Week 7 - Video 2 - AMD Processors - Electronics Signals and Semi-Conductors, Transistors, Computer Basic Hardware, RAM and Sockets, CPU Characteristics, CPU Facts
Sempron 3000+-3800+
1 core, amd 64, 128-256kb l2 cache, 800mhz hypertransport speed.
Athlon II 1xxu
1 core, amd 64, 1mb l2 cache, ddr2 mem, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Sempron 1xx
1 core, amd 64, 1mb l2 cache, ddr2 mem, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Athlon 64 fx-51, 53
1 core, amd 64, 1mb l2 cache, registered ddr dual channel memory, hypertransport speed of 1ghz.
Athlon 64 3000+-4000+
1 core, amd 64, 512 l2 cache, amd-v, hypertransport speed of 1ghz.
Athlon 64 3500+-3800+
1 core, amd 64, 512 l2 cache, amd-v, hypertransport speed of 1ghz.
Athlon II X2
2 cores, amd 64, 1-2mb l2 cache, ddr2/ddr3 mem, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Athlon X2
2 cores, amd 64, 1mb l2 cache, 2mb l3 cache, amd-v, 1.8 ghz hyper transport speed.
Phenom II X2
2 cores, amd 64, 1mb l2 cache, 6mb l3 cache, ddr3 mem, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Athlon X2 4450B-5600b, 3250e-5050e, BE-2xxx
2 cores, amd 64, 1mb l2 cache, amd-v 1ghz hypertransport speed.
A4-33xx
2 cores, amd 64, 1mb l2 cache, turbo core, amd-v, radeon cores on die 160 and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
A4-34xx
2 cores, amd 64, 1mb l2 cache, turbo core, amd-v, radeon cores on die, 160 and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Athlon 64 FX 60, FX 70-74
2 cores, amd 64, 2mb l2 cache, amd-v, hypertransport speed of 1ghz.
Sempron X2 2100-2300
2 cores, amd 64, 512kb l2 cache, 800mhz hypertransport speed
Athlon 64 x2 3600+-6000+
2 cores, amd 64, 512kb-2mb l2 cache, amd-v, hypertransport speed of 1 ghz.
Phenom II X3
3 cores, amd 64, 1.5 l2 cache, 6mb l3 cache, ddr3 mem, amd-v, 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Phenom X3
3 cores, amd 64, 1.5mb l2 cache, 2mb l3 cache, amd-v, 1.6ghz-1.8ghz hypertransport speed.
A6-35xx
3 cores, amd 64, 3mb l2 cache, turbo core, amd-v, radeon cores on die 320 and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Athlon II X3
3cores, amd 64, 1.5mb l2 cache, ddr3 and ddr2 mem, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Microprocessor
3rd step leading to the miniaturization of the computer.
Phenom II X4
4 cores, amd 64, 2m l2 cache, 6 mb l3 cache, ddr3 mem, turbo core, amd-v, 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Phenom X4
4 cores, amd 64, 2mb l2 cache, 2mb l3 cache, amd-v, and 1.6 to 2.0ghz hypertransport speed.
Athlon II X4
4 cores, amd 64, 2mb l2 cache, ddr2&ddr3 mem, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
FX 4xxx
4 cores, amd 64, 4 mb l2 cache, 8 mb l3 cache, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Athlon II X4 6x1
4 cores, amd 64, 4mb l2 cache, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
A8-38xx
4 cores, amd 64, 4mb l2 cache, turbo core, amd-v, 400 radeon cores on die, and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
A6-36xx
4 cores, amd 64, 4mb l2 cache, turbo core, amd-v, radeon cores on die 320, and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
Phenom II X6
6 cores, amd 64, 3mb l2 cache, 6 mb l3 cache, ddr3 mem, turbo core, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
FX 6xxx
6 cores, amd 64, 6mb l2 cache, 8 mb l3 cache, turbo core, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
FX 8xxx
8 cores, amd 64, 8mb l2 cache, 8 mb l3 cache, turbo core, amd-v and 8gbps hypertransport speed.
