When inspecting the inside of their computer, a user notices what looks like a second processor in the system. Although located on an expansion card rather than the motherboard, the processor has a heat-sink and fan attached. Based on the information provided, what best describes what the user sees?
Explanation
Answer: B - This second processor is likely the GPU (Graphics Processor Unit), which can also have heatsinks and fans, and are commonly located on the video card in an expansion slot.
Key Takeaway: Since graphics requires so much processing on today’s computers, many video adapter manufacturers gave graphic cards their own processor, called a Graphics Processor Unit. These look exactly like normal processors, with heatsinks and fans, although they are located on the graphics adapter. Although this may be built-into the motherboard, it is often on a PCIe expansion slot. Although it is possible to have multiple CPUs in a system, this is not common in user-end systems, and the process would connect through the motherboard, not an expansion card.
