Components of a CPU Flashcards
What are the key components of a processor?
The key components of a processor include the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), Control Unit (CU), and Registers.
What is the function of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)?
The ALU is responsible for calculations and logic operations, including floating point multiplication and integer division.
What does the Control Unit (CU) do?
The CU manages the execution of machine code by sending control signals to the rest of the computer.
What is the role of Registers in a processor?
Registers are small blocks of memory used for temporary storage of instructions during processing.
What is the purpose of the Program Counter (PC)?
The PC stores the address of the next instruction to be executed.
What do the Memory Address Register (MAR) and Memory Data Register (MDR) do?
The MAR contains the address of the instruction or data to be fetched, while the MDR stores the fetched instruction or data.
What is the Current Instruction Register (CIR)?
The CIR holds the instruction that is currently being executed.
What is the function of the Accumulator (ACC)?
The ACC is used to store the result of calculations performed by instructions.
What is the Fetch-Execute cycle?
The Fetch-Execute cycle is the process by which a program loads instructions and data from main memory (RAM) for execution.
What is the von Neumann bottleneck?
The von Neumann bottleneck refers to the speed mismatch between the processor and memory, leading to wasted clock cycles.
What is cache memory?
Cache memory acts as a middleman between the processor and memory, storing frequently used data for faster access.
What is a cache miss?
A cache miss occurs when the processor requests data that is not in the cache.
What are the levels of cache memory?
Level 1 cache is fast and small, Level 2 cache has a higher capacity but is slower, and Level 3 cache is shared by all cores.
