The CPU Versus the Computer Tower Case

I've been observing other people when they buy different computer parts or sometimes even when they are just talking about it. It's perfectly understandable if a person do not really know what a computer part is and what it is commonly called. But there's one thing that I have observed that quite a lot of people say that is different from what I understand. They call the entire tower case as the CPU.

First let's differentiate the two. The CPU is the central processing unit or in more popular terms, the computer microprocessor. It is often referred to as the brain of the computer as it is the one governing the functions of your computer. It's a small chip with several pins that fits into the processor slot of the motherboard. I provided a picture of one of my processors as a sample.

The computer case is where the integral parts of the computer are housed. It usually has the motherboard, processor, memory modules, data cables, and the optical and hard drives. The case serves as protection for these parts as they are sensitive and can easily be damaged by mere touching. Static electricity is a major and common cause of computer circuitry damage. If you are not used to or not familiar on how to work with the innards of a computer, ask for assistance first.

Here's a situation I encountered in one of the computer shops that I usually go to when I buy computer parts. I've had several other similar stories though when someone asked for a CPU when they actually meant the whole tower.

A lady approached the computer salesman and asked how much is the CPU. The guy told her that it's around $150 for a fairly powerful quad-core processor. And then she told the salesman that she wanted a tall and silver/white one where there are nice power buttons and lots of drive spaces and a couple of cool lights. The salesman got confused but he figured out that she was referring to the entire tower case. He explained to the lady what the CPU is and she started to think twice about buying because she was just informed that a computer won't work with the processor alone or if it's just a tower case. Thus, she had to buy all of the other parts.

Come to think of it, the thinking of a computer happens inside the tower case and you can call it a central processing unit, literally, by itself if you like. But again, it's just a matter of opinion and we're free to call things however we may want. I guess it's just to clear the confusion especially if the two parties think the opposite ways. Just be clear on what you really mean so that just like in the situation I mentioned above, the other party may be able to understand what you really want or need.

Sources:
Wikipedia - Central Processing Unit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit