How do CPUs work anyway?

[Waphlez]

*gasp* an off topic thread relating to computers

The CPU is the componet that processes machine code, which is numbers in base 2 (binary). It distinguishes the numbers through spikes of electricity through each transistor. It communicates to the RAM through a memory bus. The CPU also has registers on the CPU where numbers are stored especially during math like addition. There is so much more to the CPU and I doubt you would really understand everything (I don't). I just went over the CPU in my computer science class and we only scimmed the surface of it and it was already pretty complicated.

 

[savagenator]

what i learned in my computer science classes so far (pre requisit and visual basics) is that the processor basically takes instructions from the RAM and turns it into data, then sends it back to the RAM which distributes it across the computer.

 

[alexsabree]

wow.... i was thinking of becoming a hardware engineer.. but i might need to rethink my job path

 

[joshd]

yea, OK, but say you have 010101001100101 etc going in, how does it "add/subtract/divide/multiply" that with other 010101s?

 

[aliasaid]

i'd much prefer to go through life oblivious to these types of details... push button >> computer on. w/e happens in b/w is irrelevant!

 

[joshd]

heheh, yea, i usually like the "so long as it DOES work, i don't care how" attitude

 

[The General]

So long as? I always thought the phrase was "as long as" :freak:

 

[killians45]

It uses instruction sets to determine what to do with sets of data, and these sets are contained in the chipsets. Basically, its VERY low level data programming and mining.

 

[joshd]

So long as? I always thought the phrase was "as long as" :freak:

might be... i don't know

 

[The General]

It uses instruction sets to determine what to do with sets of data, and these sets are contained in the chipsets. Basically, its VERY low level data programming and mining.

I think he means ... HOW does it "use instruction sets" etc... adding binary, whatever.