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computer science > CPU,FDE CYCLE, PERFORMANCE, ADDITIONAL HARDWARE > Flashcards

CPU,FDE CYCLE, PERFORMANCE, ADDITIONAL HARDWARE Flashcards

1
Q

What does ALU stand for?

A

Arithmetic Logic Unit

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2
Q

What is the role of the ALU?

A

performs simple calculations and logical operations

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3
Q

What does CPU stand for?

A

Central Processing Unit

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4
Q

What are registers?

A

temporary storage spaces for data and instructions inside the CPU

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5
Q

What does PC stand for (in the context of the CPU)?

A

Program Counter

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6
Q

What is the role of the PC?

A

contains the address of the next instruction to be executed

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7
Q

What does ACC stand for?

A

Accumulator

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8
Q

What is the role of the ACC?

A

stores the results of mathematical or logical calculations

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9
Q

What does MAR stand for?

A

Memory Address Register

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10
Q

What is the role of the MAR?

A

stores/holds the memory address of the instructions that is to be fetched

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11
Q

What does MDR stand for?

A

Memory Data Register

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12
Q

What is the role of the MDR?

A

holds/stores the data being transferred to or from memory.”

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13
Q

What is an FDE cycle?

A

A Fetch, Decode and Execute cycle

The basic operation cycle of a computer

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14
Q

What happens during an FDE cycle?

A

“The complete process of retrieving an instruction from memory (RAM), decoding it and carrying it out. Also known as the instruction cycle.”

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15
Q

What does the CPU consist of?

A

Control unit, registers , Level 1 cache , ALU

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16
Q

What is “clock speed”?

A

The measure of how quickly a CPU can process instructions

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17
Q

What are cores?

A

A complete set of CPU components

Each core is able to perform its own FDE cycle

A multi-core CPU has more than one set of components within the same CPU

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18
Q

What is the cache?

A

Cache memory is temporary storage for frequently accessed data

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19
Q

What is Von Neumann Architecture?

A

The CPU is the most important component in Von Neuman Architecture as it is constantly fetching and decoding instructions from RAM and controlling the other parts of the system
Also stores both instructions and data in memory

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20
Q

What is an embedded system?

A

An embedded system is a computer systems built into a larger machine to provide a means of control.

Embedded systems preform a specific pre-programmed task which is stored in ROM.

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21
Q

Name the main parts of a CPU

A
  1. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
  2. Control Unit (CU)
  3. Cache
  4. Registers
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22
Q

What is the role of the CIR?

A

store the current instruction that has been fetched

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23
Q

What does CIR stand for?

A

Current Instruction Register

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24
Q

Name the main registers a CPU has access to

A
  1. Program Counter (PC)
  2. Memory Address Register (MAR)
  3. Memory Data Register (MDR)
  4. Accumulator (ACC)
  5. Current Instruction Register (CIR)
25
Q

What does the CU do?

A

directs the flow of data and information into the CPU

controls the other parts of the CPU

26
Q

What are the units for clock speed?

A

Gigahertz(GHz)

27
Q

What does an embedded system use a combination of?

A

Hardware and Software

28
Q

Embedded system examples:
Washing machine
Traffic light

A

A washing machine has a control chip that manages the different program cycles
A traffic light has a control chip that determines when to change to a green or red light

29
Q

What is the control unit and cache memory also known as ?

A

Control unit - controller

cache memory - internal memory

30
Q

Describe the levels that cache memory is split into

A

L1 and L2 are usually within the CPU
L3 is just outside it

L1 cache is the smallest level (less than a megabyte) but the fastest
L2 cache is larger (up to 8 megabytes) but slightly slower
L3 cache is located outside of the CPU core and is the slowest (up to 50 megabytes\0

31
Q

Why is cache memory quick to access

A

It is closer to the CPU than other types of memory like RAM

32
Q

How does Cache memory work?

A

When the CPU searches for data, it looks first in L1 cache , then L2 , then L3.
If data has been found this is called a ‘cache hit’
if data has not been found the CPU searches the RAM instead which takes more time - this is called a ‘cache miss’

33
Q

What are the three main factors the performance of a computer system is affected by?

A

Cache
Clock speed
Number of cores

34
Q

What does a typical desktop computer have a clock speed of ?

A

3.5 GHz

meaning it can perform 3.5 billion cycles a second

35
Q

How does clock speed improve performance?

A

The faster the clock speed , the faster the computer can perform the FDE cycle resulting in better performance because more instructions can be processed each second

36
Q

What is overclocking and How does overclocking affect performance?

