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by Spindizy on January 5th, 2007

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What is a CPU?

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  • by Spindizy on January 5th, 2007

    Spindizy

    Central Processing Unit, is the brains of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the processor or central processor, the CPU is where most calculations take place. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system. On large machines, CPUs require one or more printed circuit boards. On personal computers and small workstations, the CPU is housed in a single chip called a microprocessor.

    Two typical components of a CPU are: The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations. The control unit, which extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them, calling on the ALU when necessary.

    The term "Central processing unit" is, in general terms, a functional description of a certain class of programmable logic machines. This broad definition can easily be applied to many early computers that existed long before the term "CPU" ever came into widespread usage.

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