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What is a CPU?
Published 06/20/2006 10:01 AM |
Updated 01/27/2010 03:29 PM
What is a CPU?
What is a CPU?
CPU is an abbreviation of the term "central processing unit". Each letter is pronounced separately. The CPU is the brain of your computer. It reads instructions from your software and tells your computer what to do. The speed at which the CPU processes information internally is measured in MegaHertz (MHz) and GigaHertz (GHz). 1 GHz is equal to 1,000 MHz. Generally, processors with higher MHz or GHz enhance your ability to run creative, entertainment, communication, and productivity applications.
CPU is an abbreviation of the term "central processing unit". Each letter is pronounced separately. The CPU is the brain of your computer. It reads instructions from your software and tells your computer what to do. The speed at which the CPU processes information internally is measured in MegaHertz (MHz) and GigaHertz (GHz). 1 GHz is equal to 1,000 MHz. Generally, processors with higher MHz or GHz enhance your ability to run creative, entertainment, communication, and productivity applications.
What does it look like?
Most modern CPUs are "tower" shaped. They look like an upright, narrow rectangle. Computers running the Windows operating system will keep the brain in a tower box separate from the computer screen. The Macintosh "Mini" is another type of CPU, but it is shaped like a square stepping stone. The CPU has a power button, special plugs for USB ports, phone and LAN lines, speaker jacks, and serial ports for mice and monitors (pcsupport.about.com).
A typical computer user's desk. Notice the CPU tower on the left.
photo credit: Ronnie Bergeron
(CPU definition courtesy of http://pcsupport.about.com )
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