The first processor was invented in 1937 by Marcian Hoff. Some companies today are known as processor manufacturers, such as Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Motorola, Samsung, IBM, etc. The processor is nothing but a small chip made of silicon that is inserted inside the device to operate within seconds, and its speed is measured.
The main function of a processor is to bring instructions, decode them, run them, and rewrite them. These are its four main functions. Today’s state-of-the-art processors are used in mobiles, laptops, computers, washing machines, etc.
In today’s article, we will see what a processor is, what are the types of processors and what their applications are. Today we will talk about it.
What is a Processor?
A processor is nothing but a small chip or a logical circuit. Which responds to and processes the basic instructions for running a particular computer. The main functions of a processor are to perform, decode, execute, and rewrite instructions. We can call a processor the brain of a machine in simple language. These include computers, laptops, mobiles, embedded systems, etc.
There are two main types of processors such as ALU (arithmetic logic unit) and CU (control unit). The arithmetic logic unit performs all the mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc. and the control unit acts as the traffic police.
It handles commands or instructions. The processor that communicates with the other components is the input/output device and the memory/storage device.
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Types of Processors
Embedded systems include a wide variety of processors.
General Purpose Processor
The general-purpose processors are as follows
| Sr.No | General Purpose Processor |
| #1. | Microcontroller |
| #2. | Microprocessor |
| #3. | Embedded Processor |
| #4. | Digital Signal Processor (DSP) |
| #5. | Media Processor |
#1. Microcontroller
A microcontroller is basically a type of computer that comes in different packages and sizes. Feedback on reading input and output is the main function of this Microcontroller. It is also commonly referred to as General Purpose Input Output (GPIO).
Some microcontrollers are Microchip Atmega328-AU, Microchip P1C16F1503-I/P, Microchip P1C16F671-I/SN, Microchip P1C18F45K22-I/P, Microchip P1C16F877A-I/P, etc.
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#2. Microprocessor
All general-purpose processors are introduced by the microprocessor in the embedded system. There are different types of companies and different types of microprocessors available in the market. But a microprocessor has a common purpose processor consisting of a control unit, ALU, and a set of registers. Also called scratchpad register, control register, and status register.
There may be on-chip memory and some interfaces to communicate with the outside world. Such as interruption lines, other lines of memory, and a port for communicating with the outside world. A port is often referred to as a programmable port.
This means we can program these ports to act as inputs or outputs. Some general-purpose processors are presented in the table below.
| Sr.No | Processor | Clock Speed | Bus Width | MIPS | Power | Price |
| 1 | Intel Pentium 111 | The clock speed of this processor is 1GHz | The bus width of this processor is 32 | One million notifications per second of this processor are~ 900 | The power of this processor is 97 W. | The price of this processor is $ 900 |
| 2 | IBM PowerPC 750X | The clock speed of this processor is 550 MHz | The bus width of this processor is 32/64 | One million notifications per second of this processor are ~ 1300 | The power of this processor is 5 W. | The price of this processor is $ 900 |
| 3 | MIPS R5000 | The clock speed of this processor is 250 MHz | The bus width of this processor is 32/64 | NA | NA | NA |
| 4 | StrongARM SA-110 |
The clock speed of this processor is 233 MHz | The bus width of this processor is 32 | This processor has 268 million notifications per second | The power of this processor is 1 W. | NA |
#3. Embedded Processor
An embedded processor is a special processor designed to control mechanical and electrical work. These include a processor, timer, program memory, data memory, interrupt controller, power supply, reset and clock oscillator circuit, system application-specific circuits, ports, and many blocks of interfacing circuits.
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#4. Media Processor
An image/video processor is a type of media processor. Which is designed to deal with data in real time. Voice user interface and professional audio are audio processor applications. Some media processors are TN2302AP IP, IN2602 AP IP, DM3730, TMS320,DM6467, DM3725, DM37385, DM388, TMS320,DM6431, etc.
#5. Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
Digital Signal Processor is a type of processor. Which we use to measure, filter, or compress analog or digital signals. The signal process means the analysis and manipulation of signals.
This processing can be done through a computer or application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or Digital Signal Processor. This processor is used in barcode scanners, oscilloscope mobile phones, printers, etc. Such a processor is fast and is used for real-time applications.
Digital signal processors are shown in the table below
| Sr.No | Processor | Clock Speed | Bus Width | MIPS | Price |
| 1 | T1 C5416 Processor |
The clock speed of this processor is 160 MHz | The bus width of this processor is 32 | One million notifications per second of this processor are ~ 600 processor | The price of this processor is $ 34 |
| 2 | DSP 32C Processor |
The clock speed of this processor is 80 MHz | The bus width of this processor is 32 | A million instructions per second for the SP 32C Processor is 40 | The price of this processor is $ 75 |
Applications of DSP
The following are some of the applications of a Digital Signal Processor
- Medical procedure.
- Biometric processing.
- Radar.
- Seismology.
- Speech process.
- Image processing.
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Application-Specific System Processors (ASSPs)
This system process is a semiconductor integrated circuit product, which is used to apply a specific function. The performance, characteristics, and mortality of an application-specific system processor are similar to those of ASIC. This system processor is used for video encoding or decoding and audio encoding or decoding in various industries.
Embedded software is replaced by an application-specific system processor used to run the application and provide the solution quickly. For example W3100A, IIM7100,
Application-Specific Instruction Set Processors (ASIPs)
Such a processor is designed for a specific program. Such a processor has low power consumption, high computational speed, and good flexibility. The use of data paths in ASIPs is high due to programmability, and the performance of this instruction set processor is good.
MultiProcessor
A Multi-processor is a computer with more than one CPU. Each one shares the main memory, computer bus, and peripherals simultaneously processing the program. Another name for this system is a strictly connected system.
The main advantages of multiprocessors are throughput, increased reliability, and economy of scale. Such a processor is used when a very large speed is required to process a large amount of data. An asymmetrical multiprocessor is shown in the figure below.
Characteristics of Multiprocessors
The characteristics of multiprocessors are as follows
- Multiprocessors include two or more multiprocessors. Which is the same as one.
- The processor shares memory input and output features.
- Memory access time remains the same for each processor as the processor simply connects it.
- All processors perform the same function.
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What Are the Different Types of Processors in Computers?
There are five types of processors including microcontrollers, microprocessors, and embedded processors. Media processors and digital signal processors (DSPs) make up the final two types of processors. A microprocessor, which consists of an ALU, a control unit, and various types of registers, is mostly used in PCs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 3 types of processors?
There are different types of processors available in the market, such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded processors, and digital signal processors, and the processors can be different according to the devices.
How many types of computer processors are there?
There are six types of central processing units such as single-core CPU, dual-core CPU, quad-core CPU, Hexa core CPU, octa-core CPU, and deca-core CPU.
What are the top 5 processors?
- AMD Ryzen 5 3600.
- AMD Ryzen 9 5900X.
- AMD Ryzen 3 3300X.
- Intel Core i9 10900K.
- Intel Core i5 10600K.
- AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.
What is a faster processor?
What is the true meaning of the speed of a processor? Clock speed is the rate at which a processor operates and is measured in GHz. At one time, high numbers meant fast processors. But technological advances have made processor chips more efficient, so now they do more with less.
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