MCSA/MCSE 2003 JumpStart
Chapter One
The Computer's
Brain: Processors
and Memory
process v : to complete a series of actions
Every computer consists of a microprocessor and memory. Without the
two, the computer would not function. The microprocessor, commonly
referred to as the Central Processing Unit (CPU), is the brain of the computer.
Like the human brain, the CPU is responsible for managing the timing
of each operation and carrying out the instructions or commands from an
application or the operating system.
The CPU uses memory as a place to store or retrieve information. Memory
comes in several forms, such as random access memory (RAM) and readonly
memory (ROM). Memory provides a temporary location for storing
information and contains more permanent system configuration information.
This chapter provides an overview of these topics related to microprocessors
and memory:
Processor performance
Processor types
History and evolution of Intel processors
Intel's competition-AMD, Cyrix, PowerPC, and Alpha
Multiprocessor computers
Physical memory
Bus architecture and bus types
Processor Performance
The most central compo ... read full excerpt from MCSA/MCSE 2003 JumpStart: Computer and Network Basics ebook
