The processor, microprocessor or micro is equivalent to human brain. The micro is a chip composed of thousand or million transistors taking care of analyzing the information received both from the user and the computer and creating an appropriate answer. This is the hardware component taking care of the computer logical operations and it is supplied by data and programs stored on the different storage units, such as hard disk, RAM memory, CDs, etc. Processors are sometimes called CPU (Central Processing Unit), leading to confusion, because the hardware components located inside the compartment are also called CPU.

Morphologically, the processor is a usually black rectangle or square connected to a computer element called baseboard. Any microprocessor needs a cooler to prevent the temperature generated by information processing from rising more than what the micro can bear. This cooler is essential and it is located behind the processor. There are some cracks on the compartment (computer structure) where the cooler is located, through which air input and output are produced. Certain very powerful processors generating great heat need more than one cooler.

When buying a microprocessor, most people try to get the fastest one and that is perfectly correct. However, you need to know that all that glitters is not gold and that it is not the only important feature on a processor. The measure unit used for micro data processing speed is the megahertz or gigahertz in a one-thousand relation: one gigahertz is equivalent to a thousand megahertz. But this speed measure is relative to processor quality: a processor having more megahertz than another may not necessarily be faster, and it can even be slower if it has a lower quality due to its processing ability.

Processors work with two different speeds: inner and outer speed or, if we want to be stricter on terminology, endogenous and exogenous. Inner or endogenous speed is the one used to process information and perform tasks. Measured in MHz (megahertz), this can be 333, 450, etc. Outer or exogenous speed is the Bus speed. The Bus connects the processor with the mother board and the information is transmitted through it. This speed may be 66,100, 133 MHz, etc. That is why we say speed is relative: if the micro processes information at a high speed but it is transmitted slowly or vice versa, we cannot talk about good speed in absolute terms.