When someone start dealing with Microprocessor; a very common doubt always strikes out in the initial phase: “What is the difference between Microprocessor and Microcontroller?”
Let’s Define both microprocessor and microcontroller and then we will compare them.
Microprocessor:
We mean by a microprocessor that all the components of a CPU (Central Processing Unit): ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit), Registers, Timing & Control Unit, Interface (to external memory and I/O devices) would be fabricated on a single chip. So, the microprocessor can be called as “CPU-on-a-Chip”.
Microcontroller:
In case of a Microcontroller; not only the CPU but RAM, ROM, I/O ports, Timer/Counter, Serial I/Os all are put together on a single chip. So, microcontroller can be termed as “Computer-on-a-Chip”.
Comparison between Microprocessor & Microcontroller:
| Microprocessor | Microcontroller |
| CPU-on-a-Chip | Computer-on-a-Chip |
| General Purpose | Task Specific |
| Used in Computer Systems | Used in Embedded Systems |
| Memory and I/O components are interfaced externally | On-chip Memory and I/O Components |
| Since external components interfaced, so the whole system is larger and costly | Since On-chip components, so system is smaller and cheaper |
| In Microprocessor based system, Instruction and data are stored in same memory module | In Microcontroller based system, program memory and data memory are separate |
Other than these differences, there are many other application based difference between microprocessor and microcontroller. Though microcontroller based system is smaller, cheaper, faster and less power consuming than the microprocessor based system; we should realize that a microprocessor is a heart of a microcontroller. Also the application area of both are different. Where a microprocessor is used for general purpose computation, at the same time microcontroller is used in specific embedded system application. So we should not have the confusion that why microcontroller is not replacing the microprocessor.
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