Central Processing Unit (CPU) New

The Central Processing Unit, or CPU, is the main processor of a computer system that allows it to perform tasks. Commonly referred to as the processor, or microprocessor it is where the majority of the computers work is performed.

CPUs are semiconductor that contain tens of millions of microscopic transistors that either open or close a circuit.

When referring to CPUs their clock speed (or rate) is also often included. The clock speed specifies how fast the CPU is able execute instructions and is usually specified in MHz or GHz. For example a 1GHz processor is able to execute 1000 million instructions per second.

CPUs also contain a set of instructions that they are able to execute, commonly known as "Instruction Set". The most common instruction set is known as x86, this what the majority of personal computer systems run today. Processor from Intel such as the 386, 486, Pentium Family, Celeron Family and processor from other manufacturers such as AMD and Cyrix all execute the x86 instruction set. This is what allows the same software to run on different models and brands of processor.