1. Processor Specs
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2. Micro-architecture
A processor’s architecture refers to its instruction set, the number and type of registers, and memory-resident data structures (e.g. stacks) that are available to a programmer (at least at the assembly level).
A processor’s micro-architecture refers to the hardware implementation of the architecture (the transistors).
Backward compatibility is within the architecture (which is more of a logical level). The micro-architecture (implementation) may change dramatically and is not necessarily compatible with previous versions.
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3. Package Type (Pentium 4)
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4. Package Type (Core2)
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5. Package Type (i7)
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6.
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7. Form Factor and Package
The term form factor applies to many devices including processors. It refers to their size and shape. And in the case of processors it also includes how they connect to the motherboard.
The motherboard has a slot or socket.
A related term is the “package” — an enclosure for a chip (integrated circuit).
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8. Pinning
The pins or leads are how a chip interfaces with the outside world.
There are various ways to arrange the pins on a chip.
Furthermore, several chips can be brought together into unit called a module (common in memory).
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9. PGA/DIP/SIP
PGA: pin grid array, chip in which the pins are located on the bottom in concentric squares.
Used in some microprocessors.
DIP: dual in-line package, rectangular chip with two rows of pins, one on each side.
SIP: single in-line package, chip with pins protruding from one side
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10. Two basic issues
“Pins”: How does the processor connect? How many “pins” are there? How big are they? How are they arranged? How can we keep them from bending, etc.?
Heat: How do we let the processor dissipate heat?
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11. SECC2 (OLD!)
As with SECC, with SECC2 the processors have a plastic housing with an active heatsink (means it has a fan).
It is distinct from SECC in that the goldfinger contacts are exposed.
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12. Heat
Recall that in the history of processors the number of transistors continues to grow (Moore’s Law) while the relative size of the chip stays fixed. With more transistors carrying current, more heat is produced (within the same area).
Various developments have occurred to deal with the issue of heat.
Reduction in the working voltage (5V  3.3V  2V).
Introduction of the heatsink and fan.
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13. Heat Sink
The computer has had a fan for some time to deal with heat. But starting with the 486, the processor needed special consideration.
A heat sink is an element designed to take heat away from the processor.
In this case, heat is dissipated mainly via convection, the heat is transferred to the nearby air and is carried away with the air as it moves.
Convection is why a breeze feels nice on a hot summer day.
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14. Desired Effects
A heat sink should have a large surface area since this is where the heat is transferred to the air.
But the heat sink should not block the air flow since this is how the heat is carried away.
Heat sinks often have very strange shapes to try to maximize these two competing effects.
Typically made of Aluminum
May have “fins”
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15. Heat Sinks
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16. Passive and Active
All modern processors have a heat sink. Some also require a fan.
Without a fan: passive heat sink
With a fan: active heat sink
Because the heat sink’s purpose is to dissipate heat, it is important that the heat can get from the processor to the heat sink. The material “gluing” the heat sink to the processor must conduct heat well.
A heat slug is a piece of metal that connects the processor core to the processor package and/or heatsink.
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17. Thermal paste
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18. Liquid Cooling
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19. Advances in fans?
Today the fans have multiple speeds and the processor monitors its own temperature and adjusts the fan speed accordingly.
Customers complain about the noise of the fan.
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20. Varying Speed I: Turbo Boost
Recall that there is a connection between speed and power. Speed is measured in Hertz (cycles per second) and power is measured in Watts (Joules per second). Furthermore, power (once used) becomes the rate at which heat is generated.
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21. Varying speed II: Intel SpeedStep
Especially with the growing emphasis on mobile computing, power consumption has become an important factor.
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22. PPGA Plastic Pin Grid Array
With PPGA the processors have pins arranged in a square pattern. They fit into Socket 370 motherboards.
Look for the square pattern (Pin Grid Array) on the bottom.
Slot connectors do not have pins.
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23. FC-PGA Flipped-Chip Pin Grid Arrays
The chip is designed so that the “core” processor, which is the part that gets the hottest, is on top (closer to the heat sink).
Also fits into a socket 370 motherboard. But it must be a FCPGA compliant motherboard for FCPGA processor to work.
