factors affecting processor performance

Question 1

cache memory

Answer 1

fast access temporary storage on CPU
stores data and instructions that are needed frequently
most commonly used functions or data are placed in here
more expensive than ram
cache can be accessed quicker than main memory… so programs run faster

Question 2

clock speed

Answer 2

indicates how fast each instruction will be executed
affects fde cycle
increased clock speed means that the speed of executing instructions in processor increases

Question 3

multiple cores

Answer 3

contains ALU CU and registers
multiple processors can be incorporated into one chip to make multi core processor
more cores means more instructions can be processed in a given time (increase in processing speed)
con= one core waiting for another, more cores increases costs