PROCESSOR & TERMINOLOGY
A processor, or CPU (Central Processing Unit), is like the brain of a computer. It's a tiny chip that follows instructions to do tasks like calculations, running programs, and managing data. Basically, it's what makes your computer and smartphone work and do all the things you want it to do.
For an over-simplistic analogy, you can compare it to a human brain. It processes the instructions given by a program, which in turn is initiated by a user. A user interacts with the device through an OS (Operating System). This OS understands the command and gives a specific set of instructions to the processor, which finally executes the instructions and gets the task done.
Processor-related terminology
Cores
A processor is subdivided into further smaller units known as cores. They are pathways made up of billions of microscopic transistors within the processor that helps to make it work. A core can perform a limited number of operations in a specific amount of time. Each core can perform operations separately from the others. Thus, cores help with multitasking.
Phones with two cores are called dual core. There are Quad-core, Hexa-core, Octa-core , etc. Since each core can perform independently, it gives the user more processing power.
Threads
Threads in a processor refer to the number of simultaneous paths of execution the CPU can handle. Each thread represents an independent sequence of instructions that can be scheduled and executed by the processor.
Modern processors support multiple threads per core through technologies like Hyper-Threading. This means that each physical core can handle more than one thread at a time, improving overall efficiency and performance by allowing different processes to run in parallel rather than one at a time.
Clock Speed
Clock speed refers to how fast a processor can execute instructions.
It's measured in gigahertz (GHz), which indicates the number of cycles the processor can complete in one second. A processor with a 1-Gigahertz (GHz) clock speed can process 1 billion instructions per second.
A higher clock speed means the processor can perform tasks more quickly. The number of processor cores also influences the speed of your smartphone.
NM
"nm" stands for nanometers. CPUs are made of millions of transistors in a semiconductor chip. The distance between them, in nanometers, will determine how many transistors will be packed in the semiconductor chip.
A smaller distance will significantly reduce the distance traveled by electrons. The outcomes of a small Nm in a processor are less energy consumption, faster computing power, smaller die size, less heat dissipation, and less thermal output around the board.
Cache
It's a small amount of high-speed memory located directly on the CPU chip. Instead of fetching data and instructions from the slower main memory (RAM) every time they're needed, the processor stores frequently used data and instructions in the cache.
This way, it can access them much faster, speeding up overall performance. It's like having a handy shelf of tools right next to you, making your work much more efficient.