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24. The LGA
"Intel’s new LGA, or Land Grid Array, 775 processor socket takes a step away from traditional implementations in that the package no longer features pins, rather the bottom of the LGA 775 processors only have small gold contacts. With the LGA package, Intel has moved the pins into the bottom portion of the processor socket, something that will make installation of the processor easier in that there is no need to watch for bent pins on the package...although it will make it more difficult as well. You no longer need to worry about bent or damaged pins on the processor, rather now you have to worry twice as much about bent pins within the processor socket itself."
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26. FC-LGA-2011 – 2011 is the number of connections not a year
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28. TDP: Thermal Design Power
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30. TCASE
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32. VID
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34. Bus/Core Multiplier aka CPU Multiplier
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36. Internet Streaming SIMD Extensions
SSE is an acronym within an acronym: It stands for Streaming SIMD Extensions, where SIMD is Single Instruction Multiple Data
SSE consists of 70 SIMD instructions for integer and floating-point operations. It helps with high resolution images, audio and video viewing, speech recognition etc.
The Pentium 4 actually used SSE2.
SSE2 adds 144 new instructions.
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39. SSE4 (Cont.)
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40. AVX: Advanced Vector eXtensions
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42. Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution
A combination of techniques (data flow analysis, speculative execution, out of order execution, and super scalar) that enables the processor to execute more instructions in parallel.
Pipelining ideas
Delivers more instructions per clock cycle to improve execution time and energy efficiency.
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43. Same for Nehalem
The Nehalem architecture (45-nm) allowed up to four instructions per clock cycle
Has improved “out of order” instruction handling
They have made the window/buffer of instructions to be examined for possible pipelining or parallelizing
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44. Pipelining
Recall that to execute an instruction, one must fetch it, decode it, fetch any data required, execute the instruction, write the answer to the appropriate place and possibly look for an interrupt requests that might have occurred during the previous.
In pipelining a processor can begin executing a second instruction before the first has been completed.
Thus, many instructions are in the pipeline at the same, though at various processing stages.
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45. Pipelining
The pipeline is divided into segments. Each segment can perform its duty at the same time as the other segments.
When a segment completes its task, it passes the result to the next segment and fetches the next operation from the preceding segment.
Once a feature of only high-end processors, now pipelining is standard.
A Pentium had up to six instruction in the pipeline.
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46. Hyper-Pipelined Technology
Pentium 4’s Hyper-pipelined technology uses a 20-stage pipeline.
Having so many instructions in the works can be a problem if the program branches and one has the wrong instructions in the pipeline.
For long pipelines to be effective there must be good “branch prediction.” BPU – Branch Prediction Unit
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47. Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution (Cont.)
Wider execution core allow each core to fetch, dispatch, execute and retire up to four full instructions simultaneously.
More accurate branch prediction
Deeper instruction buffers for greater execution flexibility
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48. Nehalem
The Nehalem micro-architecture (45-nm) added a “Second-Level Branch Prediction Target Buffer” improves prediction and makes the situation better when the prediction is incorrect.
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49. Intel® Smart Memory Access
Intel Smart Memory Access optimizes the use of the available data bandwidth from the memory subsystem.
Includes an important new capability called "memory disambiguation,"
which increases the efficiency of out-of-order processing by providing the execution cores with the built-in intelligence to speculatively load data for instructions that are about to execute before all previous store instructions are executed.
(I.e. get what you need when you need it)
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51. Intel® Virtualization Technology
Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT)¹ improves traditional software-based virtualization solutions.
“These integrated features give virtualization software the ability to take advantage of offloading workload to the system hardware, enabling more streamlined virtualization software stacks and ‘near native’ performance characteristics.”
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52. Virtualization
Using virtualization, one computer system can function as multiple "virtual" systems.
Can run multiple operating systems (simultaneously)
One machine being used as a number of independent virtual machines.
Allows consolidating and balancing of multiple workloads on one physical server system.
Lowers hardware acquisition costs
Improves data center performance efficiency.
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54. Execute Disable Bit
Intel's Execute Disable Bit allows the processor to distinguish between areas in memory where an application can execute and where it cannot.
Can be used to disable certain worm attacks.
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55. Intel TXT (Trusted eXecution Technology)
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58. New AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) Instructions
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59. New AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) Instructions
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60. References PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Thompson and Thompson
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61. References (Cont.)
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