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A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor, or just processor, is the most important processor in a given computer. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Its electronic circuitry executes instructions of a computer program , such as arithmetic , logic, controlling, and input/output (I/O) operations.
The first documented computer architecture was in the correspondence between Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, describing the analytical engine.While building the computer Z1 in 1936, Konrad Zuse described in two patent applications for his future projects that machine instructions could be stored in the same storage used for data, i.e., the stored-program concept.
The control unit (CU) is a component of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) that directs the operation of the processor. A CU typically uses a binary decoder to convert coded instructions into timing and control signals that direct the operation of the other units (memory, arithmetic logic unit and input and output devices, etc.).
In most traditional computer architectures, the CPU and main memory tend to be tightly coupled, with the internal bus connecting the two being known as the system bus. In systems that include a cache, CPUs use high-performance system buses that operate at speeds greater than memory to communicate with memory.
In computer science, an instruction set architecture (ISA) is an abstract model that generally defines how software controls the CPU in a computer or a family of computers. [1] A device or program that executes instructions described by that ISA, such as a central processing unit (CPU), is called an implementation of that ISA.
In computing and computer science, a processor or processing unit is an electrical component (digital circuit) that performs operations on an external data source, usually memory or some other data stream. [1]
An opened ATX case, front towards right. Components pictured include a microATX motherboard (top), a CPU (beneath the Cooler Master fan), a GPU (middle), and an SSD (right). The power supply is housed in the compartment at bottom. A computer case, also known as a computer chassis, is the enclosure that contains most of the hardware of a ...
The advantage over a hard-wired CPU is that internal CPU control becomes a specialized form of a computer program. Microcode thus transforms a complex electronic design challenge (the control of a CPU) into a less complex programming challenge.