CPU Performance

• Clock speed: The number of FDE cycles in a given time period
• Cache memory: small amount of fast memory that can be frequently accessed by the CPU
• Number of cores: allows more FDE cycles to happen simultaneously
• Word length: number of bits the CPU can process at a given time. This can represent both instructions and data
• Bus width:

  1. Allows for more possible memory locations
  2. More data can be sent per FDE cycle (rather than waiting for next clock pulse)
• Memory pyramid:

  1. CPU registers
  2. Level 1 cache
  3. Level 2 cache
  4. Level 3 Cache
  5. RAM
  6. Secondary Storage