A

Overclocking is when the computer’s clock speed is increased higher than the recommended rate

This will make the computer perform faster, but it can lead to overclocking and could damage the machine

3.9 GHz and higher

37
Q

What is underclocking and how does it affect performance?

A

Underclocking is when a computer’s clock speed is decreased lower than the recommended rate.

This will make the computer perform slower but will increase the lifespan of the machine

3.1 GHz and lower

38
Q

How does the number of cores improve performance?

A

A single -core processor can execute one instruction at a time
A dual-core processor can execute two instructions,
A quad-core can execute four instructions simultaneously

A computer with more cores will have a higher performance because it can process more instructions at once

39
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, so it will not run any quicker on a multi-core computer

40
Q

What is the motherboard?

A

Main circuit board of a computer -unique for each device
It holds and connects the different components together , allowing data to be transferred between them

The motherboard has expansion slots for additional cards (i.e sound cards) and ports (i.e. USB)

41
Q

What components are directly attached to the motherboard?

42
Q

What does GPU stand for?

A

Graphics Processing Unit

43
Q

What is a GPU?

A

A GPU is a microprocessor that performs complex calculations to generate graphical images to be displayed on a monitor

44
Q

What are the two types of GPU?

A

integrated GPUs within the motherboard circuitry

Dedicated GPUs on an additional card (graphics card)

45
Q

Integrated GPU

A
  • cheaper
  • generates less power as it uses the RAM of the computer
  • used in tablets and laptops as they generate less heat and are optimal for general computing uses (e.g web browsing or watching movies)
46
Q

Dedicated GPU

A
  • more expensive
  • generates more heat often requiring a fan because it contains its own memory
  • used by animation professionals and professional gamers who require the best graphics
47
Q

What are sound cards?

A

Sound cards convert analogue sound waves into digital data (binary) when inputting audio through a microphone

Sound cards also convert digital data (binary) into analogue sound waves to output audio through speakers or headphones

48
Q

Why are input device used?

A
  • used by humans to interact with a computer system , through methods such as voice, text or touch
49
Q

Why are output devices used?

A
  • Output devices show the results of computer processing , such as sound , printed text or a visual display on a monitor
50
Q

What type of devices are neither input nor output devuces?

A

Storage devices , such as a USB stick or an external hard drive

51
Q

Name 5 input devices

A 
Scanner 
Controller 
Microphone 
webcam
chip reader
OCR scanner 
OMR scanner 
barcode scanner 
graphics tablet 
sensors (light or temperature)
touch screen 
remote control 
biometric scanner (fingerprint or iris)
concept keyboard
sip/puff switch
52
Q

Benefits of a mouse (input device)

A
  • easy to navigate a graphical user interface
  • a wireless mouse takes up less space
  • faster to select options (e.g in a video game)
53
Q

Drawbacks of a mouse (input device)

A
  • difficult to use for people with restricted hand movement

- difficult to use on some surfaces

54
Q

Benefits of a keyboard (input device)

A
  • quick to input text
  • easy to use with a familiar layout on most keyboards
  • keys can be customised and shortcuts can be used
55
Q

Drawbacks of a keyboard

A
  • takes up a large amount of space on a desk

- difficult for people to use with restricted hand movement or poor eyesight

56
Q

Name 5 output devices

A 
plotter
speaker
projector
alarm 
light
headphones
touch screen
braille terminal
57
Q

Describe a monitor (output device)

A
  • a monitor is required to see the result of human input and computer processing
  • monitors can be brought in different sizes and resolutions for a range of purposes (such as video editing or playing games)
  • monitor settings can be changed to alter the brightness or contrast
58
Q

Describe a printer (output device)

A
  • a printer uses ink or toner to print a document (such as text or images) onto paper
  • inkjet printers use ink cartridges and are generally slower and print in a lower quality
  • laser printers use toner cartridges and are generally quicker and print to a higher quality
59
Q

FDE CYCLE EXPLAINED

A
  1. The memory address held in the program counter is copied into the MAR.
  2. The address in the program counter is then incremented - increased - by one. The program counter now holds the address of the next instruction to be fetched.
  3. The processor sends a signal along the address bus to the memory address held in the MAR.
  4. The instruction/data held in that memory address is sent along the data bus to the MDR.
  5. The instruction/data held in the MDR is copied into the CIR.
  6. The instruction/data held in the CIR is decoded and then executed. Results of processing are stored in the ACC.
  7. The cycle then returns to step one.

computer science (12 decks)

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