Linux: What is x86

What is x86

and hardware to deal with often hear x86, doubts when he turned over the books on the Internet to check the information, but are not very clear. Recently encountered x86 the word, with detailed understanding and take notes.

Want to know what is x86 should first distinguish the CPU classification.

CPU what is CPU

CPU (central processing UNIT,CPU), a chip with a specific function, contains a micro instruction set.

CPU classification

The CPU can be divided into two types depending on the instruction set type:

• Compact instruction set (reduced instruction set Computing,risc)

  • Features: Micro-instructions are relatively streamlined, the execution time of each instruction is very short, the completion of the operation is very simple, performance is better. But to do complex things, you need multiple instructions to do it.

  • Application: Common RISC Micro-instruction CPU mainly has sun Company's SPARC series, IBM Power Architecture (including PowerPC) series and arm series. SPARC: Mainly used in large workstations; Powerpc:sony play Station;arm: Commonly used mobile phones, PDA navigation devices, and network devices are almost all CPUs of the ARM architecture.

• Complex instruction Set (Complex instruction set Computing,cisc)

  • Features: Each small instruction can perform some lower order hardware operation, the number of instructions and complex, each instruction length is different, the execution time is long.

  • Application: Common CISC Micro-instruction set CPU mainly has AMD, Intel, via and other x86 architecture CPU, this CPU is heavily used in personal computers, so the personal computer is often referred to as x86.

Sources of X86x86

So why is it called the x86 architecture? Because the Intel developed the CPU code was 8086, and then the architecture was developed 80286/80386, so the CPU of this architecture is called the x86 architecture.

x86_64

The x86 architecture, developed by Intel in 2003, was upgraded from 8-bit to 16-bit, 32-bit, and later by ADM to the next-generation CPU to 64-bit, in order to differentiate between the two, so the 64-bit PC CPU is collectively referred to as the x86_64 architecture

Different x86 architectures CPU differences

In addition to the overall architecture of the CPU (level two cache, number of executable instructions per run, etc.), the main reason is that the micro instruction set is different.

Most of the new x86 CPUs contain very advanced micro-instruction sets, such as adding multimedia programs to run, enhancing virtualization performance, and increasing energy efficiency.

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Linux: What is x86