32-bit or 64-bit
A 32-bit processor can process 32-bits of information at a time; a 64-bit processor can process 64-bit of information. Over the last several years, processors have been moving from 32-bit processors to 64-bit processors
integrated circuit
A circuit that has been manufactured on a chip ( a tiny slice of semiconductor) which can contain thousands of diodes, transistors and resistors.
Windows 7
A computer operating system
daughterboards
A daughterboard is a circuit board that extends the functionality of the motherboard to which it attaches. Daughterboards can contain onboard components or have additional slots for CPUs, RAM, or expansion cards.
Amplifier
A device that provides amplification without significantly altering the shape of the original signal.
Power Supply
A device that provides power to a computer.
semiconductor
A material that conducts current under certain conditions.
Multi-core
A multiple core processor has multiple processors within a single processor package
Transistor
A semiconductor device, usually made of silicon or germanium that amplifies by controlling the current carriers through the semiconductor materials.
dialog box.
A small area or screen, in which the user is prompted to provide information or select commands.
transistor
A solid-state component used to amplify an electronic signal or to switch current on or off.
silicon controlled rectifier
A thyristor with three external lead called an anode, cathode, and gate., control larger amounts of electricity with small amount of electricity. Also used to turn AC to DC, SCR
electronic signal
A varying electric current that represents information.
K6
AMD's K6 CPU was the alternative to Intel's Pentium II. It used a 296-pin PGA in a motherboard form factor called Super Socket 7. The K6 ranged in speed from 166 MHz to 550 MHz. The K6-2, released in 1998, included a technology called 3DNow! - which is AMD's alternative to Intel's MMX. When AMD introduced the K6-III in 1999, it was the first CPU to feature an L3 cache. The K6-x series CPUs was popular, and Intel created the Celeron as an alternative.
ISA
An Industry Standard Architecture - or ISA - bus is an older technology that has been phased out in favor of faster technologies. An ISA expansion slot is black and has two sections, one of which is longer than the other. It can operate at speeds of up to 8 MB/s.
analog signal
An electric current that is varied smoothly to represent information.
diode
An electronic component that consists of layers of two types of semiconductors.
RJ-45
Another name for a network cable connector
Wireless Network
Any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Brain of the computer that performs instructions defined by software
throttling
CPU throttling is a method of running a CPU at a lower voltage and speed than identified in its design specifications. This reduces the amount of heat generated and the energy consumed by the processor.
Cache
Cache is memory that the processor can access directly without using the system RAM. There are three types of processor cache: L1, L2, L3
Level 1
Cache is very fast. It's built into the CPU and is where data is stored as it waits to be processed.
Level 2
Cache isn't as fast as an L1 cache but is typically larger. In modern CPUs, the L2 cache is built into the CPU.
Level 3
Cache resides between the L2 cache and the system memory on some computers, speeding up the processing queue. This cache is located either on the motherboard or in the CPU itself.
VCC
Collector Supply
VCE
Collector to Emitter voltage. Represents the voltage dropped across the entire transistor.
A transistor is a _____ controlled device.
Current
DIMMs
Dual inline memory modules, or DIMMs, were created as a successor to SIMMs. Older DIMMs have 168 pins, whereas newer DIMMs - called double data rate, or DDR, DIMMs - have 184 pins. The most recent DDR2 and DDR3 DIMMs have 240 pins. Generally a DIMM slot is black and has a white plastic clip on each side to hold the DIMM in place. Motherboards are usually designed with between two and four DIMM slots, and can accept individual DIMMs.
anode
Electrode at which oxidation occurs during a cell's redox reaction. Electrons always flow from the anode in an electrochemical cell. positive charge
cathode
Electrode at which reduction occurs during a cell's redox reaction. Electrons always flow to the cathode in an electrochemical cell. negative charge
F.I.R.E
F-Forward Bias (↑) I- Current flow (↑) R- Junction Resistance (↓) E- Voltage drop of transistor (↓)
Emitter Resistance (RE)
Forms voltage divider with resistance of Emitter-Base junction of Q1. Provides proper bias voltage for the junction from Emitter supply VEE.
