Characteristics of Intel Processors

Intel Processors

Intel Processors are a line of streamlined midrange consumer, workstation and enthusiast computer CPUs marketed by Intel Corporation. These processors displaced the existing mid to high-end Pentium processors at the time of their introduction, moving the Pentium to the entry level.

Characteristics of Intel

1. Register size: Registers are used to store information inside the processor. Register sizes can vary from 8- to 16- to 32- to 64-bit.

2. Number of registers: A processor with several registers can store more information in the CPU for processing.

3. Data bus size: The data bus size determines how many bits of data can be transferred in parallel to or from memory or input/output ports.

4. Address bus size: The typical address sizes are 16, 32, and 64 bits. The size of the address bus determines the number of memory locations that the microprocessor may access.

5. Clock speed: The speed of the clock determines the speed at which the processor executes instructions.

6. Math coprocessor: The math coprocessor is a special processor that performs complex mathematical operations.

7. Real mode: Real mode allows for software compatibility with older software. It enables the processor to emulate the lowest Intel 8088 processor and use only the first 1 MB of memory.

8. Protected mode: Protected mode is a type of memory usage that is available on 80,286 and later model microprocessors. In protected mode, each program can be allocated a certain section of memory and other programs cannot use this memory. The protected mode also enables a single program to access more than 1 MB of memory.

9. Cache size: Cache memory is a small amount of high-speed memory used for temporary data storage based between the processor and main memory. The size of the cache can help to speed up the execution time of a program.

10. MMX technology: Intel’s MMX technology is designed to speed up multimedia and communication applications, such as video, animation, and 3D graphics. The technology includes the single instruction multiple data (SIMD) technique (meaning that with one instruction, the computer can perform multiple operations), 57 new instructions, eight 64-bitMMX registers, and four new data types.