processing speed).
AMD (with the K6 II , K6 III Atholon, Duron, Thunderbird and Turion series).

One way to categorize the processors beside the manufacturer and the model is the Data Bus and Address Bus size.
For example the old Intel 286 (actually was 80286) was a 16 bits Bus, which means the data was send on a bus of 16 lines ( or wires ).
The 386DX was a 32 bits data bus processor.
Newer CPU's have 64 bits bus , which means they are transferring information quicker then the 16 bits for example (64 bits are send in one shot rather then 16).

Also the number of transistors in a CPU has increased incredibly from less then 30.000 in the 8080 to the almost 10 million in the newer CPUs.
Newer CPUs can also sustain an increased clock speed then the older, as new technology allow thinner wafer (where the transistors are) which consumes less energy and reduces the overheating. From a 4.7 MHz to the 3500 MHz of today.

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