 The central processing unit (CPU) is

considered the brain of the computer. It is

sometimes referred to as the processor.
Most calculations take place in the CPU.

 In terms of computing power, the CPU is the

most important element of a computer
system.
 Form Factor is the physical size and shape
of a device.
 In motherboards it pertains to the size and

shape of the board and also describes the

physical layout of different components and
devices on the motherboard.
 With system cases, it describes certain

specific features and what kind of

motherboard fits inside.
 CPUs come in different form factors, each
style requiring a particular slot or socket on
the motherboard.
 There are basically three types of the C.P.U
Sockets.
 1. LIF – Low insertion Force – requires
some force to insert and remove from socket
 2. ZIF – Zero Insertion Force – the socket
has a locking lever for locking pins.
 3. SEC – Single Edge Cartridge - Here the
CPU is mounted on a special circuit board
which is plugged on the motherboard.
 American Micro Devices (AMD)
 Intel
 IBM
 Motorola
 Cyrix
 Texas Instruments
 The CPU socket or slot is the connector that
interfaces between the motherboard and
the processor itself.

 PGA (Pin Grid Array) vs LGA (Land Grid

Array)

In the case of a PGA, the CPU itself holds the pins –

which can interestingly be less than the number
of holes in the socket – whereas LGA, the pins are
part of the socket on the motherboard. Obviously
the number of pins can never exceed the number
of holes in the socket.
This is the motherboard shot of a PGA (it's
got a hole for every pin):
  LGA (Land Grid Array)
◦ LGA is different from PGA in that the pins are
actually part of the socket, not the CPU.
◦ Example: LGA 775

This is a motherboard
shot of a LGA (it's got a
pin for every contact on
the CPU). The CPU
rests on top of all the
pins and the pressure of
the heatsink pushes the
CPU to make contact
with all the pins:
 Socket and chipset determine which
processor a board can support.
◦ Socket holds Intel or AMD processor

 Server processors
◦ Intel Itanium and Xeon processors
◦ Use different socket type

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Table 3-1 Sockets for Intel processors used for desktop computers
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 Pin Grid Array (PGA) socket
◦ Pins aligned in uniform rows around socket
◦ Used by early Pentiums
 Staggered pin grid array (SPGA)
◦ Pins staggered over socket
◦ Squeezes more pins into a small space
◦ Easily bent
 Land grid array (LGA)
◦ Uses lands rather than pins
◦ First LGA socket
 LGA775 socket
 Flip-Chip LGA
◦ Processor flipped, top is on bottom, makes contact w/socket
◦ LGA1155 Socket

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Figure 3-4 Socket LGA775 is the first Intel socket to use lands rather than pins
Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Latest Intel socket
◦ LGA1366 socket
 Lands in socket like pins connecting with lands on
bottom of processor

Figure 3-5 Socket LGA1366 is the latest Intel socket used by desktop,
workstation, and low-end server systems
Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 PGA, SPGA, LGA sockets
◦ Square or nearly square
◦ Even force is applied when inserting processor in
the socket
 Zero insertion force (ZIF) sockets
◦ All current processor sockets
◦ Side lever lifts processor up and out of the socket
 AMD uses mostly PGA socket architecture
(desktops)

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Table 3-2 Sockets for AMD processors used for desktop computers

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 Intel or AMD: Important: match processor to
motherboard (see documentation!)

Figure 3-6 AMD Athlon 64 processor to be inserted into an AM2+ socket

Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 The power of a CPU is measured by the speed
and the amount of data that it can process.


 The speed of a CPU is rated in cycles per

second.


 The speed of current CPUs is measured in

millions of cycles per second, called
megahertz (MHz), or billions of cycles per
second, called gigahertz (GHz).
 The amount of data that a CPU can process
at the one time depends on the size of the
processor data bus. This is also called the
CPU bus or the front side bus (FSB).
 FSB connects the computer's processor to the
system memory (RAM) and other components on
the motherboard.
 These components include the system chipset,
AGP card, PCI devices, and other peripherals.


 Because the FSB serves as the main path from

the processor to the rest of the motherboard, it is
also called the "system bus."
 The wider the processor data bus width, the more
powerful the processor is. Current processors
have a 32-bit or a 64-bit processor data bus.
 Also Note:
 The back-side bus is the computer bus

used to connect the CPU to the L2

Cache and was first introduced with
the Intel Pentium Pro.

 The back-side bus is a part of the CPU
and has a speed that is dependent on
the speed of the processor.
Why multi-core pocessor-?
• It is not possible to increase the CPU’s clock
speed after above standard level

• (generally at a frequency about 4Ghz the

CPU would get too hot and take a lot of
electricity).

