How is microprocessor different from an integrated circuit?

How is microprocessor different from an integrated circuit?

• A. Microprocessors are faster, smaller and less expensive than integrated circuits.
• B. Microprocessors are larger but more powerful than integrated circuits.
• C. Integrated circuits are faster than microprocessors.
• D. Microprocessors and integrated circuits are identical in performance.

Answer: (A)

Think about what a microprocessor is versus what an integrated circuit is. A microprocessor is a single chip that contains the central processing unit—the brain of the computer—along with the circuitry needed to fetch, decode, and execute instructions. An integrated circuit, more broadly, is any chip that combines transistors to perform a function, which can be as simple as an amplifier or as complex as a CPU. Because the microprocessor packs the CPU and its support logic onto one chip, it replaces many separate ICs you’d otherwise need to build a computer’s processing function. That integration makes the overall package smaller and, in mass production, cheaper to manufacture. On the chip, communication between CPU parts is very fast, which also helps performance for typical tasks. So, in that sense, a microprocessor is faster, smaller, and less expensive than a system built from multiple discrete ICs. Other statements don’t fit as well because an IC isn’t automatically slower or less capable than a microprocessor; many ICs are optimized for tasks others than general-purpose processing, and the microprocessor’s speed and cost depend on design and generation. Also, a microprocessor is a specialized type of IC, not something completely unrelated to ICs.

Think about what a microprocessor is versus what an integrated circuit is. A microprocessor is a single chip that contains the central processing unit—the brain of the computer—along with the circuitry needed to fetch, decode, and execute instructions. An integrated circuit, more broadly, is any chip that combines transistors to perform a function, which can be as simple as an amplifier or as complex as a CPU.

Because the microprocessor packs the CPU and its support logic onto one chip, it replaces many separate ICs you’d otherwise need to build a computer’s processing function. That integration makes the overall package smaller and, in mass production, cheaper to manufacture. On the chip, communication between CPU parts is very fast, which also helps performance for typical tasks. So, in that sense, a microprocessor is faster, smaller, and less expensive than a system built from multiple discrete ICs.

Other statements don’t fit as well because an IC isn’t automatically slower or less capable than a microprocessor; many ICs are optimized for tasks others than general-purpose processing, and the microprocessor’s speed and cost depend on design and generation. Also, a microprocessor is a specialized type of IC, not something completely unrelated to ICs.