Module 4: The Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Indicate which of the following is an accurate statement about the CPU.
The CPU interprets and executes programs.
Responsiveness of a PC will rely on all of the following components except:
Whether the CPU has a CU. Because all CPU's have a CU.
the amount of RAM available to store data as it is being processed can
affect the responsiveness, as can the wiring of electrical circuits.
The control unit does as its name indicates—
it retrieves the instructions and the raw data that is input, and coordinates or controls the sending of those instructions and data to the ALU.
The ALU does
the actual processing of the data, from mathematical calculations and logical operations (comparing values that can be numeric or alphabetical) to conversion of keyboard text entry to output display on your screen. Most PCs now come with multiple CPUs installed to increase the speed at which the data can be converted to information.
The system clock is another important component related to the CPU. The system clock controls the speed at which instructions are processed. Processing speed is listed in terms of megahertz (MHz, millions of processes per second) or gigahertz (GHz, billions of processes per second), although today's PCs have processing speeds in GHz only. The GHz rating and number of processors working simultaneously in the CPU influence
the processing speed. For example, having multiple processors working simultaneously will increase processing output even with a slower clock speed.
When multiple CPUs are included together
the processing unit is referred to as a multi-core processor. Today's PCs often come with quad-core processing units. Contemporary PCs typically include multiple CPUs (2, 4, or even 6 or more) to increase the processing speed.
This is the component that does the computer's main work of accepting data and converting it to information. The processor carries out the instructions of a computer program. It is often referred to as the "chip." The CPU (or processor) consists of
two parts: the control unit (CU) and the arithmetic logic unit (ALU).
