A central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, and input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions in the program. The term “CPU” is often used to refer to the processing core of a computer, which includes one or more CPUs and memory.
A dead CPU can cause a computer to fail to boot, freeze, or crash. There are several ways to check if a CPU is dead.