UNIT-I

Processors
Processor- Introduction
● Processors are invented by Marcian Hoff (28th October 1937 in New York).
● Some of the processor manufacturer companies are Intel, AMD, Qualcomm,
Motorola, Samsung, IBM, etc.
● The processors are small size chips made by silicon that are placed inside the
devices to perform the task or operation within seconds and its speed is measured in
terms of megahertz.
● The fetching, decoding, executing and write back the instructions are the four main
primary functions of the processor.
● In mobile phones, laptops, computers, washing machines, etc processors are used.
Processor
● Definition: The processor is a chip or a logical circuit that responds and processes the basic instructions

to drive a particular computer.

● The main functions of the processor are fetching, decoding, executing, and write back the operations of

an instruction. The processor is also called the brain of any system which incorporates computers,

laptops, smartphones, embedded systems, etc.

● The ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) and CU (Control Unit) are the two parts of the processors. The

Arithmetic Logic Unit performs all mathematical operations such as additions, multiplications,

subtractions, divisions, etc and the control unit manages the command or the operation of the

instructions.

● The processor communicates with the other components also they are input/output devices and

memory/storage devices.
Types of Processors
General Purpose Processor

There are five types of general-purpose processors they are:

● Microprocessor

● Microcontroller

● Embedded Processor

● DSP

● Media Processor
Microprocessor
● The general-purpose processors are represented by the microprocessor in
embedded systems.
● It is single chip which is capable of processing data
● There are different varieties of microprocessors available in the market from
different companies.
● A microprocessor is a computer processor that incorporates the functions of a
central processing unit on a single (or more) integrated circuit (IC).
● The microprocessor is also a general-purpose processor that consists of a
control unit, ALU, a bunch of registers also called scratchpad registers, control
registers and status registers.
A microprocessor is an integrated circuit (IC) which incorporates core functions of a computer’s
central processing unit (CPU). It is a programmable multipurpose silicon chip, clock driven,
register based, accepts binary data as input and provides output after processing it as per the
instructions stored in the memory.

Block Diagram of Microprocessor

Microprocessor operation:
Like other central processing units, microprocessors use three steps
commonly called Fetch, Decode, and Execute.
● In the Fetch step, an instruction is copied from the computer memory
into the microprocessor.
● In the Decode step, the microprocessor figures out what operation the
instruction is meant to do.
● In the Execute step, this operation is performed. Different computers
can have different instruction sets.
Types of Microprocessor

Important types of Microprocessors are:

● Complex Instruction Set Microprocessors

● The Application Specific Integrated Circuit
● Reduced Instruction Set Microprocessors
● Digital Signal Multiprocessors (DSPs)
Applications of Microprocessor
•The microprocessor is used in personal computers (PCs).

•The microprocessor is used in LASER printers for good speed and

making automatic photo copies.

•The microprocessors are used in modems, telephone, digital telephone

sets, and also in air reservation systems and railway reservation systems.
Features of a Microprocessor
● Cost-effective − The microprocessor chips are available at low prices and results its low
cost.
● Size − The microprocessor is of small size chip, hence is portable.
● Low Power Consumption − Microprocessors are manufactured by using metal oxide
semiconductor technology, which has low power consumption.
● Versatility − The microprocessors are versatile as we can use the same chip in a
number of applications by configuring the software program.
● Reliability − The failure rate of an IC in microprocessors is very low, hence it is reliable.
Examples of Microprocessors:

● Intel 4004 – The First Microprocessor.

● Intel 8085.
● Intel 8086.
● Intel Pentium 4.
● Intel Core i7.
● AMD Athlon.
Microcontroller
● A microcontroller is a small and low-cost microcomputer, which is
designed to perform the specific tasks of embedded systems like
displaying microwave’s information, receiving remote signals, etc.
● The general microcontroller consists of the processor, the memory
(RAM, ROM, EPROM), Serial ports, peripherals (timers, counters),
etc.
● The microcontroller is basically a computer that comes in various
packages and sizes. The reading input and responding to output is the
basic function of the microcontroller. Generally, it is known as General
Purpose Input Output (GPIO).
Types of Microcontroller

Here are important types of Microcontroller:

● 8 bit Microcontroller(The examples of 8-bit microcontrollers are Intel 8031/8051, PIC1x and Motorola
MC68HC11 families.)
● 16 bit Microcontroller(Some examples of 16-bit microcontroller are 16-bit MCUs are extended
8051XA, PIC2x, Intel 8096 and Motorola MC68HC12 families.)
● 32 bit Microcontroller(Some examples are Intel/Atmel 251 family, PIC3x.)
● Embedded Microcontroller
● External memory Microcontroller
Applications of Microcontrollers

Microcontrollers are widely used in various different devices such as −

● Light sensing and controlling devices like LED.
● Consumer Electronics Products:Toys, Cameras, Robots, Washing Machine, Microwave
Ovens etc.
● Fire detection and safety devices like Fire alarm.
● Communication:Cell Phones, Telephone Sets.
● Medical Instruments:ECG Machine
● Office Equipment:Fax, Printers etc.

Some Examples of Microcontrollers are:

Write some examples of 8 bit,16 bit,32 bit here written in previous slide
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/embedded_systems/es_processors.htm

Follow above link for more clarity.

Embedded Processor
An embedded processor is a microprocessor this is used in an embedded system

An embedded processor is a type of microprocessor designed into a system to control electrical and
mechanical functions.

Embedded processors are usually simple in design, limited in computational power and I/O capabilities,
and have minimal power requirements.

