1.1 - System Architecture Flashcards
What is the purpose of the CPU
To carry out the fetch-decode-execute cycle
What happens during the fetch step
Instructions are fetched from the RAM and brought to the CPU
What happens during the decode step
The CPU inspects the instruction and works out what it needs to do
What happens during the execute step
The instructions are carried out
What is the purpose of the ALU
Carries out arithmetic calculations
Makes logical decisions
What is the purpose of the Control Unit
Sends signals to control how data moves around the CPU
What is the purpose of the cache
Provides fast access to frequently used instructions and data
What are the registers
Accumulator, Memory address register, program counter, memory data register
What were the key characteristics of Von Neumann architecture
CPU, Control Unit, ALU, Onboard cache, Internal clock, MAR, MDR
What is the purpose of the PC
Holds the address of the next instruction to be executed in memory
What is the purpose of the MAR
Holds the address of where data is to be fetched or stored from
What is the purpose of the MDR
Holds the data fetched from, or to be written to memory
What is the purpose of the accumulator
Holds the results of calculations
What things affect the speed of a computer
Clock speed, cache size, number of cores
What is an embedded system
A computer system with a dedicated function within a large mechanical system
