The Heart of the Beast!

     This week was the first week of actual work of this project. And I'll say, I really don't think that it's much work at all. In talking with other people, I've found that they have the same idea too. This week, I began researching the first component of my proposed build: the CPU, or processor. In my historical research, I found many interesting facts about the lineage of the Central Processing Unit. As it turns out, the first method of processing information in computers was to use vacuum tubes. After this, a little, unknown company called Intel began developing the first microprocessor. This processor was called the Intel 4004, and it was released in November of 1971. After the 4004 came the 8008, which is actually the long-lost ancestor of the modern Intel Core i7 processor.
     Once these microprocessors became popular, people began developing ways to make them more powerful. The first of these methods was multi-threading. By doing this, the processor could better handle multitasking, such as running multiple programs at one time, on top of each other. Along with multi-threading came multi-core processors. These types of processors are the only type made today, besides the Intel Atom. Surely, most of you have heard of the Intel Core 2 Duo. This processor has 2 processing cores, hence "Core 2 Duo". Processors today usually have 2, 4, 6 or 6 cores. AMD, another microprocessor manufacturing company, has even developed a series of 8-core processors. by adding multiple cores to a processor, the processor can tell itself how to optimize its own performance and make the computer it is in run faster.
     Since processors  were becoming faster an processing more information at one time, they were also developing more heat. To keep the CPUs from goint too fast and overheating, Intel developed the concept of a "clock speed" this factory-set maximum processing speed made it so that processors could only allow themselves to compute a certain amount of data at one time. This solved the problem of overheating. However, now Intel develops "unlocked processors" that allow the user to overclock them as much as they want, so long as they have an adequate cooling solution.
     As for the future of computing, it looks promising. Based on Moore's law, which states that the amount of transistors placed on a circuitboard doubles every two years. However, in the distant future, it appears that quantum computing is not out of our reach. Advanced science institutions such as MIT are developing computers that utilize quantum processing units that, in short, can process data as both a 0 and a 1 at the same time. Today, information sent in binary can only be processed as a 0 or 1 (on or off), allowing for a very large, but still finite, amount of information. By utilizing quantum processors, the amount of information that could be stored, accessed, and used would increase almost infinitely.
     Now, onto the actual application of this week's reserch. To reiterate my goal, I want to create a computer for the final product of this project. Each week, I'm researching one major aspect of a computer system, and choosing an adequate part to put into my actual build. The link to my conceptual build can be found here. I will update it every week. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1GSd
     This week, as you know, I focused on the processor. As AMD and Intel are the two main competitors in the processor market, I looked at processors from those two companies. Each company has a pretty concrete set of pros and cons for their products. From Intel, you get exceptional processing effiency, consistent processing rates, and legendary reliability. However, the monetary price you pay for a processor equivalent to one from AMD is pretty uneven. Also, Intel processors are notorious for having very high power-consumption, which means that your system will push your electric bill up quite a bit. If you were to choose an AMD processor, you'll get an awesome price-to-performance ratio, low power consumption, and a reliable product. However, their processors only support dual-channel RAM. The two contenders in my build were the Intel Celeron G530, and the AMD A4-3400. Both processors are incredibly cheap, as my build needs to be as cheap as possible. However, they both have very good price-to-performance ratios. The processor that I chose to go with is the Celeron G530. I chose this processor due to the incredible amount of customer reviews and vendor reviews that said its processing was very fluid and consistent. As I will be presenting in front of a lot of people on the computer I propose to  build, I definitely do not want a processor that fluctuates between working and not working. Another thing that was good to hear about this processor was that it is good enough to handle light gaming (a surpising qualification for such a low-end processor, trust me), and that it is perfect for a workstation PC for surfing the web and doing Word documents/PowerPoint presentations.
     Overall, I learned much more than I thought I would about the heart of a computer this week. I chose a great part for my build, and I'm very excited to pick out the next part! Next week, I'll be researching and choosing a motherboard. Stay tuned! :)

Pictures:

Sources:
      -      http://library.thinkquest.org/26532/inside/history/index.html

-          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_general_purpose_CPUs

-          http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/proving-quantum-computers-feasible-1127.html