A central processing unit, otherwise known as the CPU, or simply called a processor,which is the component in a digital computer capable of executing a program. It interprets computer program instructions and processes data and sits on the mother board.
The computer your using to read this page right now is useing a microprocessor to do its job. The microprocessor, which is the heart of any normal computer, be it a desktop machine, a server or a laptop. The microprocessor you are using could be an intel Pentium, Amd athlon, a PowerPC, a Sparc or many of the other brands and types of microprocessors on the market these days, but they all do the same thing in the same way. some more faster than others..
A microprocessor, also known as a CPU or central processing unit which is a complete computation engine that is fabricated on a single chip. The very first microprocessor was the Intel 4004, which was introduced in 1971. The 4004 was not very powerful at all and could only add and subtract, in only 4 bits at a time. But it was amazing that everything was on just one chip. before the 4004, engineers had built computers either from collections of chips or from discrete components, which were transistors wired one at a time. The 4004 also powered one of the first portable electronic calculators..
Introduced in 1974 was the very first microprocessor to make it into a home computer, the Intel 8080, a complete 8 bit computer on one single chip.
If your computing needs don't stretch far, or your wallet is under a tight budget, you may want to think about buying a more budget friendly CPU. AMD and Intel offer budget processors. Intel's long standing brand for its budget processors has been Celeron, although the internal architecture of Celerons has changed dramatically since the first Celeron first hit the market.
Whatever your needs are when deciding what CPU you will be purchasing will change in a few months time and you may be wishing you got something a bit more powerfull, so buy the best 1st time round if you can..
