Chapter 4: Microprocessors

Question 1

multicore processing

Answer 1

CPU cores can divide work independently of the OS, unlike Hyper-Threading, in which applications need to be written specifically to take advantage of it

Question 2

ARM

Answer 2

a type of chip made by ARM Holdings - a reduced instruction set (RISC) chip mostly used for mobile devices

Question 3

arithmetic logic unit (ALU)

Answer 3

handles integer math in a CPU

Question 4

LGA 2011

Answer 4

High-end Intel socket, replaces LGA 1366. Supports Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, Haswell, Broadwell

Question 5

code name

Answer 5

names used by CPU companies to refer to specific CPUs

Question 6

microprocessor

Answer 6

another name for CPU

Question 7

central processing unit (CPU)

Answer 7

performs calculations, is the “brains” of your computer

Question 8

Hyper-Threading

Answer 8

(Intel only) parallel execution technique that actually makes one processor core appear to be two to the OS

Question 9

LGA 1155

Answer 9

Mainstream Intel socket, replaces Intel socket LGA 1156 (Supports Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors)

Question 10

AM2

Answer 10

AMD socket, supports Athlon 64-Phenom

Question 11

thermal paste

Answer 11

enables heat transfer from the CPU to the cooling device

Question 12

throttling

Answer 12

reducing the speed of the CPU to save energy/reduce heat

Question 13

cache

Answer 13

small amounts of high-speed memory built onto the CPU package itself - used to hold data the CPU might need

Question 14

dynamic RAM (DRAM)

Answer 14

memory that must have an electrical charge to maintain data - used for main system memory

Question 15

FM2

Answer 15

AMD socket for APUs

Question 16

bit

Answer 16

one ‘cell’ on a spreadsheet representing data. 1/8th of a byte.

Question 17

wait state

Answer 17

clock cycles in which the CPU is idle - happens because CPUs run much faster than RAM.

Question 18

address bus

Answer 18

connection between the CPU and the memory controller chip - can be 32 or 64 bits

Question 19

dual-core

Answer 19

two CPUs on a single chip

Question 20

integrated memory controller (IMC)

Answer 20

replaces the front- and backside bus - moves those chip functions from the motherboard into the CPU chip itself.

Question 21

FM1

Answer 21

Supports early APUs.

Question 22

LGA 775

Answer 22

First LGA socket

Question 23

clock cycle

Answer 23

represents a single charge on the clock wire (on-off)

Question 24

zero insertion force (ZIF) socket

Answer 24

CPU sockets that don’t require any force to insert the chip

Question 25

heat sink

Answer 25

a metal device with fins that helps to radiate heat away from a processor

Question 26

memory

Answer 26

any device that holds data that can be accessed by the CPU

Question 27

LGA 1366

Answer 27

High-end Intel socket, supports Core i7, etc.

Question 28

external data bus (EDB)

Answer 28

connects the CPU to the memory controller

Question 29

AM4

Answer 29

AMD socket. Achieves unity between high-end (previously AM3+) and lower-end APUs.

Question 30

overclocking

Answer 30

running a CPU at a higher clock speed than the manufacturer intended.

Question 31

NX bit

Answer 31

enables the CPU to protect certain sections of memory from malware

Question 32

LGA 1156

Answer 32

Mainstream Intel socket supports Core i3, i5, etc.

Question 33

64-bit processing

Answer 33

CPUs that use a 64-bit address bus can access more than 4 GB of RAM (the limit on 32-bit systems)

Question 34

liquid cooling

Answer 34

uses a liquid (usually water) and a radiator to move heat away from the CPU

Question 35

AM3

Answer 35

AMD socket. AM3 processors can run on AM2 and AM2+ motherboards with BIOS updates.

Question 36

memory controller chip (MCC)

Answer 36

can access any byte of RAM and place it on the external data bus

Question 37

FM2+

Answer 37

AMD socket for APUs. Replaced by AM4

Question 38

floating point unit (FPU)

Answer 38

handles math involving decimal amounts

Question 39

backside bus

Answer 39

connected the CPU to the L2 cache

Question 40

byte

Answer 40

8 bits. Data is transferred to and from RAM in byte-sized chunks.

Question 41

frontside bus

Answer 41

(in older systems) connected the CPU, MCC, and RAM - “faster” connections

Question 42

graphics processing unit (GPU)

Answer 42

a processor specifically for graphics

Question 43

registers

Answer 43

quickly accessible location to a CPU (worktable)

Question 44

machine language

Answer 44

the set of commands a CPU uses to operate

Question 45

AM3+

Answer 45

AMD socket. Supports Phenom II - FX