Central processing unit
A central processing unit, typically abbreviated to CPU and also called a central processor or simply processor, is the section of a computer where most of the work takes place. Typically, the CPU includes a arithmetic-logic unit, for performing math and logical operations, and a control unit, for executing commands and interfacing with memory. Early CPUs were many components on a board, but, since the 1970s, pretty much all CPUs are integrated circuits. CPUs sometimes embed other units like memory, a graphical processing unit, or an audio processing unit. When they do, they are usually instead called microcontrollers.
List of CPUs
Here are the CPUs that are important to me.
| ! Name | Released | ALU Size | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairchild F8 | 1975-??-?? | 8-bit | Fairchild Semiconductor | |
| Intel 8080 | 1974-??-?? | 8-bit | Intel | Based on the Intel 8008. |
| Intel 8085 | 1976-03-?? | 8-bit | Intel | Upgrade of the Intel 8080. |
| Intel 8086 | 1978-06-08 | 8-bit | Intel | Began the x86 architecture. |
| Intel 8088 | 1979-07-?? | 8-bit | Intel | Upgrade of the Intel 8086. |
| Intel 80186 | 1982-??-?? | 16-bit | Intel | Based on the Intel 8086. |
| Intel 80286 | 1982-02-?? | 16-bit | Intel | Based on the Intel 8086. |
| Intel 80386 | 1985-10-?? | 32-bit | Intel | Based on the Intel 80286. |
| Intel i486 | 1989-04-10 | 32-bit | Intel | Based on the Intel 80386. |
| MOS 6502 | 1975-??-?? | 8-bit | MOS Technology | Based on the Motorola 6800. |
| MOS 6507 | 1975-??-?? | 8-bit | MOS Technology | A MOS 6502 in a 28-pin DIP. |
| MOS 6510 | 19??-??-?? | 8-bit | MOS Technology | An upgraded MOS 6502 with a general purpose I/O port. |
| MOS 7501 | 1984-??-?? | 8-bit | MOS Technology | An upgraded MOS 6510. Designed for the Commodore Plus/4 |
| MOS 8502 | 198?-??-?? | 8-bit | MOS Technology | An upgraded MOS 6502 clocked at twice the speed. Designed for the Commodore 128. |
| Motorola 6800 | 1974-11-?? | 8-bit | Motorola | Clocked at 1 MHz. |
| Motorola 68A09 | 197?-??-?? | 8-bit | Motorola | A 6800 clocked at 1.5 MHz. |
| Motorola 68B09 | 197?-??-?? | 8-bit | Motorola | A 6800 clocked at 2 MHz. |
| Motorola 6809 | ? | 8-bit | Motorola | |
| Motorola 68000 | 1979-??-?? | 16-bit | Motorola | |
| Ricoh 2A03 | ? | 8-bit | Ricoh | Variation of the MOS 6502 custom made for Nintendo for the Famicom. Excludes BCD mode and adds a custom APU. |
| Ricoh 2C33 | ? | 8-bit | Ricoh | Variation of the MOS 6502 custom made for Nintendo for the Famicom Disk System. Adds a wave table synthesis APU. |
| Ricoh 5A22 | ? | 16-bit | Ricoh | Variation of the WDC 65C816 custom made for Nintendo for the Super Famicom. |
| Sharp LR35902 | ? | 8-bit | Sharp | Based on the Zilog Z80. Includes a GPU and APU. Custom chip made for Nintendo for their Game Boy. |
| WDC 65C816 | ? | 16-bit | 16-bit version of the MOS 6502. | |
| Zilog Z80 | 1976-07-?? | 8-bit | Zilog | Modeled after the Intel 8080. |
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