Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which factor contributes to reducing access time for frequently used data in a CPU?
Which factor contributes to reducing access time for frequently used data in a CPU?
- Clock Speed
- Control Unit operation
- Cache memory (correct)
- ALU performance
What is the primary function of the ALU in the instruction execution process?
What is the primary function of the ALU in the instruction execution process?
- Sending control signals
- Changing the program counter
- Decoding the instruction
- Performing the operation (correct)
How does the number of cores in a CPU affect its performance?
How does the number of cores in a CPU affect its performance?
- More cores allow for simultaneous execution of multiple instructions (correct)
- More cores decrease the need for cache memory
- More cores lead to higher clock speed
- More cores reduce the size of the ALU
Which of the following statements about clock speed is true?
Which of the following statements about clock speed is true?
Which component of the CPU is responsible for decoding instructions?
Which component of the CPU is responsible for decoding instructions?
Flashcards
Cache Memory
Cache Memory
A small, fast memory inside the CPU that stores frequently accessed data, making data retrieval much faster than accessing RAM.
Clock Speed
Clock Speed
The number of pulses per second sent by the CPU clock to trigger each stage of the instruction cycle. Higher clock speed means more instructions can be executed per second.
Control Unit (CU)
Control Unit (CU)
The part of the CPU that decodes instructions, interprets them, and sends signals to the correct components to perform the operation.
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
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Cores
Cores
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Study Notes
CPU Performance Factors
- CPU performance is affected by clock speed, the number of cores, and access to memory (RAM, cache).
- Clock speed is the rate at which pulses are sent per second, higher speeds allow more instructions to be processed in the same amount of time.
- Multiple cores allow the CPU to process multiple instructions simultaneously.
- Accessing data from RAM is slower than accessing data from the cache. Storing frequently accessed data in the cache speeds up the process.
- Cache is a small amount of very fast memory that stores frequently accessed data.
CPU Operation
- The control unit decodes instructions and sends control signals to the appropriate components.
- The instruction's operation is performed by the component.
- The ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) executes instructions.
- The MAR (Memory Address Register) holds the address of the memory location.
- The MDR (Memory Data Register) holds the data from the addressed location.
Differences between RAM and Cache
- Cache is a smaller, faster memory.
- RAM is a larger memory, but slower to access.
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