Central Processing Unit
(CPU)
(CPU)
If the Motherboard can be considered the body of the computer, then the CPU is undoubtedly the brains of the operation.
When CPU is said, most people thing to the unit itself, being a 2 or 3 cm squared in size, silver on top and with the pins underneath. While not being wrong, this isn't, strictly speaking, correct. The the silver plate on top is the IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) and as it's name implies, is just a metal plate used to move the heat away from the vital part of the CPU, the CPU chip set.
When CPU is said, most people thing to the unit itself, being a 2 or 3 cm squared in size, silver on top and with the pins underneath. While not being wrong, this isn't, strictly speaking, correct. The the silver plate on top is the IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) and as it's name implies, is just a metal plate used to move the heat away from the vital part of the CPU, the CPU chip set.
![Picture](/uploads/2/3/8/4/23842263/1686791.jpg)
The image to the left is a graphic of a CPU without the IHS. The small black chips in the centre is the CPU chip set. That is the part if the chip that controls every aspect of the computer, following the programs instructions perfectly every time unless there is an error in the code that prevents it from working or the chip itself breaks.
Very important to the CPU industry are 3 design factors. First, and most important, is the number of cores a CPU has. At current, both AMD and Intel (the two largest producers of CPUs) offer an octo-core processor, but in slightly different ways. Whereas AMD has opted for just putting 8 high speed cores on a chip (more about processor speeds in a moment), Intel have used a technology called hyperthreading. Hyperthreading is where instead of each core executing a single string of code (called a thread), Intel's hyperthreading allows each core to process two threads at once, allowing the Quad core i7 line to match the AMD FX 9xxx octo-cores, despite having half the cores.
Very important to the CPU industry are 3 design factors. First, and most important, is the number of cores a CPU has. At current, both AMD and Intel (the two largest producers of CPUs) offer an octo-core processor, but in slightly different ways. Whereas AMD has opted for just putting 8 high speed cores on a chip (more about processor speeds in a moment), Intel have used a technology called hyperthreading. Hyperthreading is where instead of each core executing a single string of code (called a thread), Intel's hyperthreading allows each core to process two threads at once, allowing the Quad core i7 line to match the AMD FX 9xxx octo-cores, despite having half the cores.
The second important factor for CPUs in the clock speed of the CPU, measured in Giga Hertz (GHz, with 1Hz meaning 1 cycle per second). As said above, its great to have quad core processors, better to have an octo-core processor, but if the quad and octo-cores have a lower clock speed than a dual core processor, then there's little point in having the more expensive processors unless you are running video rendering software or similar.
As it stands, the world record for a CPU clock speed is at 8.794 GHz (8,794,000,000 cycles per second), achieved by cooling the CPU by very unconventional means (namely liquid helium and hydrogen). No desktop computer will reach those speeds with the currently technology, but we're getting close. AMD's new FX 9xxx range boasts 5GHz speeds with 8 cores, and Intel offereing up to 3.9GHz with the Quad core 4th Gen i7 4770K with hyperthreading. Invariably, higher clock speeds mean better performance in what ever program you are running as information can be processed and displayed faster.
As it stands, the world record for a CPU clock speed is at 8.794 GHz (8,794,000,000 cycles per second), achieved by cooling the CPU by very unconventional means (namely liquid helium and hydrogen). No desktop computer will reach those speeds with the currently technology, but we're getting close. AMD's new FX 9xxx range boasts 5GHz speeds with 8 cores, and Intel offereing up to 3.9GHz with the Quad core 4th Gen i7 4770K with hyperthreading. Invariably, higher clock speeds mean better performance in what ever program you are running as information can be processed and displayed faster.
The third factor is the size of the chip. Not the physical size of the chip, but the size of the transistors themselves. At current, Intel's 4th Gen i3, i5 and i7s all offer 22nm (2.2x10-5, or 0.000022mm) transistors. The new smaller size is both a blessing and a curse, however. Smaller transistors mean that you can fit more of them per core, which in turn leads to higher single core performance. However, the smaller size means you can fit more of them per core. Sound familiar? The problem with fitting more transistors per core is that the CPU then runs hotter and in order to protect the core, the base clocks are set lower than other cores.