Binary Code
Groupings of 1's and 0's that makes information that a computer can understand.
simultaneous multithreading
Hyper-Threading Technology from Intel and HyperTransport from AMD are forms of simultaneous multithreading, or SMT. SMT is the ability of a single processor core to process more than one thread - a small set of instructions scheduled by an operating system to execute on a CPU - at the same time. It effectively simulates two virtual cores for every physical core. Most older CPUs handle multiple threads by dividing their time between the threads, depending on CPU demand. Multithreading enables a CPU to attend to multiple threads at once.
Hyper-threading
Hyper-threading is a feature of some Intel processors that allows a single processor to run threads (instructions) in parallel, as opposed to processing threads linearly. Hyper-threading enables a processor to execute two threads at the same time. For example, on a quad-core Intel system that supports hyper-threading, the processor can execute 8 threads at a time (2 on each core)
Integrated memory controller
In a traditional processor design, the processor is connected to the front side bus and the Northbridge chip. The processor communicates with other system components through the front side bus. Smaller manufacturing size has reduced the overall size of a processor, leaving more room on the processor for additional cores or cache. To improve performance, some processors include the memory controller on the processor die rather than in the Northbridge chip, resulting in faster memory access by the processor.
Common Emitter
Input is on Base, output is on Collector.
Common Collector
Input is on Base, output is on Emitter.
Common Base
Input is on emitter, Output is on Collector.
Manufacturer
Intel and AMD are the two producers of processors used in modern PCs. -Both Intel and AMD processors work in PC systems and support Windows software -Intel has a lager market share, while AMD processors generally cost less. -Processor performance and special features vary between models and manufacturers
MMX or 3DNow!
Intel's MMX technology is a set of microcode instructions that x86 CPUs use to improve the performance of multimedia applications and communications. MMX allows a single instruction to operate on multiple data items. This is referred to as Single Instruction Multiple Data, or SIMD. More recently, these changes have been incorporated into Streaming SIMD Extensions, or SSE for short. The current version of SSE is 4.2. 3DNow! is AMD's implementation of MMX. The MMX instruction set and its various iterations are incorporated in most modern CPUs.
Sockets
Is a square bed of holes with a lever beside it. The lever locks the CPU into place once it has been inserted.
data bus
Is used to transfer actual data between components.
LIF
Low insertion force - or LIF - sockets require that you use a small amount of force to insert a CPU. The CPU is usually removed using a lever or special tool. LIF sockets are less commonly used than ZIF sockets for CPUs.
Injection
Majority carriers from emitter are made to cross the emitter-base junction and flow as minority carriers in the base.
Diffusion
Majority carriers injected into base from emitter become minority carriers in the base, moving from an area of high concentration to a region of low concentration.
Opening the "Save As" dialog box
Method or way to find the document library.
Collection
Minority carriers from base are diffused across the collector base junction, becoming majority carriers in the collector.
Mobile processors
Mobile CPUs are used in notebook computer where portability and mobility are a concern. Special versions of processors are built to minimize power consumption and the amount of heat generated
Emitter (characteristics)
Most heavily doped of the three elements. Identified by arrowhead on the symbol. Arrow points towards N-type material
Supercomputer
Most powerful computers of all, with extremely fast processing speeds. Can perform really complex scientific calculations. They span in size from a few times the size of a desktop computer to the size of an entire room.
multi-core
Multi-core processors have more than one CPU on the same processor die. This differs from a multi-processor system, which has more than one CPU socket on the motherboard. Dual, triple, and quad-core CPUs are found in both server and desktop computers. Multi-core processors generate less heat, require less space on the motherboard, and consume less energy than multi-processor systems. They're also much faster than single-core CPUs.
1024
Number of bytes that equals one (1) kilobyte
Slots
Older Pentium II and Pentium III families of processors connected to a specific type of expansion card that was inserted into a long, thin slot, similar in appearance to other expansion slots.
overclocking
Overclocking a computer means running its components at a higher speed and voltage than recommended by the manufacturer. Overclocking produces high heat levels and may void the manufacturer's warranty. So it's important to be very cautious if you overclock a processor, and to ensure that an appropriate cooling system is installed.
Micro Computer
PC's, desktops, workstations, servers, tablets, handhelds, wearable.
