Processors and related in Chap 3

• Processors are the calculator, and coordinator of a PC
• Clock cycles measured in hertz (per second)
• Modern CPU’s run at speeds nearing 5GHz, or ~5 billion cycles per second
• Different levels of cache (short-term memory for the CPU) are used depending on the amount of time between reads for a given bit of information
• L1 cache is the closest to the CPU, thus the fastest. L2 and L3, respectively, can hold more information but are slower for the CPU to access
• Clock cycles are sine waves generated by the motherboard. Modern CPU’s receive data at four points during the clock cycle.
• GPU’s are similar to CPU’s but typically used only for math related to the display output of a device. Some CPU’s have integrated GPU’s so that the end user does not need a separate card.
• There are many different approaches to cooling a CPU, the most common of which is fans. Some PC’s will also make use of thermal pads or water cooling.
• The chipset is a complement to the CPU, and works with the CPU to manage access to peripherals, RAM, and other components.