[ The PC Guide | Systems and Components Reference Guide | The Processor | Processor Architecture and Operation | External Processor Interfaces and Operation ]

Processor and Memory Buses

The processor bus is the set of wires used to carry information to and from the processor. This activity is normally controlled by the system chipset. The memory bus connects the processor bus to the system memory and cache; in practice, the processor and memory buses can be thought of as the same thing. Most people just refer to the memory bus, which is what I will do here.

The memory bus is the main data "thoroughfare" at the system level on the PC. All transfers of data to and from the processor go over this bus.

Next: Dedicated "Backside" Cache Bus

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