1.1.2 Types of Processor Flashcards
What are the key facts about CISC?
Complex Instruction Set Computing
- Each Instruction may take multiple clock cycles
- Instructions are different sizes (bits)
- Complicated processor design - circuitry is expensive
- More instructions than RISC (larger instruction set)
- Some instructions in CISC will rarely get used
What are the key facts about RISC?
Reduced Instruction Set Computing / Computer
- Each Instruction will take one clock cycle
- Instructions are the same size (bits)
- Simple processor design (Less transistors), so cheaper to produce
- Less instructions than CISC
- Most Instructions are used regularly (due to limited range)
- Produces less heat and uses less power than CISC
What are the key facts about a GPU?
GPU - Graphics Processing Unit
Is a co-processor specialised in rendering graphics
Specialist instructions available
1000s of cores that can apply the same instruction to multiple pieces of data simultaneously
What is parallel processing?
Will allow multiple separate jobs to run concurrently.
Can be achieved through multiple processors or distributed across multiple cores in a single CPU or GPU.
What is a multicore system?
More than one processing unit in a single processor
Each core can independently process instructions at the same time.
What are some limitations of parallel processing?
Writing algorithms for parallel processing is more challenging.
Some tasks cannot be done in parallel due to relying on each others output