Understanding The CPU Ryan cable Jeremy Wall Jason Basara

What is a CPU? CPU is shorthand for “central processing unit” The CPU acts as the brain of the computer A CPU can be found in many devices other than computer including Cell phones, Ipods, Tablet computers etc.…. The CPU’s purpose is to accept, perform calculations on, and eject numeric data. The CPU is a processor chip consisting of millions of integrated circuits.

Location On Motherboard The CPU slot permits attachment of the CPU to the motherboard, allowing the CPU to use the other components of the system. The CPU is commonly located under a device to cool it. Installing the CPU

How The CPU Functions (The Pipeline) Fetch : The CPU gets command and retrieves program information from memory/Registers (*The CPU uses registers for temporary storage of internal commands and data) Decode: CPU takes the program information and translates it into code it can understand Execute: The different lines of code are computed in order Writeback: CPU records feed back from each subsequent step. If there was an error it will be written to memory to notify the end user.

Cache Memory Cache refers to an area of extremely fast memory to enter or exit the CPU. Types of Cache Memory L1 (Front-side) Cache- holds data waiting to enter CPU L2 (Back-side) Cache- holds data exiting CPU, waiting to return to RAM. Cache on a stick (COAST)- Older systems, L2 was on a separate circuit board installed in the motherboard. L3 Cache- Found in newer systems, sits between the CPU and RAM. (*The external data bus provides a channel for the flow of data and commands between the CPU and RAM.)

CPU’s compatibility with Motherboards Physical Connectivity CPU must be in right kind of package to fit into motherboard. Speed Motherboard’s chipset dictates its external data bus speed, so CPU must be capable of operating at that external speed. Instruction Set Motherboard’s chipset contains an instruction set for communicating with CPU. CPU must understand the comments in that set. Voltage CPU requires a certain voltage of power to be supplied to it threw the motherboard’s interface. Wrong voltage can ruin CPU.

CPU speed CPU’s speed is described as its internal speed. Speed is measured in megahertz CPU clock speed has reached a practical limit in 2002 of 4ghz Speed may not be a reliable source of CPU performance (Chip architecture may allow a lower speed CPU to preform calculations faster)

CPU speed Clock Rate: Rate of bits per second (measured in hertz) Clock speed: The speed at which the CPU interacts with the motherboard (this can be increased though the process of overclocking) Internal Speed: Usually a multiple of external speed. It’s the speed at which the CPU can preform internal functions

32 Bit vs. 64 Bit CPU’s Most computer and operating systems are now 64 bit 64 bit processors can handle larger calculations 64 bit can handle much larger numbers 64 bit CPU’s are made with more advanced silicon with more transistors. Most Windows operating systems give the choice of 32 vs. 64 Most programs designed for 32 bit processors will work on 64 bit systems

Multi-core Processor Integrated circuit that uses two or more individual processors, or cores, to handle data. Increased speed. Multi-core processors still selectively cache data and retrieve non-cached data from other storage locations. If one core is working the other cores can still execute commands and receive information at a normal processor speed. A multi-core processor tends to produce more heat than a single-core processor, so you need a proper cooling system.

Xbox 360 Multi Core Processor Xbox 360 uses multi core processor 165 million transistor with three 3.2 GHz PowerPC cores Each core on the chip functions as a separate processor Multi core processors split heavy work loads over multiple powerful processors rather than giving all the work to one super-powerful processor. Each core can process two threads simultaneously 360 CPU is equivalent to having 6 conventional processors When playing video games the Xbox 360 can dedicate one core to sound, one core can run the game’s collision and physics engine, and one can take care of hi-def graphics.

Advantages of Dual Core over Single Core Performance gain Specific amount depends on your hardware and software and the task you are doing. Not 100% gain on performance, closer to 50%. Better to add another core than other methods of increasing performance. No side-effects of scaling the clock rate. Better than a single-core dual-threaded processor Dual-threaded processor, the threads are competing for resources Reduced battery consumption.

