CPU: Central Processing Unit or Processor

CPU: Central Processing Unit or
Processor

Computer-Repair can help!
With out a processor you would not have a computer!
We have come a long way since the Commodore 64, Atari 400, T I 99, and the Tandy.
These were primary game systems, most used cartages for the games. I do remember
coding a word processor and a spread sheet program on my Atari for my college classes,
had to save it to a cassette tape recorder.

These all used a 8 bit
processor, most used one known as the 6502 processor.

When Intel introduced the 16 bit 8088/8086 processor in 1981 the PC revolution was on!
The IBM PC was very expensive, so the primary market was business. An IBM PC cost
as much as a new car!

With innovation comes imitation. A few short years after the IBM PC was introduced the
makers of circuit boards realized they could create a "clone" of the IBM PC main board.

Processor speed and computing capacity doubles with each new type of processor.

Take the original processors, they were 4 bit, you could get them in a calculator in the
'70's.

Then in the late '70's Motorola and Intel introduced the 8 bit.

1981 Intel introduced the 8086/8088, Motorola the 6800, these were 16 bit processors .
The Math Coprocessor is a separate chip

1983/84 Intel introduces the 80286, an increase in computing power and the introduction
of the Math Coprocessor in the same package as the processor, with a leap in clock speed
of the processor.

1987 Intel introduces the 80386, the first 32 bit processor. The increase in speed is
incredible, real time processing.

1989: Intel486™, a upgrade to the 80386, increase in speed and computing power.

1993: Intel introduces the Pentium® Processor, this would have been the 80586 but a
court order stopped the chain, a number can not be trade marked. (The new name of
Pentium continues today.) A quantum leap in speed and computing power.



1997: Intel introduces the Pentium® II Processor another increase in speed and
computing power. Approaching 1 gig hertz clock speed.

1999: Intel introduces the Pentium® III Processor, increase in clock speeds over 1 GHz
(gig hertz)

2000: Intel introduces the Pentium® 4 Processor clock speed over 2 GHz.

2001: Intel introduces the Itanium® Processor, first in a family of 64-bit products from
Intel, primarily for Servers.

2003: Intel introduces the Pentium® M Processor, primarily used in mobile technology.

2006: Intel introduces the
Core™2 Duo processor, 40% faster than the Pentium 4, uses
40% less power.