What is a cpu?
Cpu is the abbreviation of English "central
processing
unit/central processing unit", cpu is generally composed of logic operation unit, control unit and storage unit. In the logic operation and control unit includes some registers, these registers are used for the cpu in the process of data processing in the temporary preservation of data,
In fact, when we buy a cpu, we do not need to know its construction, as long as you know its performance can be.
The main performance indicators of cpu are:
The main frequency which is the clock frequency of cpu (cpu
clock
speed). This is what we care about the most, what we call 233, 300, etc. refers to it, generally speaking, the higher the main frequency, the faster the cpu speed, the higher the whole machine.
The clock frequency is the external clock frequency of the cpu, provided by the computer motherboard, before the general is 66mhz, there are motherboards support 75 each 83mhz, at present intel's latest chipset bx to use 100mhz clock frequency. In addition, via's mvp3, mvp4 and other non-intel chipsets have also begun to support 100mhz external frequency. Elite's bx motherboards can even support 133mhz, which is preferred by overclockers.
Internal cache (l1
cache): closed in the cpu chip internal cache, used to temporarily store part of the cpu computing instructions and data, access speed and cpu main frequency, l1 cache capacity unit is generally kb. l1 cache the larger, the cpu work with slower access to the l2 cache and the number of times the memory exchanges data, less, relative to the computer's computing speed. The larger the l1 cache, the more often the cpu exchanges data with the slower-accessing l2 cache and memory, and the faster the computer's relative speed can be increased.
External cache (l2
cache): the cache external to the cpu, the l2 of the pentium
pro processor runs at the same frequency as the cpu, but it is expensive, so the pentium
ii runs at half the frequency of the cpu, with a capacity of 512k. to reduce costs, the inter company produced a new model without the l2 cache. inter produced a cpu without l2 named celeron, which also performs well and is ideal for overclocking.
mmx technology stands for "multimedia extended instruction set". mmx is a new technology adopted by intel in 1996 to enhance the pentium
cpu for audio, video, graphics, and communications applications. 57 mmx lines were added to the cpu for use in audio and video applications. In addition to adding 57 mmx instructions to the cpu, in addition to adding mmx instructions to the instruction set, the l1 cache within the cpu chip has been increased from the original 16kb to 32kb (16k finger life + 16k data), so the mmx
cpu's ability to handle multimedia has been increased by about 60% compared to the average cpu when running programs that contain mmx instructions. Currently, all cpus have mmx technology, except for the p55c and pentium
II cpus, as well as the k6, k6
3d, mii, and so on.
Manufacturing process: now the cpu manufacturing process is 0.35 micron, the latest pii can reach 0.28 micron, in the future cpu manufacturing process can reach 0.18 micron.
Cpu manufacturers
1. intel
intel is the production of cpu big brother, it occupies more than 80% of the market share, intel production of cpu has become the de facto x86cpu technical specifications and standards. The latest pii became the cpu of choice.
2. amd currently uses cpu products of several companies, in addition to intel, the most powerful challenge is amd, the latest k6 and k6-2 has a very good cost performance, especially the k6-2 using 3dnow technology, so that it has a very good performance in 3d.
3. ibm and cyrix
American national semiconductor company ibm and cyrix company after the merger, so that it finally has its own chip production line, its finished product will be increasingly perfect and complete. The mii now also performs well, especially with its low price.
4. idt Corporation
idt is a rising star among processor makers, but it's not quite mature yet.