At a basic level, embedded processors are a CPU chip placed in a system that it helps control. It consists
of several blocks they are the processor, timer, an interrupt controller, program memory and data
memory, power supply, reset and clock circuits, system application-specific circuits, ports and
interfacing circuits.

There are two main types of embedded processors: ordinary microprocessors and microcontrollers.

Some examples of embedded systems are MP3 players, mobile phones, video game consoles, digital
cameras, DVD players, and GPS. Household appliances, such as microwave ovens, washing machines
and dishwashers, include embedded systems to provide flexibility and efficiency.
Digital Signal Processor
● Digital Signal Processors (DSP) take real-world signals like voice, audio, video,
temperature, pressure, or position that have been digitized and then mathematically
manipulate them. A DSP is designed for performing mathematical functions like "add",
"subtract", "multiply" and "divide" very quickly.
● Signals need to be processed so that the information that they contain can be displayed,
analyzed, or converted to another type of signal that may be of use. In the real-world,
analog products detect signals such as sound, light, temperature or pressure and
manipulate them.
● Converters such as an Analog-to-Digital converter(ADC) then take the real-world signal
and turn it into the digital format of 1's and 0's. From here, the DSP takes over by capturing
the digitized information and processing it.
● It then feeds the digitized information back for use in the real world. It does this in one of
two ways, either digitally or in an analog format by going through a Digital-to-Analog
converter(DAC). All of this occurs at very high speeds.
● Example: DSP 32C
What's Inside a DSP?
A DSP contains these key components:
● Program Memory: Stores the programs the DSP will use to process data
● Data Memory: Stores the information to be processed
● Compute Engine: Performs the math processing, accessing the program from the Program
Memory and the data from the Data Memory
● Input/Output: Serves a range of functions to connect to the outside world
Applications of DSP

The applications of the digital signal processor are

● Speech processing
● Image processing
● Medical processing
● Biometric Processing
● Radar
Media Processor
A media processor, mostly used as an image/video processor, is a microprocessor-based
system-on-a-chip which is designed to deal with digital streaming data in real-time (e.g. display
refresh) rates.

A Media Communications Processor (MCP) is a type of processor designed specifically for the
creation and distribution of digital media. Such a controller or chip is used to build a multimedia
subsystem that processes any combination of audio, video, graphics, fax and modem
operations. Such chips are often used to support Ethernet and high quality GPUs.

Example:NVIDIA nForce MCPs

The nForce chipset, created by NVIDIA.

Different Processors for Notebook Computer/Portable
computers
● A notebook processor is a CPU optimized for laptops.One of the main
characteristics differentiating notebook processors from other CPUs is low-power
consumption.
● Notebook computers are an increasingly popular format of the broader category of
mobile computers. The objective of a notebook computer is to provide the
performance and functionality of a desktop computer in a portable size and weight.
● Examples:
● Cell phones and PDAs use "system on a chip" integrated circuits that use less power
than most notebook processors.
● While it is possible to use desktop processors in laptops, this practice is generally not
recommended, as desktop processors heat faster than notebook processors and
drain batteries faster.
● Among the best-known makers of notebook and laptop computers are IBM, Apple,
Compaq, Dell, Toshiba, and Hewlett-Packard.
Notebook Processors
● ARM architecture (used in Chromebooks, Windows 10 laptops, and Linux netbooks)
○ MediaTek
○ Nvidia: Tegra
○ Qualcomm: Snapdragon
○ Rockchip
○ Samsung Electronics: Exynos
● x86
○ AMD: A-Series APU, Ryzen Mobile
○ Intel: Pentium M, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo and the budget Celeron M and quad-core

Former
● PowerPC
○ Freescale Semiconductor made PowerPC G4 processors for the pre-Intel Apple Computer
notebooks.
Processors used for desktop computers/microcomputers:

Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) lead the market in terms of speed and quality. Intel's
desktop CPUs include Celeron, Pentium and Core. AMD's desktop processors include Sempron,
Athlon and Phenom. Intel makes Celeron M, Pentium M and Core mobile processors for
notebooks.AMD makes mobile versions of its Sempron and Athlon, as well as the Turion mobile
processor which comes in Ultra and Dual-Core versions. Both companies make both single-core
and multi-core processors.

Each processor has a clock speed which is measured in gigahertz (GHz). Also, a processor has a
front side bus which connects it with the system's random access memory (RAM.)

Function of a CPU
A microprocessor is a silicon chip containing millions of microscopic transistors. This chip functions as the
computer's brain. It processes the instructions or operations contained within executable computer
programs. Instead of taking instructions directly off of the hard drive, the processor takes its instructions
from memory. This greatly increases the computer's speed.
Size of a CPU

When it comes to processors, size matters. Whether you're buying a new computer or upgrading your old

one, you must get the fastest processor you can afford. This is because the processor will become

obsolete very quickly. Choosing a 3.6 GHz processor over a 2 GHz today can buy you several years of

cheap computing time.

Also check the speed of the front side bus (FSB) when purchasing your new computer or CPU. A front

side bus of 800 MHz or greater is essential for fast processing speeds. The processor's cache is also

important. Make sure it has at least 1 MB of last level cache if your computing needs are average. If

you're an extreme gamer or if you run intensive graphics programs, get the processor with the largest

cache that fits your budget.

Benefits of Processor Types

Getting a processor with a dual, triple or quad core can make a significant difference in the

processing power of your computer. It's like having two, three or four separate processors

installed on your computer at one time. These processors work together to make your computer

multitask faster and with greater efficiency.

Getting a CPU with a larger front side bus can enhance the processor's ability to communicate

with RAM, which will increase your computer's overall speed.