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Questions and Answers
What does the Bus Interface Unit (BIU) in the 8086 microprocessor primarily manage?
What does the Bus Interface Unit (BIU) in the 8086 microprocessor primarily manage?
Which equation represents the generation of physical address (PA) in the 8086 microprocessor?
Which equation represents the generation of physical address (PA) in the 8086 microprocessor?
In the 8086 microprocessor, which unit contains the General Purpose Registers?
In the 8086 microprocessor, which unit contains the General Purpose Registers?
What is the purpose of the 6-Byte pre-fetch queue in the 8086 microprocessor?
What is the purpose of the 6-Byte pre-fetch queue in the 8086 microprocessor?
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Which of the following is NOT a segment register in the 8086 microprocessor?
Which of the following is NOT a segment register in the 8086 microprocessor?
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What capability does Core 2 Quad provide?
What capability does Core 2 Quad provide?
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Which is one of the key advantages of the x86 architecture?
Which is one of the key advantages of the x86 architecture?
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What is a major issue associated with the x86 microprocessors in mobile devices?
What is a major issue associated with the x86 microprocessors in mobile devices?
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What addressing capability does the 8086 microprocessor have?
What addressing capability does the 8086 microprocessor have?
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What significant improvement does the evolution of x86 microprocessors bring?
What significant improvement does the evolution of x86 microprocessors bring?
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What is the main disadvantage of the complex instruction set of the x86 architecture?
What is the main disadvantage of the complex instruction set of the x86 architecture?
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What is the function of the Code segment register in the BIU?
What is the function of the Code segment register in the BIU?
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In the BIU, which register contains the starting address of the stack segment in the memory?
In the BIU, which register contains the starting address of the stack segment in the memory?
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Which of the following is managed by the Bus Interface Unit (BIU)?
Which of the following is managed by the Bus Interface Unit (BIU)?
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What is the main purpose of the 6-byte pre-fetch queue in the 8086 microprocessor?
What is the main purpose of the 6-byte pre-fetch queue in the 8086 microprocessor?
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Which segment register holds the address for extra memory space?
Which segment register holds the address for extra memory space?
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What was the primary data path width of the Intel 8080 microprocessor?
What was the primary data path width of the Intel 8080 microprocessor?
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What does the IP (Instruction Pointer) contain in the BIU of the 8086 microprocessor?
What does the IP (Instruction Pointer) contain in the BIU of the 8086 microprocessor?
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Which Intel microprocessor first featured superscalar techniques?
Which Intel microprocessor first featured superscalar techniques?
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What technology was incorporated into the Pentium II for handling multimedia data?
What technology was incorporated into the Pentium II for handling multimedia data?
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What is the maximum CPU clock rate of the Pentium III?
What is the maximum CPU clock rate of the Pentium III?
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Which microprocessor introduced third-generation address translation?
Which microprocessor introduced third-generation address translation?
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Which microprocessor was the first to support dual-core technology in the Intel lineup?
Which microprocessor was the first to support dual-core technology in the Intel lineup?
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What was the addressable memory capacity of the Intel 8086?
What was the addressable memory capacity of the Intel 8086?
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Which notable feature did the Intel Pentium not introduce?
Which notable feature did the Intel Pentium not introduce?
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What is the primary role of the ALU within the Execution Unit?
What is the primary role of the ALU within the Execution Unit?
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Which register in the 8086 microprocessor holds the count for instructions like loops, rotates, and shifts?
Which register in the 8086 microprocessor holds the count for instructions like loops, rotates, and shifts?
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Which component of the Execution Unit is responsible for decoding instructions?
Which component of the Execution Unit is responsible for decoding instructions?
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The Execution Unit operates with respect to which type of cycles?
The Execution Unit operates with respect to which type of cycles?
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Which 8086 register is used with AX to hold 32-bit values during multiplication and division?
Which 8086 register is used with AX to hold 32-bit values during multiplication and division?
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Which of the following components sends request signals to the BIU to access the external module?
Which of the following components sends request signals to the BIU to access the external module?
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Study Notes
History of Intel x86 Architecture
- Intel x86 architecture has evolved from a 29,000 transistors microprocessor 8086 to a quad-core Intel Core 2 with 820 million transistors.
- The evolution of x86 architecture has changed dramatically in organization and technology.
Key Highlights of x86 Architecture Evolution
- 8080: The world's first general-purpose microprocessor, an 8-bit machine used in the first personal computer.
- 8086: A 16-bit machine, more powerful than 8080, with a 16-bit data path, larger registers, and an instruction cache or queue.
- Pentium: Introduced superscalar techniques, allowing multiple instructions to execute in parallel, and added page size extension (PSE) feature.
- Pentium II: Incorporated Intel MMX technology for efficient processing of video, audio, and graphics data.
- Pentium III: Contained Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) instructions for 3D graphics software and had a maximum CPU clock rate of 1.4 GHz.
- Pentium 4: Implemented third-generation address translation, translating 48-bit virtual memory addresses to 48-bit physical memory addresses.
- Core: The first Intel microprocessor with dual-core, implementing 2 processors on a single chip, and added Visualizing Technology.
Advantages of x86 Architecture
- Compatibility: Allows software developed for older processors to run on newer x86 processors without modification, making it easy to upgrade systems.
- Performance: Each new generation of processors has been faster and more efficient than the previous one, enabling development of advanced applications and technologies.
Disadvantages of x86 Architecture
- Complex Instruction Set: Makes it difficult to optimize code for performance and harder to debug software and hardware issues.
- Power Consumption: Has led to a significant increase in power consumption, a major issue in mobile devices where battery life is critical.
8086 Microprocessor
- Definition: A 16-bit microprocessor designed in 1978 by Intel, with a 20-bit address bus, allowing access to 1 MB address in memory.
- Block Diagram: Composed of two major units: Bus Interface Unit (BIU) and Execution Unit (EU).
Bus Interface Unit (BIU)
- Functions: Manages data, address, and control bus, fetches sequenced instructions from memory, and finds physical addresses.
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Components:
- Segment registers (CS, SS, DS, ES)
- 6-byte pre-fetch queue for pipelining instructions
- IP contains the offset address of the next byte to be taken from the code segment
Execution Unit (EU)
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Components:
- General purpose registers (AX, BX, CX, DX)
- Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
- Special purpose registers (Instruction Register and Instruction Decoder)
- Flag/Status Register
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Functions:
- Fetches instructions from the queue in BIU, decodes, and executes arithmetic and logic operations using the ALU.
- Sends control signals for internal data transfer operations within the microprocessor.
- Sends request signals to the BIU to access external modules.
8086 General Purpose Registers
- AX register: Holds operands and results during multiplication and division operations, and acts as an accumulator during String operations.
- BX register: Holds memory address (offset address) in indirect addressing modes.
- CX register: Holds count for instructions like loop, rotates, shifts, and string operations.
- DX register: Used with AX to hold 32-bit values during multiplication and division.
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Description
Explore the evolution of Intel x86 architecture from its first 8-bit microprocessor to modern quad-core processors. Learn about key milestones and features of x86 architecture.