Cooling Methods ---CPU’s generate a lot of heat, therefore cooling is essential ---There are many options for cooling the central processing unit some include ---Air cooling (most Common), Liquid submersion cooling, Conductive/Radiative cooling, Spot cooling, Passive/Active cooling, Water cooling, Liquid Nitrogen/ Helium and Soft cooling. ---Case fan may be used to expel heat from the case or blow air over the Heat Sink ---Heat Sink transfer heat from CPU *Unless you are overclocking your CPU air cooling is sufficient

Typical Fan setup The cooling fan The Heat sink

Cooling Methods Air Cooling *when installing a cooling fan always spread thermal grease on the top of the CPU What happens if the CPU overheats

Intel Hyper threading and Turbo Boost Hyper Threading technology allows for multiple threads of codes to run on a single core Ability to demanding programs simultaneously with out losing system responsiveness This technology is best used with operating systems that support multiple processers Turbo boost will boost performance if processor is running under capacity Hyper Threading Turbo Boost

The current market leader of CPU chips is Intel Corporation. With advanced Micro Devices, AMD is gaining market share in the home pc market. Other Competitors include Motorola and IBM. CPU Manufactures

Intel Processors The first commercially successful Intel CPU was the It was Developed in Data Bus Width is 16 Bits, Address Bus Width is 20 Bits, and the speed is between 5 to 10 MHz.

Pentium Intel introduced the Pentium processor in The Data Bus Width is 32 Bits, Address Bus Width is 32 Bits, and comes in speeds from 60 MHz to 200 MHz. With the release of Pentium chips, dual pipelining was introduced ( allowing the chip to process two operations at once). The term Pentium refers to three separate CPU’s.

Pentium Pro Released in 1995, came between the second generation and MMX generation. PGA- style chip with 387 pins, using socket 8, drawing +3V. Included quad pipelining, which processed 4 operations at once. The first CPU to include an on-chip L2 Cache. Another Advantage was it included dynamic processing, allowed computer to run instructions out of order whenever it was waiting for some other function to happen.

Pentium II Released in 1999, the speed ranged from 233 to 400 MHz. Uses an SECC to attach to the motherboard instead of the standard PGA package used with earlier processor-only applications. Different voltages have been used for the Pentium II, ranging from +2.8V to +2.0V.

Pentium III Released in Same SECC connector as the Pentium II. Included 70 new instructions and a processor serial number (PSN). PGA chip has the CPU chip mounted on top rather than the bottom of the ceramic square, called a flip chip.

Pentium 4 Released in Runs on motherboard with fast system bus. Runs between 400 MHz and 800 MHz Offers hyperthreading technology, which enables the computer to multitask more efficiently between CPU- demanding applications.

Current Intel CPU’s Intel’s current core lineup includes models such as the i3, i5, and the i7 This lineup is replacing the older systems such as Core 2

Chip production Intels Factory The production of CPU’s requires complex planning and precise manufacturing steps to produce. With innovated technologies and clean environments chip makers like Intel and AMD produce leading edge CPU’s

AMD Advanced Micro Devices is Intel’s top competitor. AMD has made CPUs that clone the function of Intel’s. They are able to clone their CPUs because in 1976 AMD and Intel signed an agreement, giving AMD the right to copy certain types of CPUs. In January 1995, after many years of legal wrangling, Intel and AMD settled and decided to end the licensing agreements.

AMD AMD K6 series From 1997 to 2000 AMD produced a series of processors called K6 that matched Intel’s Pentium II. AMD Athlon Athlon Classic was the first AMD CPU to drop any attempt at pin compatibility with Intel chips. Athlon Thunderbird CPUs have a smaller but far more powerful L2 cache compared to the Athlon Classic. Athlon XP- AMD attempted to ignore clock speeds and instead market the CPUs by using a performance rating number that matched the power of an Intel Pentium 4 processor. AMD Duron Basically an Athlon with a smaller cache.

AMD AMD Opteron Lower-end 64-bit CPU Doesn’t try to go head to head with Intel’s Itanium Opteron runs both 32-bit and 64-bit code, giving customers the choice to move slowly into 64-bit without purchasing new equipment. AMD Athlon 64 Early 64-bit CPU. FX series runs faster than the regular Athlon 64s. AMD Athlon Dual Core The Athlon 64 X2 CPUs are two separate cores that share L1 caches.

AMD Phenom AMD took a different approach than Intel to achieve a quad- core processor. Each CPU core has its own L1 and L2 caches, but all four cores share an L3 to communicate between cores. AMD refers to a Phenom processor with four cores as a Phenom X4, a Phenom X3 also exists but it is basically a quad- core processor with one of the cores shut off due to a defect. AMD Phenom II Triple the amount of L3 cache. Increased HyperTransport bus speeds. Enhanced memory controller that can support two channels of DDR2 or DDR3 memory.

Intel vs. AMD

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