Friday, January 3, 2014

Difference between Microcontroller and Microprocessor

The microprocessor is a chip which has only the CPU and Control Unit inside it. But microprocessor does not 

has any built-in Memory,RAM,IO Ports,Timers,Serial Ports etc. So these parts need to be connected from 

outside with the microprocessor. Some examples of microprocessors are our PC processors , Processors used 

in our mobiles,Gadgets etc. 

 

 

 

 

 

The microcontroller has some common features with microprocessor but it differs from it in many aspects. The 

microcontroller has built-in ROM,RAM,IO ports,Timers,Serial Ports etc. As the microcontroller has all those 

parts embedded in it so it requires less hardware to build a complete system,which is an advantage of 

microcontroller. Some commercially available microcontrollers are DS1804Z- 

010,MAX5391MATE+T,MAX5391NATE+T,TPL0401B-10DCKR , MCP41050-I/P . 

The microprocessor stores program and data in same memory but microcontroller stores program and data in 

different memory.

 

 

 

 

Now you are thinking that if microcontroller has all the required hardwares in a single chip and they saves 

system space so why someone will use microprocessor. The microcontroller has few amount of built-in ROM 

and RAM . If you go for an expensive microcontorller then you will get hardly 1mb of ROM and RAM. But as you 

can connect external RAM and ROM with microprocessor so microprocessor based system can have huge 

RAM and ROM.

 

 

 

The highest frequency microcontroller available in the market is 400 MHZ - 800 MHZ. So for high speed 

operations microcontollers are not suitable. But the microprocessor can run up to few GHZ range. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronics Lab created By Muhammad Irfan

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