Inside the CPU
The control unit, ALU and registers, the Von Neumann architecture and the three buses.
Transcript
The central processing unit, or CPU, is the brain of the computer. It processes instructions and data.
Inside, the control unit directs everything, the A L U does arithmetic and logic, and registers hold the data being used right now.
In the Von Neumann architecture, instructions and data are stored together in the same memory, R A M.
The CPU fetches them from R A M one at a time, and processes them in order.
Three buses connect the CPU to memory. The address bus says where. The data bus carries the data. The control bus carries signals, like read and write.
A control unit, an A L U, registers, and memory, joined by buses. That is the heart of every computer.
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1:28What makes a CPU faster?
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1:00Embedded systems
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1:45Input devices
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1:41Output devices
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1:06Sensors and actuators
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1:29Primary storage: RAM, ROM and virtual memory
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1:30Secondary storage
Magnetic, optical and solid-state storage, plus cloud storage.
1:34Network hardware: NIC, MAC, IP and routers
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5:10Unit 3 quiz
Ten questions with a think-time countdown and explained answers.