lesson 8

CPUs Used in Personal Computers

This lesson introduces: Intel Processors AMD Processors Cyrix Processors Motorola Processors RISC Processors

CPUs Used in Personal Computers Intel Processors

Since 1978, Intel s processors !a"e e"ol"ed #rom t!e 8$8% and t!e 8$88 to t!e 8$&8%, 8$'8%, and 8$(8%, to t!e Pentium #amily o# processors) All are part o# t!e 8$x8% line) Intel s Pentium #amily o# processors includes t!e Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium *it! MM+, Pentium II, Pentium III, Celeron, and +eon processors) ,!e earliest Intel processors included only a #e* t!ousand transistors) ,oday s Pentium processors include 9)- million transistors or more)

Intel.s Pentium III processor

CPUs Used in Personal Computers AMD Processors

Ad"anced Micro De"ices /AMD0 *as lon1 2no*n as a pro"ider o# lo*er3per#ormance processors #or use in lo*3cost computers) 4it! its 5% line o# processors, AMD c!allen1ed Intel s processors in terms o# 6ot! price and per#ormance) 4it! t!e 5%3III processor, AMD 6ro2e t!e %$$ M78 6arrier, claimin1 t!e 9#astest processor9 title #or t!e #irst time in I:M3compati6le computers)

,!e AMD 5%3III processor

CPUs Used in Personal Computers Cyrix Processors

Cyrix 6e1an as a specialty c!ip ma2er, 6ut e"entually 6e1an producin1 microprocessors) Cyrix processors are most commonly used in lo*3 price, lo*3end consumer PCs) Cyrix #ormerly produced t!e Media;+ processor, and no* produces t!e MII series o# processors)

,!e Cyrix Processor

CPUs Used in Personal Computers Motorola Processors

Motorola ma2es t!e CPUs used in Macintos! and Po*erPC computers) Macintos! processors use a di##erent 6asic structural desi1n /arc!itecture0 t!an I:M3compati6le PC processors) 4it! t!e release o# t!e ;' and ;( Po*erPC processors, Macintos! computers set ne* standards #or price and per#ormance)

Apple.s ;( computers are 6ased on Motorola processors

CPUs Used in Personal Computers - RISC Processors

Most PCs are 6ased on complex instruction set computin1 /CISC0 c!ips *!ic! contain lar1e instruction sets) Reduced instruction set computin1 /RISC0 processors use smaller instruction sets) ,!is ena6les t!em to process more instructions per second t!an /CISC0 c!ips) RISC processors are #ound in Apple s Po*erPC systems, as *ell as many 7<PCs, *or2stations, minicomputers, and main#rames)

Compa=.s Alp!aSer"er computers are 6ased on RISC processors

CPUs Used in Personal Computers -Parallel Processin

In parallel processin1, multiple processors are used in a sin1le system, ena6lin1 t!em to s!are processin1 tas2s)

In a massi"ely parallel processor /MPP0 system, many processors are used) Some MPP systems utili8e t!ousands o# processors simultaneously)

lesson 8 Review
>ame t!e t!ree 6est32no*n #amilies o# CPUs and list t!eir di##erences) ?ist all t!e processors in Intel.s 8$x8% line o# processors) Identi#y t!e 2ey processor #amilies #rom AMD and Cyrix) Di##erentiate t!e processors used in Macintos! and I:M3compati6le PCs) De#ine t!e terms CISC and RISC) Identi#y one ad"anta1e o# usin1 multiple processors in computers)