CPU

Central Processing Unit..

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is normally an Intel Pentium or an AMD Athlon (or equivalent) and it is one of the most important components within your computer. It determines how fast your computer will run and is measured by its MHz speed. A 2 GigaHertz (2000 MHz) Pentium is much faster than say a 600 MHz Pentium CPU. It is the CPU that performs all the calculations within the computer.

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) The CPU is the brains within your computer. It performs most of the calculations within the computer and is responsible for the smooth running of your operating system (Microsoft Windows) as well as your application programs, such as word-processors, spreadsheets and databases. There is a small amount of memory associated with the CPU, which it uses to perform these operations. It also accesses and uses the main memory (RAM - Random Access Memory) within your computer. The CPU is the single most important item within your computer. It governs the main processes and the overall speed of these processes is measured in MHz and now GHz. This relates to the frequency that the CPU runs at and the higher the Hz rating of your CPU the faster your computer will run. To give you some indication of how PCs have advanced over the years, the original IBM PC released in 1981 ran at 4.77 MHz while modern PCs run at speeds in excess of 2 GHz! CPU's are even more powerfull as they now have multicores i.e 4 x 2ghz in 1 CPU