Single-core (1 Core)

Unlike multi-core processors that interact with multiple parallel cores, a single-core processor accomplishes one at a time. Earlier generations of computers and electronic devices used these processors. A single-core processor operates in a linear processing approach of fetching instructions from memory. It decodes them and executes them sequentially. Single-core CPUs appear less powerful than multi-core CPUs. However, their performance depends on clock speed. Clock speed is a measure of instructions per second processed. Faster clock speeds imply faster processing. The overall performance depends upon factors such as cache size, architecture, and instruction set. Fast single-core CPUs are made for high-end desktop computers, workstations, and servers that need the fastest performance for specialized tasks using only one thread at a time.