This week we'll take a look at the CPU, or for those of you that are new to computers - and there parts - the brain of the PC.
The CPU is a chip that sits in the socket of the motherboard. CPU's have what are known as core's inside them, the more cores there are the more tasks the processor can handle.
Processors started out as chips that were fixed to the motherboard, as the need for better data processing advanced the processors got bigger and more powerful, eventually they became a part of the motherboard that could be removed and upgraded.
Now, most processors are square and flat with fragile pins on the bottom.
There are now many variations of CPU on the market, with technical specifications that can be confusing. When upgrading a CPU you want to check your motherboards specifications to see what socket you have so you can buy a compatible CPU. This helps narrow down what you can buy, if you find that the CPU you have doesn't meet the requirement of your project then an upgrade is in order.
But what CPU do you need? The CPU you choose will be dependent on two things your current motherboard's requirement and what your project requires. If for instance you want a bog standard desktop for creating documents on your PC then you won't need an overly expensive top of the range CPU and the one you have inside your current machine might just do the trick. However if you want to say teach yourself the arty craft of audio and video editing your going to need a good CPU with many cores that can handle the data and tasks being processed, you might also need to upgrade your motherboard and other components, to cater for then newer processor.
CPU's like I mentioned before come with many specifications.
Each CPU has a rating that's used to signify how fast a processor can handle data. Older CPU's used to be in the MHz(Mega Hertz), nowadays they tend to be in the GHz(Giga Hertz) ranges. They also started out with only one core, then smaller chips were made and two cores came about and so on to the point where AMD have a 16 core chip that isn't square but rectangular.
Each core processes data that is stored in the Memory(RAM), if you have more than one core then your processor can process data from multiple programs that are in use, sometimes though a program or task being completed can end up using more than one core to help it out thus slowing the process down but not by much.
To make things go a little quicker a CPU have what are referred to as caches and they work in a sort of hierarchy L1 cache, L2 cache and so on. What the caches do are provide the processor with small amount of memory to store frequently used data and instructions for applications being used. This is to improve the performance of the CPU. When a CPU is processing data and instructions from an application the main memory stores that data for the CPU to retrieve and process, when its frequently using the same data that is temporarily stored in the cache for faster retrieval.
Commonly the L1 cache is built into the CPU's silicon wafer and is classed as the Internal cache, L2 is commonly built into the CPU packaging and an L3 cache can be found on the motherboard and considered to be an external cache.
Due to the power a CPU requires heat is generated from the chip, this consequently increases the temperature of the case, if a CPU reaches a certain temperature it can damage the chip, more modern CPU's have a built in safety feature that shuts down your computer to save the CPU from irreparable damage.
To stop this from happening though most CPU's come with cooling equipment in the form of a heat sink and fan.
In between the two surfaces of the CPU and the heat sink is a compound known as thermal paste.
Thermal paste helps transfer heat from the CPU to the heat sink and the fan helps dissipate the heat and the cooling in the rest of the case does the rest.
Older CPU's didn't need much cooling and only heat sink was required this was because cooling of the CPU was supported by the fan in the PSU which is situated above the CPU. This type of cooling is known as passive cooling, where if a fan is in use it's known as active cooling.
Some high performance gaming PC's use liquid cooling to cool the CPU. This type of cooling is very effective and requires no fans or heat sinks.
When choosing your CPU there will be a supported memory types section, your motherboard should support these based on the socket you have on your motherboard this is because communication between your CPU and the memory has what is known as an FSB, this Front Side Bus is the speed in which your memory and CPU can communicate data and instructions. Always check the manufacturers website or documentation to make sure that your CPU is compatible with the motherboards socket, and that your CPU is compatible with your main memories data rate.
Installing a CPU
Don't forget your ESD protection!
Installing a CPU is simple, first off if your replacing one you will need to unscrew or un-clip the heat sink and fan attached to the existing CPU. The thermal past will do a good job of sticking the two surfaces together so give the heat sink a bit of a twist, that should dislodge the heat sink from the CPU.
Next dependent on CPU manufacture your either going to open the cover if its an Intel processor.
Or raise the lever if its an AMD processor.
Then remove the CPU.
Once this is done get your new CPU and using the little marker - usually a tiny arrow in one corner of the processor - line this up with the corresponding arrow on the CPU socket and just pop it on, there is no need to apply any pressure or push into place because the CPU sockets mechanism will do it for you. This is because of the Zero Insertion Force sockets that are in use which means you do nothing once it's in place the cover or lever will do it for you.
Next you'll want to apply the thermal paste and heat sink, for this follow my How to Re-apply Thermal Paste tutorial and follow the steps and you will all set and ready to go.
Catch you guys next week with a talk about RAM or Memory!
Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.
0 comments:
Post a Comment