UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN

Central Processor Unit

Intel i7 Processor (A, 2011)

JGEN 200 Project 1

Dongpu Jin
Instructor: Dr. Mary Schieke
2/9/2011

Table of Contents
Definition .............................................................................................................................3
Principle of Operation ..........................................................................................................3
History of Evolution ............................................................................................................4
Different Types ....................................................................................................................4
For Personal Computers ...................................................................................................4
For Smart Phones .............................................................................................................4
For Small Machines .........................................................................................................5
Reference .............................................................................................................................6

Central processor unit is the active part of the computer, which contains the data
path and control and which adds numbers, tests numbers, signals I/O devices to activate
(Patterson, 2007).
The central processor unit, sometimes abbreviated as CPU, is the most important
component in a computer. It performs essential arithmetical, logical and input/output
operations. Then it will carry out the desired results for the other components, such as
memory, input/output devices, etc. It is an extremely complex component. On a single
die of chip, about the same size as our thumb, there are approximately one billion
transistors. Therefore, we can think of a CPU as the brain of a computer. Just like the
animal brain controls all the internal organs and the overall body behaviors, a CPU will
control the entire interior signal communications between different components and
conducts the external interaction between user and computer.
Principle of Operation
Even though the organization of a CPU is very complex, its principle of operation
is not hard to understand. Basically, a CPU will read instructions from programs
sequentially. Those programs might come from software, games, videos, songs, etc.
Since all instruction of those applications are written in programming languages, the
computer can convert each instruction into a machine code, also called binary code. Just
as its name implies, it is the code which can be understood by machines. Actually, the
machine code is very simple as it
only contains 0s and 1s. This
allows it to be easily understood
by the CPU. Lets say you have
a 32-bit Windows 7 computer. It
will convert each program
instruction into a machine code
that is 32 characters long and is
filled with 0s and 1s. The
relative order, and the number of
0s and 1s, defines the meaning
Figure 1 Principal of Operation of a CPU
of this command.
First, the CPU will read this set of 0s and 1s and break it down into several
smaller groups. Each group has its own meaning. Then, all of these groups will be
forwarded to a place called ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit), which can perform the basic
arithmetic operations, such as addition, subtraction, etc. Once that is done, it will return
the results to the CPU, and the CPU will send the results to the next component, such as
memory. This concludes the execution of one instruction. The CPU will repeat these
steps and continuously carry out these operations.

A lot of people have a wrong impression that a CPU is a command center. They
believe it generates all of the commands and the computer will follow those commands
and operate accordingly. Actually, the CPU will not generate commands for the computer.
It simply reads instructions from a program and performs arithmetic operations. Thus, a
CPU is more like an operator rather than a command center.
History of Evolution

Glossary

The first CPU chip was created by Intel back

CPU: Central Processor Unit, a
in early 70s. Beside Intel, companies such as IBM,
part of a computer which does
Motorola, Texas Instruments also joined the CPU
arithmetic calculation.
market and started designing their own CPU. At that
transistor:
Electronic device,
time, the CPU was so simple that it could only be
which can control the operation of
used on a calculator. During the 80s, the CPU had a
a circuit.
great evolution. The size increased from 4 bits to 16
bits, then all the way to 32 bits. Its functionality and
binary code: a series of 0s and 1s
capability also had a substantial improvement, so
which could be understood by
they gained a great variety of applications. However,
CPU.
the cost for a CPU declined, and that made the home
ALU: Arithmetic Logic Unit, a
computer possible. In the 90s, Intel played an
component inside CPU, which
important role. They developed the well known
does the actual calculation.
Pentium series processors for home computers.
Meanwhile, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) joined
GPU: Graphic Processor Unit, a
processor used specifically for
the game and started the match with Intel. Up to the
graphics processing.
year 2000, the speed and on chip memory of the
CPU had been improved significantly. Nowadays,
the CPU is in a brand new multi-core era. There is no doubt that the CPU will become
much faster and more reliable in the future (History of CPU).
Different Types
For Personal Computers
The most common types of processors are for personal computers, such as laptops
and desktops. Most of these kinds of processors are manufactured by Intel and AMD.
They have been developed for decades and now became very powerful. They can process
millions of instructions within a second. It allows you to surf the internet, play games,
listen to music, and watch videos simultaneously. Because of such a great performance,
the CPU dissipates a lot of heat. For example, when a CPU is in active, it consumes
200W of power. Think about the glowing light bulb in your lamp, it only consumes 40W.
Therefore, all processors are equipped with a fan to keep them from burning.
For Smart Phones

Due to the explosive growing smart phone market, the processors for smart
phones became an up-and-coming technology. Companies like Apple, Samsung and
Texas Instruments are pioneers of manufacturing this kind of processor. Actually, the
processors for smart phones are quite different from the personal computer. They are very
energy efficient, so they can maximize the battery life. On the other hand, they are also
very powerful, so users can use different apps, browse the internet, play games and watch
videos on their smart phones. Since most smart phones have big touch screens, in order to
provide best graphics performance, processors are usually dedicated with a GPU
(Graphic Processor Unit), which used particularly for graphics processing.
For Small Machines
Theres another type of processor for small machines such microwaves and floor
cleaning robots. Since these small machines are designed specifically for some particular
task, their processors became very simple. They can only perform several very specific
functions. But they are very good at protecting themselves from vapor, dust, magnetic
radiation, etc, so that those small machines can function longer.

Reference
A, J. (2011). Processors Your Gadgets Brain. Retrieved from ZAGG:
http://www.pchopes.com/images/intel%20core%20i7%20processor%20extreme.jpg
History of CPU. (n.d.). Retrieved from ThinkQuest:
http://library.thinkquest.org/26532/inside/history/index.html
Patterson, D. A. (2007). Computer Organization and Design. Morgan Kaufmann.