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0 pointsfhars3y ago0 comments

The CPU only pretends to be a CPU. In reality, it is a small datacenter comprised of several small special purpose computers doing all the work. I gave up understanding CPUs in depth by the time I read an introducion to Intel's then-new i860 CPU in the April issue of a magazine and it turned out to be a real device.

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4 comments · 2 top-level

psychphysic3y ago· 2 in thread

Best explanation in my opinion.

Almost like a CPU has an JIT emulator for x86.

yvdriess3y ago

ucode cracking is relatively straightforward, I wouldn't call it a JIT. https://intelxed.github.io/ref-manual/

It's more like an intepreter for x86, seeing as it is actually executed on a dataflow architecture.

psychphysic3y ago

Macro op fusion is more what I had in mind when I called it JIT and not interpretation.

Not sure what the distinction is but that's where it is to my mind

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oblio3y ago

Heck, at this point I think phone chargers run a "real" OS to manage USB-C charging.

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