PCIe
PCI Express, or PCIe, is a newer type of expansion bus that's faster than AGP or PCI. Most PCIe expansion cards are graphics cards, although other types of cards are available. PCIe slots are yellow and resemble PCI slots, but vary in size depending on the number of lanes they support. They can operate at speeds of up to 16 GB/s.
Two types of transistors
PNP and NPN
saving them to a different location in case your computer crashes.
Phrase used when you backup your files
Collector (characteristics)
Physically the largest element Physically large area allows for heat dissipation.
PGA
Pin Grid Array, uses pins on the back side of the CPU to connect into socket. zero insertion force ZIF holds it in place.heat sink mounts on top of this socket.
Motherboard
Printed circuit board on which the CPU, RAM chips and other electronic circuit elements of a digital computer are frequently located.
Speed
Processors operate using an internal clock that is the same as, or is a multiple of, the motherboard bus speed. The speed is represented in MHz and is also referred to as the frequency
Cooling
Processors require some form of heat dissipation system to function properly. Without a heat dissipation system, a processor will overheat and burn out in less than a minute. Most modern CPUs require a heat sink and a fan. Between the CPU and the heat sink, thermal paste or a thermal pad helps in the transfer of heat from the CPU to the cooling unit.
Application Software
Programs or instructions that tell the computer what to do (ex: Word, Excel, Photoshop, WordPerfect...)
operating system software
Programs that make the computer work (ex: Windows 8, vista, GUI, Linux.)
digital signal
Pulses of current used to represent information.
RIMMs
Rambus inline memory modules, or RIMMs, were created as the successor to DIMMs by the Rambus Corporation, but aren't commonly used. RIMMs generate more heat than regular DIMMs, so some systems use heat spreader assemblies to cool the modules. RIMMs have either 168, 184, or 242 pins. They offer a slight speed advantage over DIMMs, but at a higher price due to licensing costs.
RAM
Random Access Memory - temporary place to store material that works quickly. erased when computer turns off. Volatile.
ROM
Read Only Memory- Permanent instructions that cannot be changed. It makes the BIOS function. Checks your OS.
Steps to add or check a hardware device that is not working.
Restart the computer, check the connections and clean the device first before restarting the computer
riser cards
Riser cards, a specific type of daughterboard, act as a space-saving feature because they plug into the motherboard perpendicularly. They also allow other expansion cards to be plugged into them, parallel to the motherboard. This saves space in small-profile computers
Software
Set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. It is what guides the hardware and tells it how to accomplish each task.
SODIMMs
Small outline dual in-line memory modules, or SODIMMs, are half the length of standard DIMMs and have 72, 100, 144, 200, or 204 pins. Notches along the bottoms of the modules identify the different types. SODIMMs are more commonly used in laptops and laser printers than in standard desktop computers.
AMD processors
Socket 940, socket AM2, Socket AM2+, Socket AM3, Socket AM3+, Socket F, Socket FM1, all but F use PGA design.
Operating System (OS)
Software used to control the computer and its peripheral equipment.
User Friendly
Something anyone can operate
Hard Drive
Storage device that stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating rigid disks with magnetic surfaces. The device is either permanently installed within the computer case or can be portable
K7
The AMD K7, named the Athlon, was AMD's first venture into creating a unique architecture that wasn't based on an Intel CPU. The Athlon was faster than the competing Intel Pentium III, attaining speeds of between 500 MHz to 1.4 GHz. Another K7 processor was the Athlon XP. It was released as a competitor to Intel's Pentium 4, and reached speeds of between 1.3 GHz and 2.16 GHz. AMD stopped using actual clock speed to indicate CPU power. Instead, it introduced a performance rating, or PR, that gave the Intel-equivalent power of the CPU. AMD created a line of low-cost K7 processors called the Duron to compete with Intel's Celeron range. The Duron also featured a limited L2 cache and ran at speeds of between 600 MHz to 1.8 GHz. The Duron is no longer manufactured.
