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Computer Systems : CPU

CPU stands for Central processing unit. It is the brain of the computer that processes program instructions and is Also called a microprocessor. It executes programs using the fetch-decode-execute cycle.

There are four key factors about CPU architecture that affect its performance:

Cores

Clock Speed

Cache Type

Processor Type

Cores

A CPU can contain one or more processing units, and each unit is called a core. A core contains an ALU(Arithmetic logic unit - a component of the CPU that performs calculating functions such as addition and subtraction) , control unit(The component of the CPU that manages instructions) and registers(The section of high speed memory within the CPU that stores data to be processed). Computers can have two(dual), four(quad) or even more cores. CPUs with multiple cores have more power to run multiple programs at the same time.

Clock Speed

The clock speed/rate indicates how fast the CPU can run. This is measured in megahertz(1,000,000 hertz, MHz) or gigahertz (gHz) and corresponds with how many instruction cycles the CPU can deal with in a second.