Compiling got faster, but the real cost was heat and fans.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Building your first computer is a memory worth cherishing for years, and the amount of research that goes into picking the right parts is what ...

What do the HP-1000 and the DEC VAX 11/730 have in common with the video games Tempest and Battlezone? More than you might think. All of those machines, along with many others from that time period, ...

The CPU (Central Processing Unit, or simply “processor”) is arguably the most important component in a computer, perhaps only second to the GPU if you’re a gamer. However, upgrading to the best ...

In the eighties, computer processors became faster and faster, while memory access times stagnated and hindered additional performance increases. Something had to be done to speed up memory access and ...

PC freezing, going slow, or running into hitches where it shouldn’t? Even if you have one of the best processors, high CPU usage could be to blame. Unfortunately, if you aren’t too computer savvy, ...

One of the most frequently touted measures of processor performance is a given chip's speed in gigahertz. Processors with higher GHz ratings can, theoretically, do more in a given unit of time than ...