K10
The K10 Athlon X2 design was first released in mid-2007. The Athlon X2 has 512 KB of L2 cache per core and runs at speeds between 1.9 GHz and 2.9 GHz. The K10 architecture also introduced a shared 2 MB L3 cache. The Athlon II X2 was first released in mid-2009 with a 3.0 GHz model. AMD's K10 Phenom line of processors came in several versions including two-, three-, four-, and six core versions. They compete directly with Intel's Core 2 and Core i7 line of microprocessors. Speeds of the Phenom processors range from 1.8 GHz to 3.3 GHz. The flagship Phenom II X6 has six cores and a 9 MB level 3 cache, and it runs at 3.3 GHz.
K8
The K8 generation Athlon 64, released in late 2003, is AMD's answer to Intel's Pentium D and Core series CPUs. The AMD Sempron succeeded the Duron, and competes with Intel's Celeron D. The Sempron runs at between 1.8 GHz and 2 GHz, and carries an L2 cache of 256 KB. Some Sempron models are K8 and some are K7 generation.
i3
The Nehalem i3 processors had two cores with speeds up to 3.2 GHz, although Turbo-Boost features - a type of dynamic overclocking - were disabled. These processors were available in mobile versions that ran slower and used less power.
i5
The Nehalem i5s had four cores and some of them supported hyperthreading, giving eight virtual cores. Mobile versions of the i5 had two cores.
Northbridge chipset
The Northbridge chipset deals with the communication between the CPU, the memory, the Southbridge chipset, any integrated video, and high-speed graphics ports - such as AGP and PCIe.
Pentium 4
The Pentium 4, released in 2002, introduced many changes to the processor, and required a relatively fast Front Side Bus, or FSB. The Pentium 4 designs are the 423-pin PGA, the 478-pin PGA, and the 775-node Land Grid Array, or LGA. The LGA775 design uses a square grid of contacts instead of pins. The Pentium 4 runs at speeds of up to 3.8 GHz. The Pentium 4 processor also increased the power requirements of motherboards. Supplemental power connections with 4/8 pin 12 V connections were added to support this new need for increased power.
Pentium D
The Pentium D was released in 2005, and is Intel's first microprocessor with two cores on the same ceramic package, or die. This allows the CPU to process multiple instructions simultaneously. The Pentium D runs at speeds of between 2.8 GHz and 3.2 GHz per core.
Pentium Extreme Edition
The Pentium Extreme Edition, or EE, was released in December 2005. The Pentium EE worked only with the Intel 955X or NVidia nForce 4 SLI Pentium edition chipsets, making its hardware requirements highly specific.
Pentium II
The Pentium II processor was introduced in 1997, and its design was a drastic departure from the Pin Grid Array, or PGA, style processors used until then. The Pentium II used a Single Edge Connector Cartridge, or SECC, that fitted into Slot 1 on the motherboard.
Pentium III
The Pentium III, released in 1999, originally included an SECC, but this was changed to a 370-pin PGA design. The Pentium III offered speeds of up to 1.4 GHz.
Pentium M
The Pentium M line of processors was introduced in 2003 specifically for use in laptop computers. Pentium M processors are normally bundled with a particular motherboard and wireless technology, and branded as Centrino.
PCI
The Peripheral Component Interconnect - or PCI - bus was introduced in Pentium and newer computers, and rendered the ISA bus obsolete. PCI cards are mostly Plug and Play, which means that system resource allocation occurs automatically. A PCI expansion slot is split into two sections, and is 3 inches long. It can operate at speeds of up to 133 MB/s.
Southbridge chipset
The Southbridge chipset manages all onboard peripheral devices. Any expansion cards that connect to the motherboard - with the exception of high-speed graphics cards - are managed by the Southbridge chipset.
i7
The i7s were the high-end processors released with Nehalem in 2008. They have two, four, or six cores.
port
The interface between the computer and peripheral device.
device driver
The name given to the program used for hardware so that it will run on your computer
K9
The newer K9 Athlon 64 X2 is a dual-core CPU that runs on a 64-bit system. AMD's success with the Athlon 64 resulted in Intel licensing AMD's 64-bit standards, AMD64, because these standards were adopted by Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, and Linux. The Athlon 64 runs at between 800 MHz and 1 GHz. AMD's K9 Turion 64 and Turion 64 X2 CPUs are direct competitors to Intel's Pentium M and Core series CPUs. The K9 Turion series CPUs run at speeds of between 1.8 GHz and 2.4 GHz, and have an L2 cache of between 512 KB and 1,024 KB.
