2 ms·

What about the slots i plug my RAM sticks into? Do they not count because it goes over the north bridge?

• detaro 5y ago
  Modern x86 CPUs integrate the DRAM controller directly (e.g. with Intel ever since Nehalem, ~2008) and not over a bus through the northbridge. From that point on I wouldn't count it if you insist on a strict definition, no - it's roughly the same as if you put a socket between a current higher-end ARM chip with external memory and the connected DRAM chips. Chipset is relegated to dealing with I/O to peripherals mostly - and nowadays the CPUs also provide PCIe lanes directly, with the chipset often adding a few more, often slower ones. Traditional microprocessors are getting really rare, even though pretty much all the modern architectures started as them, and thus some use the term more widely. Some vendors use the differentiation between microcontrollers and application processors now, which also isn't a 100% clear line and explicit crossover models existing, but more useful today and avoids the fights over "what's a microprocessor today". (where "application processor" ~ "can reasonably run a full OS like Linux"). But that's also often limited to discussion in embedded use cases again, e.g. I don't know if they'd call a standard desktop CPU that or insist on some arbitrary level of "embeddedness"... Not that standard desktop CPUs don't end up embedded, but that's another discussion entirely.
  • blueflow 5y ago
    This is a useful explanation. For the article, i don't want to leave it standing as it is. Redefining "Microprocessors" as "having an MMU" is making communication about these topics very unpleasant, especially when its about Retrocomputing. Same pains as i ranted about in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30278936 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30278936 .