Factors affecting system performance Flashcards
What are the 3 main factors affecting a CPU’s performance?
- Clock speed
- Cache memory
- Number of cores
How does the clock speed affect a CPU’s performance?
The faster the clock speed is the faster the computer will carry out the FDE cycle and process instructions.
It is measured in Hertz (Hz)
What is overclocking?
The faster the clock speed, the faster the CPU carries out the FDE cycle which increases processing speeds.
It also increases power draw which causes the CPU to generate more heat which can damage it and reduce its lifespan. It also places strain on the power supply.
How does the number of cores affect performance?
In theory, with more cores there can be multiple cores running the FDE cycle which increases performance. However, sometimes a core will have to have to wait on the result of another core to execute its own instructions which can slow performance (rendering it no better than a single core).
Multitasking is increased as each core can be assigned to a different tasks.
How does the cache memory affect performance?
The more cache there is, the more frequently used data that can be stored for quick retrieval which reduces bottlenecking and increases performance.
What is the difference between level 1 and 2 cache?
Level 1 cache is the fastest cache but the smallest (8KB-64KB per core) and is found on the CPU itself.
Level 2 cache is fairly fast and of medium size. It is found fairly close to the CPU
