Factors that affect processing performance

Question 1

Name the 6 things that affect processing performance.

Answer 1

Clock Speed, Number of Cores, type and size of Cache Memory, Word Length, Address Bus Width, Data Bus Width

Question 2

How does Clock speed affect processing performance?

Answer 2

• The faster the clock speed the more cycles the CPU executes per second.
• However if the clock speed is too high it can damage the CPU

Question 3

How does Cache Memory affect processing performance?

Answer 3

Cache memory can be accessed faster than main memory because it sits close to the processor.

Question 4

How does Word Length affect processing performance?

Answer 4

It improves performance as more bits of data can be handled in a second.

Question 5

How does Address Bus Width affect processing performance?

Answer 5

-The larger the width of the address bus the more memory locations can be accessed, in one trip

Question 6

How does Data Bus width affect processing performance?

Answer 6

-The larger the width of the data bus the more data can be carried in one fetch operation so it increases processor speed

Question 7

How does the number of cores affect processing performance?

Answer 7

• Increasing the number of cores gives the computer more power to process multiple programs simultaneously.
• It can process more instructions per second if multiple programs are running.

Question 8

In what case may a computer with multiple cores be slower than a computer with one core?

Answer 8

If only one program is being run and the computer with one core runs at a faster rate than the computer with multiple cores then the computer with one core will be able to complete the task quicker.

Question 9

What is word length?

Answer 9

The number of bits the CPU can process simultaneously