Types of processor

Cards (25)

  • Instruction set
    A set of all the instructions written in machine code that can be recognised and executed by the CPU
  • Compiler
    A specialised programme that translates high-level code into machine code
  • Instructions set
    A set of all the instructions that are written in machine code that can be recognised and executed by the CPU
  • CISC
    Complex instruction set computer which aims to complete the taks in the fewest lines of machine code possible
  • RISC
    reduced instruction set computer which aims to use simple instructions that will be executed within a single clock cycle
  • Job of the compiler in CISC vs RISC
    In CISC, the compiler has little work to do.
    In RISC, the compiler has more work to do as it has to translate more lines of code.
  • Amount of RAM needed in CISC and RISC
    CISC doesn't need as much RAM
    RISC requires more RAM
  • Hardware in CISC and RISC
    RISC has a simpler hardware design
    CISC has a more complex hardware design
  • Clock cycle in CISC and RISC
    in CISC, some instructions may take multiple clock cycles to complete.
    in RISC, all instructions take one clock cycle
  • Instructions set length
    in RISC, all instructions are of fixed length
    in CISC, instructions can be variable in length
  • RISC one clock cycle
    In RISC, all instructions being completed in one clock cycle allows for pipelining which further increases the efficency of processes
  • Price of CISC and RISC
    CISC is more expensive as it is more complex.
    RISC is cheaper as it is simpler.
  • Amount of instructions available in CISC and RISC
    In CISC, many complex instructions are available.
    In RISC, not many simple instructions are available.
  • GPU
    Graphical processing unit, Is a co-processor that contains thousands of cores and is used alongside the CPU to imporve the overall speed and efficiency of specific instructions
  • What does the GPU use in order to improve the speed of certain calculations?
    Parallel processing
  • What is an example of an operation that the GPU excels in?
    Floating point arithmetic
  • What is a Co-processor?
    An additinal processor that works alongside the CPU to improve performance
  • What is a multi-core processor?
    A single chip that contains two or more processing units
  • What is a chip with multiple cores on it refered to as?
    Chip multi-processor (CMP)
  • What do you call a chip with 2 cores on it?
    Dual-core processor
  • What do you call a chip with 4 cores on it?
    Quad-core CPU
  • How can multicore use be further enhanced?
    By the use of shared cache
  • What is parallel processing?
    The processing of program instructions by dividing them between multiple cores/processors
  • What is an example of how parallel processing can be used
    Assiging one of the 3 stages of the Fetch decode execute cycle to 3 different cores
  • What is a limitation of parallel processing?
    The task may not be designed to utilise parallel processing