Computer CPU

A computer cpu is the brain that runs a computer. CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the core chip to a computer. It is placed in the cpu socket and from here it forms an electrical interface with the motherboard. A CPU is the most important part in a computer.

Whenever people talk and brag about their computer they always talk about their CPU first. They say, 'its a Pentium 4, 3.0 Ghz' or 'its a Q6600, Quad Core beast'. Whenever minimum requirements are mentioned on the back of software packages, the CPU processor is the most important piece of information.

No matter how much RAM (Random Access Memory) or Hard Drive space you have, the CPU dictates whether the program will run on the computer or not.

Modern processors have millions of transistors placed onto the little square which is called a die. The CPU is responsible for processing codes and instructions through to the motherboard which sends the information through to the graphics card where it then travels to your monitor and then appears on your screen.

AMD, Cyrix and Intel are the major CPU manufacturers. Intel released the first CPU processor which was the 4004 in the year of 1971. It ran at 740kHz (740,000 hertz) compared to the more modern computers that can run up to 3Ghz (3,000,000,000 hertz).

Intel just released the new i7 CPUs. I have just reviewed the best of the lot the: Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition Processors. Be sure to check it out!

A computer CPU is measured in megahertz (Mhz) and more recently gigahertz (Ghz). This is generally called the clock speed of the CPU. The higher the amount of hertz the greater amounts of cycles can be completed and more information will be processed. However, along with faster processors comes more heat and thus bigger and better fans have been placed onto CPUs to keep them cooler.

However it is important to understand that megahertz and gigahertz are not the only way to define how good a CPU is. Read this article on the megahertz myth and understand what I am talking about or learn how to choose a CPU with this article.

Have any questions on CPUs and Processors? Go to my new forum and post your question there?

Looking to buy a CPU? Go to my article on how to choose a CPU and then visit these online stores for the best CPUs online.