CPU

• All modern CPUs are based on the Von Neumann architecture
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)


  Inside a processor, we can store zeros and ones using transistors. These are a very thin slice of silicon. A single silicon chip can contain thousands of transistors. A single CPU contains a large number of chips.
• CPU architecture


  CPU architecture is a term that refers to the design of a Microprocessor, an integrated circuit, where the components of the CPU are combined as a single unit.
• Components of the CPU


  The CPU is the main component in a computer for processing data and instructions.

  • Controller
  • Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)
  • Registers
  • Internal memory
• Controller or control unit

  The controller sends and receives signals from all parts of the computer. It ensures that all processes take place at the right time and in the correct order.
• Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)


  The ALU is the part of the CPU that processes and manipulates data. It performs simple calculations on the data that is temporarily stored in the registers.
• Registers

  A register is a storage location found on the CPU where data or control information is temporarily stored.
• Example of register - Program Counter (PC)


  A counter that keeps track of the memory address of which instruction is to be executed next.
• Example of register - Memory Address Register (MAR) 


  The address in the main memory that is currently being read or written.
• Example of register - Current Instruction Register (CIR)


  A temporary holding area for the instruction that has just been fetched from memory.
• Example of register - Accumulator 


  This is the register used by the ALU to store the results of its calculations.
• Internal memory


  Internal memory (sometimes called level 1 cache memory) is fast access temporary storage on the CPU. Data from internal memory can then either be written to RAM or called back into the registers for further processing.
• CPU cache memory


  Cache memory is a fast access type of memory. Cache memory improves the performance of the CPU. The more cache memory your system has, the better its performance is likely to be.
• Clock Speed


  The speed at which a processor operates is called the clock speed. The faster the clock speed, the faster the computer is able to run the fetch-decode-execute cycle (FDE) and therefore process more instructions.
• Number of cores


  By increasing the number of cores we increase the amount of instructions being processed at a time