Information Processing

Information processing takes place in the Central Processing Unit (CPU), which exists in different architectures (Intel 80x86, Motorola 60x, and others), different generations (80486, 80586, etc.), and different speeds (usually measured in MegaHertz). Most computer systems include additional chips which help the CPU performing specific tasks, for example graphic adapters (Dix et al. 88).
How a CPU works in detail is not of relevance to this study . However, it is necessary to mention that performance problems do not only occur due to a busy CPU. Other factors accounting for performance problems are the storage channel, the graphics, and the network (87-88). Unfortunately, it is not always evident to the user why a system "freezes"; besides this, the user does not know if a freeze is a temporary issue or a sign of a total crash. This point will be further discussed in the next section.