The central processor in the computer plays the most important role. It can be considered the "brain" of the entire system, since the amount of processed data, the ability to start the system, and hardware compatibility depend on it. The servers use special types of processors that are designed specifically for such tasks, that is, for calculations. This is how a computer processor works .
There is such a thing as a graphics processor - it is not located on the motherboard, as the central one, but in the graphics adapter. Its task is to process graphic data, transfer it to a computer and display the image on a monitor screen.
Each of them has its own structure and technical process of the processor, which will be discussed later.
Processor manufacturing process
For the past half century, a silicon crystal has been used in the manufacture of processors and other similar equipment. The lithographic processing method allows you to create separate transistors, which are very important, because the processors consist of them.
Focusing on the current state of the electric field, transistors can block or pass an electric current. This, by the way, is a fundamental part of the binary system, which is enclosed in these two positions - on and off.
So what is a manufacturing process? This term is used in terms to indicate the size of the transistors used that make up any processor.
Returning to the production of processors, we can distinguish such a process as photolithography. This function is needed in order to cover the crystal with a dielectric material, from which transistors are released using light. Depending on the device’s capabilities - subtlety and sensitivity, the technological process of the processor is determined, that is, its thickness in nanometers.
What does size affect?
As you know, the finer the process technology of the processor, the greater the number of transistors will be located on the chip.
If the size is small, then its energy consumption and the amount of heat generated will be several times smaller. For this reason, the small process technology of the processor allows you to place the chip on portable devices, and due to this, the mobile device will be able to hold a charge longer.
The size is also important for economic purposes, since at a small cost of material the number of manufactured chips increases. However, this is a double-edged sword, because for a finer processor process technology, top-end expensive equipment is needed.
Small structural details allow you to place a larger number of elements on the chip, thereby increasing processor performance. For all this, the size parameters of the chip itself remain unchanged.
If the processor has the technical ability to overclock, then the lower the limit of the process technology of the processor, the higher the frequencies.
Technical growth
From about the 70s to the 80s, processors with a three-micron process technology were created. Such a breakthrough in computer technology was achieved by the Zilog and Intel companies in the 75-79s. Since then, it was decided to improve the quality of lithographic equipment.
Since 1990, significant changes have appeared in the processor architecture, and chips with a 0.35-micron process technology, or 350-nanometer ones, were released at the same time. However, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the sizes of transistors were reduced by three times, which equaled 130 nanometers.
The most significant technological breakthrough came in 2004 - it was at that time that manufacturers mastered the technology of the 65-nanometer process. Then Core 2 Duo and its competitor AMD Phenom X4 went on sale. As for the consoles, the Falcon and Jasper processors were made for the Xbox 360.
Significant changes
Two leading processor companies have reached 32 nanometers, demonstrating this in the Sandy Bridge and AMD Bulldozer generation processors.
The Intel company has created a crystal capable of operating at a frequency of 3,500 megahertz, and the number of cores has become equal to four. Also there was a more advanced graphics chip built into the processor, the frequency of which reaches one and a half gigahertz. At the same time, the chip had support for new RAM, a second-generation PCI-E interface controller, and x86 protocols. The data flow rate has increased due to the presence of the third level cache, the size of which is eight megabytes.
As for its direct competitor, AMD, he managed to equip the processor with sixteen cores with a frequency of up to 4000 megahertz. Otherwise, there is practically no difference from Intel.
However, only the “blue” team managed to achieve a significant breakthrough and release chips with a 22-nanometer process technology, which allowed the processors of the Ivy Bridge, Haswell and Xeon family, Core i5 and i7 series to provide high performance, while lowering energy consumption.
Reasons for reducing the process technology
Processor performance increases only due to the number of transistors, while the value of heat dissipation is not subject to change.
When the technological process decreases, manufacturers are able to place a larger number of other components on the chip’s territory, such as cores and additional components.