Chapter 3 - CPUs

Question 1

CPUs rely on _____ rather than “intelligence”

Answer 1

Speed

Question 2

What is the External Data Bus?

Answer 2

It is a set of wires attached to the CPU that allows the CPU to see other devices like the hard drive, keyboard, mouse

Question 3

What are registers?

Answer 3

Also known as memory registers. It stores data and instructions for quick processing by the CPU

Question 4

How does the CPU clock work?

Answer 4

The CPU clock runs in “cycles”
When the CPU receives an instruction, it may require a certain amount of cycles to complete the instruction

Question 5

What is the clock speed? How does it work?

Answer 5

The clock speed is the MAXIMUM amount of cycles a CPU can handle in a given period of time and run at GHz which is 1 billion cycles per second

Question 6

Where are programs stored? Why are they only stored and not run from that location?

Answer 6

The program is stored on the hard drive, but the drive is too slow to fetch the information the CPU needs

Question 7

What is RAM, what does it do?

Answer 7

Random Access Memory. RAM is the general term for volatile memory, which temporarily stores data for quick access by a computer’s processor.

it holds data and copies programs the CPU needs quickly. It stores any data the CPU actively uses

Question 8

What is DRAM?

Answer 8

Dynamic Access Memory, a category of RAM that is used in main memory storage by most computers because it is because it’s cheaper and denser, which allows for more memory capacity.

In general, when people refer to “RAM” in a typical computer, they’re often talking about DRAM.

Question 9

What is the Address Bus? How does it work?

Answer 9

Second set of wires from the CPU. The address bus carries the memory addresses from the CPU to RAM or other devices, telling them where to read/write data.

Question 10

What is the MCC? How does it work?

Answer 10

Memory Controller Chip, the chip between the CPU and the RAM. Grabs any row of RAM that the CPU needs and puts it on the EDB (external data bus)

Question 11

Low b is abbreviation for ______, upper case B is abbreviation for _____

Answer 11

bits and bytes

Question 12

What is a ARM based processor? Where is it used?

Answer 12

Advanced RISC Machine, which follows the Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) principles. ARM processors are known for being energy-efficient, compact, and delivering a good balance of performance and power consumption, making them ideal for battery powered devices

Question 13

List Intel model names and what consumer market they fit into

Answer 13

Core processors - mainstream/enthusiast
Pentium - Budget
Celeron - Budget
Xeon - Server/ Workstation

Question 14

List AMD model names and what consumer market they fit into

Answer 14

Ryzen - mainstream/enthusiast
A - Series - Budget
FX - Budget
Opeteron - Server/ Workstation
EPYC - Server

Question 15

Once every ___ years, Intel and AMD re-design their __________ of their processors under the same model name but different code names

Answer 15

3 years
Micro Architecture

Question 16

TDP

Answer 16

Thermal Design Power, how much heat is generated by the CPU, measured in Watts and can give you a rough idea of the amount of energy it will consume and what cooling it needs

Question 17

x64 Bit Processing

Answer 17

Describes the physical size of the external data bus

Question 18

What are some advantages of x64 bit processing

Answer 18

Can support more than 4GB of RAM
Enhances performance for programs that work with large files like video editing software

Question 19

x86 Processing

Answer 19

Built on the earliest Intel CPU architecture
Represents x32 bit processing

Question 20

What is virtualization

Answer 20

loading more than on operating system

Question 21

What is parallel execution? How does it work?

Answer 21

The act of processing multiple commands in parallel, rather than the old linear fashion through pipelines, dedicated cache, and multiple threads at one time

Question 22

What is a pipeline?

Answer 22

Conveyor belt organization of the circuits that handle different stages a CPU goes through to get a command from the EDB, process it, and put it back on the bus. it keeps every stage of the processor busy during each clock cycle

Question 23

What are the stages in the pipeline?

Answer 23

1. Fetch data from the EDB
2. Decode (figure out what command needs to be executed)
3. Execute (perform the command)
4. Write (send back to the EDB)

Question 24

What is a Pipeline stall? How do modern processors prevent this?

Answer 24

When the CPU needs more than 1 clock cycle and gets stuck at the decode stage. Modern processors have multiple decode stages

Question 25

What is a cache? How does it work?

Answer 25

Also referred to as “SRAM” (Static Random Access Memory). It’s high speed, preloads as many instructions as possible and keeps copies of already run instructions and data in case the CPU needs it again

Question 26

What are threads?

Answer 26

Every action sends a little programs to the CPU, each one breaks down into smaller programs called threads

Question 27

When a CPU looks for data, in what order does it search through its cache?

Answer 27

Typically following the hierarchy from smallest and fastest to larger and slower caches:

L1 cache, first in line, smallest and fastest
L2 cache, second in line, bigger and slower
L3 cache, last in line, biggest and slowest

Question 28

What is Multi threading? What are its limitations?

Answer 28

Enhances a CPUs efficiency by simulating the action of a second processor.

The limitations include the OS and programs must be designed to take advantage of the feature and the actual processing power of the CPU is not doubled, despite simulating two processors

Question 29

What is Multi-core processing? How it different from hyper threading?

Answer 29

Multiple CPUs in a single chip that divide and work independently of the OS. It differs from hyper threading because the OS needs to be specifically written to handle multi threading

Question 30

Explain integrated graphics. What are Intel and AMDs versions?

Answer 30

Integrated graphics are graphics processors (GPUs) built into a computer’s CPU rather than existing as separate, dedicated graphics cards. They use the system’s main memory (RAM) instead of having their own dedicated memory, which typically makes them more power-efficient and less expensive but also limits their performance compared to dedicated GPUs.

Intel: Intel HD Graphics and Intel Iris
AMD APU (Accelerated Processing Unit): AMD Radeon Graphics

Question 31

What is DEP? How does it work?

Answer 31

Data Execution Prevention, security technology that protects certain sections of memory against viruses, developed by Microsoft. But the name can differ from manufacturer

Question 32

How to decipher Intel processor names:
Intel Core i7 7500U

Answer 32

Intel Core - Brand name

i7 - Brand modifier

7 - Generation

500 - Stock keeping unit (higher the number, more refined, more features)

U - Alpha suffix (the meaning depends on the letter)

Question 33

How to decipher AMD processor names:
AMD Ryzen 7 2700x

Answer 33

AMD Ryzen - Brand name

7- series

2- generation

7- performance level

00- model number

x- power suffix

Question 34

What is overclocking? How does it work? What are the disadvantages

Answer 34

Deliberately changing the motherboard speed, multiplier and voltage by moving jumper, changing CMOS settings or software

Disadvantages include disrupting the system clock speed labled by the manufacturer and can kill processors

Question 35

What are some symptoms of overheating? What are their causes?

Answer 35

-Pushing power button and nothing happens likely due to improper installation of heat sink fan
- too much thermal paste
- too little thermal paste
- fan not connected to motherboard
- dust
- hot climate

Question 36

What are some symptoms of catastrophic failure? What are their causes?

Answer 36

BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) in Windows
Spinning wheel in MacOS
Black screen and audible pop with the smell of burning electronics