You've probably heard the acronym CPU lots of times when you went out hunting for a laptop or desktop computer to buy. Quite often, the type of CPU in the device will be mentioned as part of the specs ...

Despite continuous improvements and incremental upgrades with each new generation, processors haven't seen any industry-shifting advancements in a long time. The transition from vacuum tubes to ...

Today we’re going to build the ticking heart of every computer. Take the 2017 PBS Digital Studios Survey: http://surveymonkey.com/r/pbsds2017. Today we’re going ...

In 1998, Ask Ars was an early feature of the newly launched Ars Technica. Now, as then, it’s all about your questions and our community’s answers. Each week, we’ll dig into our question bag, provide ...

The development of caches and caching is one of the most significant events in the history of computing. Virtually every modern CPU core from ultra-low power chips like the ARM Cortex-A5 to the ...

The infamous quote "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home" by Digital Equipment Corporation founder Ken Olsen in 1977 is a perfect study of the prevailing corporate attitude ...