CPU
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer Hardware
| Stands for | Central processing unit |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
CPU stands for Central processing unit, a computer hardware abbreviation.
Main processor of a computer, which fetches and executes program instructions, performs calculations and coordinates other components. Spec sheets describe CPUs by core count, clock speed in gigahertz, cache size and power draw; desktop chips now commonly have 6 to 24 cores.
Example: The game is CPU-limited, so upgrading the graphics card won't raise the frame rate much.
Usage notes
The first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004, appeared in 1971 with about 2,300 transistors; modern CPUs contain billions. PCs mostly use x86 chips from Intel and AMD, while phones, Macs since 2020 and a growing number of laptops and servers use Arm-based designs. People sometimes call the whole computer tower "the CPU", but technically the term means only the processor chip.
Related abbreviations
More computer hardware abbreviations
- CD-RW – Compact Disc ReWritable
- CF – CompactFlash
- CISC – Complex instruction set computer
- CL – CAS latency
- CMOS – Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor
- CMR – Conventional magnetic recording
- CUDA – Compute Unified Device Architecture
- DAS – Direct-attached storage
- DDR – Double data rate
- DDR4 – Double Data Rate 4
- DDR5 – Double Data Rate 5
- dGPU – Discrete graphics processing unit