This article will give you information about Microprocessor in a Computer and its different types of bit microprocessor. The processor is a unit of computer system that interprets instructions and executes them.
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What is a Microprocessor in a Computer?
The microprocessor is the heart of the computer. A PC’s performance depends on the capability and speed of the microprocessor.
The processing speed of a microprocessor in a computer is usually measure in Millions Instructions Per Second (MIPS).
The MIPS rating is used to specify the integer computation performance of a processor. The processing speed of a microprocessor for floating point computation is measured in Millions of Floating Point Instructions Per Second (MFLOPS).
A microprocessor is a combination of arithmetical, logical unit and control unit on a single integrated chip.
It requires power supply, clock system and the main memory to function as a complete Personal Computer (PC).
Microprocessor is also used in many other digital devices besides PCs and workstations. It works on the binary digits 0 and 1.
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) of a less powerful computer may contain a single microprocessor. The CPU of a bigger workstation may contain a number of microprocessors on one or more motherboards.
The major parts of a microprocessor in a computer includes:
- Arithmetic Logical Unit (ALU)
- Control Unit (CU)
” The combination of ALU and CU is known as a microprocessor.“
Microprocessors are distinguished from each other by the following criteria:
- The architecture, the presence and size of cache memory, the inclusion of a floating point math co-processor, etc.
- The size of data that can be manipulated at one time: 16 bits, 32 bits, or 64 bits. The word bit means binary digit.
- The size of the external bus, that is, the width of the path data. For instance with 64 bits bus, 8 characters can be sent simultaneously, while a 16-bit bus requires four separate operations to perform the same data transfer.
- Maximum addressable memory, which limits the amount of memory that can be installed in the computer.
- The internal and external clock frequency, that is, the speed at which the processor itself works and the speed at which it can communicate with other components.
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Types of Microprocessor in a Computer
8-bit Microprocessor
An 8-bit microprocessor can handle a combination of 8 bits at a time. These bits are formed by 0s and 1s, such as 10011000, 01110001, etc.
The most popular 8-bit microprocessor was Intel 8085. But they are now superseded by more powerful ones.
16-bit Microprocessor in a computer
A 16-bit microprocessor manipulates 16 bits at a time. Thus, a 16-bit computer means that the word length of this computer is 16-bits and the processor manipulates 16-bits of data at a time.
An example of 16-bit microprocessor is Intel 80286.
32-bit Microprocessor
A 32-bit microprocessor, means that its word length is 32 bits. Some examples are Intel 80386, 80486, etc.
These types of microprocessors were used in expensive PCs earlier.
64-bit Microprocessor in a computer
64-bit microprocessors are used in very powerful workstations server and mini computers.
An important 64-bit microprocessor based computer is DEC’s (Digital Equipment Corporation) Alpha Server.
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