|
Processors: Why do you
care
By: Dave
- July 7, 2001
With your desktop computer, a
processors is the heart of the computer even though there are many other
components that cause your computer to go faster. Just because you
have the fastest Intel or AMD chip on the market, doesn't mean your
computer will immediately be fast...though it will help. With a PDA,
your processors is not only the central processing unit for the device, it
determines many things about your device, not to mention how and what it will
run.
One of the major things your
processor does it determine how fast your device will run. Really it
doesn't "decide", but it sets the speed limit for your
device. A processors speed is determined by how many calculations it
can do every seconds. The speed you read on a box for your device or
computer is measured in megahertz (MHz), which is the frequency (the number
of) of the calculations. It really goes a little further then that,
but sufficed to say, 1MHz is very slow while 1000MHz (or 1GHz) is very
fast. PDA's processors very in speed from 16MHz to over
206MHz. If you could have one PDA in one hand with a 16MHz processor
and another in the other hand with a 206MHz processor, each running the
same thing, you would see the difference easily.
On your desktop you probably
either run Windows, Linux, or the Mac OS (Operating System). Each is
a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that takes approximately the same amount
of system
recourses*. Because of this, when using each, with the same system
setup, you will see little speed difference. On your PDA, you
probably run (or will run) Windows CE or Palm OS. Unlike desktop
OS's, these two that run on PDA's are very different. Windows
CE is much like a scaled down Windows OS. It uses a lot of resources
and requires a much faster processors. The Palm OS is more of a supped-up organizer that requires very little processor usage to accomplish
the simple tasks it was make to complete. This is one of the reasons
why when comparing PDA's, you see a large difference in the Palm OS
processors vs. the Windows CE processors.
There is one other thing you
should know, and care about, processors in PDA's. Palm OS devices
currently only use Motorola processors. Each runs the same basic way
allowing for all Palm OS apps to run on any PDA with the Palm OS and that
processor. Windows CE is drastically different. Currently
there are three types of Windows CE compatible processors. StrongARM,
SH3 and MIPS. Each runs a different way and since Microsoft never
made a common executable format (a format for all software to be complied
into to run on all processors), you have be careful what software you
download. Only some software will run on some devices.
Though you might not think
you care about processors in your PDA's, you really do. These chip
really decide what you can do with your device, and what you can use with
your device. When you buy a PDA, make sure to notice what processor
it has. It could help elevate some headaches later on when you find
software won't run or isn't running correctly.
* Yes, I understand there
are some recourse management differences. Some people might feel
that "approximately" is really not the right word to use.
Sorry.
|