Amplification
The process of increasing the strength of a signal. (May be an increase in voltage, power, or current of a signal.)
Process size
The process size refers to the manufacturing process used to etch transistors onto the silicon wafer that will become the CPU. A smaller process size means smaller transistors, which translates into a smaller CPU die with more transistors and less power consumption. Process size is expressed in microns (such as .25 microns) or nanometers (90 nm which equals .09 microns).
hertz
The unit of measure to determine the computer processing speed
electronics
The use of electric current to control, communicate, and process information.
Base (characteristics)
Thinnest transistor element Lightest doping of the three elements Permits most current carriers to reach the collector
Throttling
Throttling is the process of modifying the operating characteristics of a processor based on current conditions.
AGP
Unlike the slower PCI and ISA slots, the Accelerated Graphics Port, or AGP, expansion slot was developed to connect video circuitry directly to a computer's memory. It was popular for graphics cards. AGP ports are dark brown and look like regular PCI slots, except that they're shorter. They can operate at speeds of up to 2 GB/s. They're rarely used today due to the popularity of PCIe.
virtualization
Virtualization enables you to run a number of virtual computers with different operating systems on a single, physical host computer. Intel began to support virtualization with the Pentium 4 using VT-x. technology, but not all modern Intel processors support virtualization. Second-generation virtualization is supported by Intel with the Extended Page Tables, or EPT, extension. AMD developed support for virtualization called AMD-V with the Athlon 64. As with Intel CPUs, not all modern AMD processors support virtualization. AMD also supports page-table virtualization using Rapid Virtualization Indexing, or RVI, technology.
Virtualization
Visualization allows a single physical machine (known as the host operating system) to run multiple virtual machines (known as the guest operating systems). The virtual machines appear to be self-contained and separate physical systems.
address bus
When a component wants access to a specific location in memory, the memory address is sent via the address bus.
ZIF
Zero insertion force - or ZIF - sockets are designed to reduce damage to pins by allowing you to insert the CPU with no resistance. A lever or other locking mechanism is then engaged to ensure proper connection with the pins and to secure the CPU.
Mainframe
a little less powerful than supercomputers; can execute multiple tasks at one time at a very high speed.
laptop
a portable computer
Mini Computer
also called "mid range computers." multi-user computers that have less storage capabilities; used in businesses for specific tasks.
Socket FM1
amd's first processors with integrated video, the A series and E eries of APU and 6x1 editions of athlon II X4 processor. dual channel ddr3 mem.
Emitter
base junction is forward biased. (low resistance)
Collector
base junction is reverse biased. (high resistance)
Order of bytes from least to greatest
bits, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte.
Output
device that projects images, gives sound, and basically gives out the info from the computer so the user can obtain it (ex: monitor, printer, projector, speakers)
Input
device used to insert data into a computer or other device (ex: keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, voice recognition)
Socket AM3
dual-channel ddr3 and ddr2 memory onboard. Phenom 2 and lower cost processers based on that design.
Socket AM2+
enhanced version of AM2, supports AM2 processors and Phenom and athlon processors based on Phenom. faster than AM2 and suppors L3 cache. ddr2 dual memory.
Socket 940
first gen Athlon 64 fx and early opteron work station and server processors.
surge protector
hardware device that can save your computer from damage during a electrical storm.
Socket AM2
replaced 753, 939 and 940. clock speed is 1.60 ghz to 3.0 ghz.
SIMMs
slots on a motherboard can have either 30 or 72 pins. A metal clip on either side of a SIMM slot locks the SIMM in place. Previously motherboards with SIMM slots had four slots, arranged in two banks of two slots each, and you had to fill an entire bank for the memory to be recognized by the computer. However, SIMMs are no longer used in newer generation computers.
Boot Process
starting up a computer from a halted or powered down condition (turning the computer on).
Socket AM3+
up to 8 cores, dual channel ddr3 range of speed 3.1 ghz to 4.2 ghz and turbo core 3.7ghz to 4.3 ghz