1.2 - Types of Processor

Question 1

What is a RISC processor?

Answer 1

• Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC)
• Small instruction set
• Each instruction is one line of machine code
• Used in Common computers
• Pipelining is possible since each instruction takes one clock cycle

Question 2

What is a CISC processor?

Answer 2

• Large instruction set
• Instructions built into the hardware
• Used in microcontrollers and embedded systems
• the compiler has less work to do
• Less RAM is required to store the code
• Many specialised instructions are made, even though only a few are used

Question 3

What are the benefits/drawbacks of RISC processing?

Answer 3

• requires less power
• costs less to manufacture
• takes up more space in memory

Question 4

What are the benefits/drawbacks of CISC processing?

Answer 4

• requires more power
• costs more to manufacture
• takes up less space in memory

Question 5

What is a graphics processing unit (GPU)?

Answer 5

• a co-processor which has lots of independent processors working in parallel
• efficient at tasks such as image processing and machine learning
• highly parallel structure makes it suitable for tasks where processing large bloacks of data is done simultaneously

Question 6

What is a Multi-core CPU?

Answer 6

• CPU with multiple independent cores that complete separate fetch-decode-execute cycles resulting in higher performance

Question 7

What are parallel systems?

Answer 7

• complete multiple instructions simultaneously using techniques like pipelining, it can be completed using a single core and threading

Question 8

What are the benefits of multicore processors?

Answer 8

• Multitasking: Each core can work on a different task - this is particularly effective when the user has multiple applications open at the same time
• Background tasks: using a single-core processor, a background task like anti-malware scans can slow down the user’s other task. Multi-core processor can assign the background task to one core, to reduce the impact on the other task
• Improved responsiveness: if a program becomes unresponsive, it won’t slow the user’s computer down as much if they’re using multi-core as other cores will continue running their own task