Anatomy of a CPU

The CPU is often called the brains of a computer, and just like the human brain, it consists of several parts that work together to process information. There are parts that take in information, parts that store information, parts that process information, parts that help output information, and more. In today's explainer, we'll go over the key elements that make up a CPU and how they all work together to power your computer.

You should know, this article is part of our Anatomy seriesthat dissects all the tech behind PC components. We also have a dedicated series to CPU Designthat goes deeper into the CPU design process and how things work internally. It's a highly recommended technical read. This anatomy article will revisit some of the fundamentals from the CPU series, but at a higher level and with additional content.

Compared to previous articles in our Anatomy series, this one will inevitably be more abstract. When you're looking inside something like a power supply, you can clearly see the capacitors, transformers, and other components. That's simply not possible with a modern CPU since everything is so tiny and because Intel and AMD don't publicly disclose their designs. Most CPU designs are proprietary, so the topics covered in this article represent the general features that all CPUs have.