What is a processor? Easily explained
A processor is clocked in each computer, which processes the tasks assigned to it step by step. You can find out exactly what a processor is and what tasks it is responsible for in the computer in this article.
Processor - the heart of the computer
The processor is at the heart of a computer because it works in a regular rhythm. In general, the processor is also referred to as the CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU is contained in many electronic devices and serves as a central processing unit to process commands. Well-known processor manufacturers are Intel or AMD.
- Clock frequency: Each processor has a rhythm, which is also called the clock frequency. The faster the clock frequency, the faster the processor can process commands. Hertz is a measure of the speed of the rhythms. One Hertz is one cycle per second.
- Cooling: High speeds of the clock frequencies cause large heat losses. The electronics in the processor can be damaged by the resulting heat. To dissipate the heat, fans or water cooling systems are usually used.
Processor tasks: This is what the CPU does
Processors have specific tasks. Arithmetic operations must be carried out and parts of the computer must be controlled. Data is entered, processed and finally output again. The processor can only process data as binary code. That means the processor only understands zeros and ones. Each number or digit must therefore be encoded in binary code.
- Computing: Each processor has an arithmetic unit. The processor carries out calculations within the arithmetic unit. A simple arithmetic operation would be 1 + 1 = 2, for example. In this case, the arithmetic unit outputs the number 2.
- Control: A processor also contains a control unit. The control unit is responsible for the cooperation of the individual components in the processor. The control unit stores and reads data from the main memory and processes the inputs and outputs of peripheral devices (mouse, keyboard, etc.).
- Bus system: Bus systems are used for data transmission between the different components of the computer.
Multi-core processors and hyper-threading
The performance of a processor core is physically limited and cannot be expanded at will. Thus the clock frequency cannot be increased infinitely. In order to increase the performance, processors can be interconnected without increasing the clock frequency.
- Multi-core: Several processor cores are combined into one processor. In this case, the manufacturer differentiates between single-core processors (single-core), double-core processors (dual-core), four-core processors (quad-core), six-core processors (hexa-core) and eight-core processors (octa-core).
- Hz: Processors with great performance work in the GHz range. A CPU can thus perform 1 billion arithmetic operations per second.
- Multi-core processors are not only found in large devices such as notebooks or desktop PCs, but also in tablets and smartphones.
In the next practical tip, we will explain what a hard drive is.