The microprocessor, (or CPU), is the brain of the computer.

The
picture above shows a slot 1 processor with heatsinks and a fan,
which prevent it from overheating. Below is the processor without
the heatsinks and fan, being inserted into a slot 1 motherboard
connection. Slot 1 processors have the microprocessor and level 2
cache memory mounted on a circuit board, (or card), which is
enclosed inside of a protective shell.

The enclosed slot 1 processor card contains the central processing

unit, (or CPU), with it's level 1 cache memory. The central
processing unit also contains the control unit and the
arithmetic/logic unit, both working together as a team to process
the computer's commands. The control unit controls the flow of
events inside the processor. It fetches instructions from memory
and decodes them into commands that the computer can
understand. The arithmetic/logic unit handles all of the math
calculations and logical comparisons. It takes the commands from
the control unit and executes them, storing the results back into
memory. These 4 steps, (fetch, decode, execute, and store), are
what's called the "machine cycle" of a computer. These 4 basic
steps are how the computer runs each and every program. The
microprocessor's level 1 cache memory, is memory that is contained
within the CPU itself. It stores the most frequently used
instructions and data. The CPU can access the cache memory much
faster than having to access the RAM, (or Random Access Memory).
Below is a picture of what's inside of a Pentium 3 processor. The
control unit, arithmetic/logic unit, and level 1 cache are contained
within the center CPU chip. Level 2 cache memory is visible on the
right-hand side of the processor card.

Level 1 cache memory is memory that is included inside of the CPU

itself. It is usually smaller and faster than level 2 cache memory.
Level 2 cache memory is memory between the RAM and CPU. It is
used when the level 1 cache memory is full or is too small to hold the
intended data. Originally it was not directly on the CPU chip itself.
*Read the update at the bottom of this page.* The photo above
shows level 2 cache memory on the processor card, beside the CPU.
Below are two photos of a CPU. The photo on the bottom is a view of
the CPU chip from the outside. The photo on the top is a large map
of the inside of the CPU, showing the different areas and what
their function is. See if you can find the areas that fetch, decode,
and execute the instructions. Can you also find the level 1 cache
areas that store information? The pipelined floating point area,
logic areas, and superscalar integer execution units area are part of
what? Did you guess the arithmetic/logic unit? If so, you're right!

At the top you can also see the clock driver. The clock driver is
what times, or sets the pace, for the computer. The clock's speed,
is how CPUs are rated. Each machine cycle consists of two beats.
Each beat the control unit fetches and decodes data, which is called
the "instruction cycle." At the same time the arithmetic/logic unit
executes and stores data, which is called the "execution cycle." The
speed of a clock is rated by how many beats per second it can
accomplish. 1 billion beats per second is referred to as 1Ghz. For
every beat, (except the very first), a machine cycle is completed.
Common CPUs available today perform at 3Ghz and faster. This
means that a 3Ghz CPU can execute 3,000,000,000 instructions in a
single second!

*Update*
The slot 1 processor is no longer being produced. Below are two
photos of an AMD Athlon 64 FX socket 939 processor and one
photo of a Pentium 4 Extreme Edition socket 775 processor. These
are later model processors than the slot 1. Currently AMD is using
the socket 939, socket 940, and socket 754 processors. Pentium is
using the socket 775 and socket 478 processors. All of these
processors look similar, but they do have some differences,
including the number of contact points, (or pins), that they have.
Another difference in some of the newer processors is that the
level 2 cache memory is located directly on the CPU chip itself. Any
cache memory located outside of a CPU like this is called level 3
cache memory. The usage is still the same though. Level 1 cache
memory is still located closest to the core of the CPU and is still
usually smaller and faster than the level 2 cache memory. Some of
the newer processors even have level 3 cache memory located
directly on the CPU itself. Any cache memory located outside of a
CPU like this is called level 4 cache memory. As with the other
levels of cache memory, the higher the level, the further away from
the core of the CPU it is located. The higher levels of cache memory
also are usually larger and slower than the smaller levels. The first
photo below shows the front and back of a Pentium 4 Extreme
Edition socket 775 processor. It has level 3 cache memory located
directly on the CPU itself. The second photo below shows the front
and back of an AMD Athlon 64 FX socket 939 processor. It has
level 2 cache memory located directly on the CPU itself. The third
photo below shows the AMD processor installed on a motherboard
with a heatsink and fan.