• Because of too much heat generated by CPU

both Intel & AMD faced problem. High clock
speed means high heat.
• Faster processing is the basic
reason ,so that’s why technology shifted
towards the Multicore processor rather
than increase the clock frequency.

• It was decided to put more than one

processor on a single chip.
What do you mean by Multi core?
•Amulti-core microprocessor is one which combines
two or more independent processors into a single
package, often a single integrated circuit.

• A dual-core device
contains only two
independent
microprocessors.
A dual-core A quad-core
processor processor
contains two contains four
cores. cores.

A processor with all cores on a single die

is called a monolithic processor.
 What is a 64 bit chip?
•A 64-bit processor means that it can handle
64 bits of data at one time.
• A 64-bit processor can handle more
intensive programs than a 32-bit.
•The 64-bit processor also supports more
memory than a 32-bit processor. 32-bit
CPUs can generally handle up to 4GB of
memory, with the ability to process 2GB of
memory at a time while a 64-bit system can
utilize more significantly
Performance Analysis
Advantages
•Multi-tasking productivity

• it will work faster for certain programs

•PC security

•Cool and quiet

•The signals between different CPUs travel shorter

distances, therefore they degrade less

•More features can be added to the computer

Disadvantages

•Theydo not work at twice the speed as a normal

processor. They get only 60-80% more speed.

•Thespeed that the computer works at depends on

what the user is doing with it.

•They cost more than single core processors.

•They are more difficult to manage thermally than

lower-density single-core processors.
Applications

• Video editing
• Encoding .
• 3D gaming.
• Powerful graphics solution
• Optimized productivity titles, such as

AVG's virus-scanning software.

The full effect and the advantage of having

a multi-core processor, when it is used
together with a multithreading operating .
Multicore Challenges

Having multiple cores on a single chip gives some

challenges .

• Power and temperature management

• Memory/cache coherence is another challenge

•And finally, using a multicore processor to its full

potential is another issue
Future aspect
Next-generation software applications will
require the performance capacity provided by
multi-core processors. Software destined to
break barriers in the user experience, like as

• Voice recognition
• Artificial intelligence (AI)

That will be only possible by multi-core

processors
 Before you buy a CPU, make sure that it is compatible with
the existing motherboard:
 The new CPU must use the same socket type and chip set.
 The BIOS must support the new CPU.
 The new CPU may require a different heat sink/fan
assembly.
 Manufacturers' websites are a good resource to
investigate the compatibility between CPUs and other
devices.
 When upgrading the CPU, make sure the correct voltage is
maintained. A voltage regulator module (VRM) is
integrated into the motherboard. The voltage setting for
the CPU can be configured with jumpers or switches
located on the motherboard.
 Gordon Moore, co-founder and former
chairman of Intel, noticed that each new
generation of memory chips was introduced
in a timely manner and came up with
Moore’s law.
 According to Moore’s Law, the number of

transistors on a chip roughly doubles every

two years.
 The computing capability of a CPU can be
enhanced in many different ways:


◦ By increasing the clock frequency



◦ By increasing the word-width



◦ By having a more effective caching algorithm

and the right cache size


◦ Improving the architecture

 Most problems occur
when the chip is hastily
installed or installed
backwards, which
causes the chip pins to
break.
 There are two main
types of CPU interfaces.
1. Socket type
2. Slot type
1. Turn over the chip and inspect the pins to make sure
none are damaged (bent or broken). All pins should stick
straight out.
2. Align pin 1 on the chip with pin 1 on the socket for a
correct installation.
3. Open the ZIF socket. Shift the lever slightly away from
the socket, from its default closed, level position and
raise it to the open, vertical position.
4. Align pin 1 according to the orientation that was
determined in Step 2. Insert the processor chip into the
socket so that all of the pins slide into the matching
holes.
5. Double-check to make sure that there is no gap between
the bottom of the CPU chip and the socket. If there is
none, then the processor chip is properly inserted.
6. Secure the installed chip, push the lever gently back
down to the closed, level position.
 Most motherboards are flexible enough to
handle a variety of CPUs, but most CPUs
are very particular about the amount of
voltage they can handle.
 After installing the CPU, it is important to
make sure that the right voltage is present
for the proper performance of the
processor.
 If the proper voltage is not set, total
damage to the system could occur, or the
whole system will never operate correctly.
 Most microprocessors
can produce a lot of
heat, which if not
efficiently dissipated
can cause the system to
operate intermittently or
fail completely.
 One way to dissipate
heat from processors is
to use the heat sink and
cooling fan.
 Processors that come with the fan and heat
sink already attached to them are more
convenient.
 These are called boxed processors.
 Boxed processors cost a bit more but are safer
to install since it lessens the chance of
breaking the pins.
 They also have better warranty coverage than
those without the fan and heat sink attached.
 Boxed processors are referred to as original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) processors.