1.2 CPU performance (clock speed, cores) Flashcards
1
Q
what is cache for?
A
temporary storage for frequently accessed data
2
Q
why does cache memory improve performance of the CPU?
A
it’s closer to the CPU than ram meaning it provides data and instructions faster
3
Q
what is clock speed?
A
how quickly a cpu can process instructions
(3GHz - > 3 billion cycles per second)
4
Q
what is a core?
A
a complete set of CPU components
each core is able to perform its own FDE cycle
5
Q
how does the number of cores improve performance?
A
a computer with more cores will have higher performance because it can process more instructions at once
6
Q
what are the limitations of having more cores?
A
if one core is waiting for another core to finish processing, performance may not increase at all
some software is not written to make use of multiple cores
