There are four main components to the CPU; the Arithmetic Logic Unit, the Control Unit, the Registers and the Data Bus.
A CPU is a Central Processing Unit. It carries out instructions made by the user who inputs the command. For example, pressing the 'power on' button is a command. Loading the operating system is a command. Opening your email account is a command.
- What is an Arithmetic Logic Unit?
The ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) is the technology that performs the logical computing functions and processes. It is the dictator of the CPU and receives the input requests and commands and then delegates them to the Control Unit, which in turn carries them out.
A Control Unit is a coordination device. It organizes the input and output devices that connect to the computer and uses them to initiate commands and then it carries them out.
A Register is a data storage device. It's a simple binary list of the data that is tasked to be executed and it queues this up. Sometimes the Register can be over-populated, causing the CPU to slow down its operating speed as it struggles to execute several commands at once. A common example of this is when a computer freezes during execution. People tend to try and click elsewhere and initiate the Task Manager to end tasks, but this adds additional commands to the register which further clogs the system.
A Data Bus is rather like a real bus in that it carries things. In this case it shifts data and information from component to component. It communicates between the CPU and the rest of the system - primarily the memory (RAM - Random Access Memory) that is on the motherboard.
The register is a small bit of memory capacity that is on the Central Processing Unit. It is small and a quick access memory for the system and not to be confused with the RAM or other internal memory for storage.
