Processor Architecture Summary Flashcards
Summarise PA
Define Micro-architecture.
arrangement of registers, ALUs, FSMs, memories and other logical building blocks needed to implement architecture.
Define datapath.
Made up of memories, registers, ALUs and multiplexers. //operates on 32 bit// //it's basically made up of all the components learned when tracing paths//
What does the control unit do?
produces signals to control the operation of the datapath.
How many instructions can execute simultaneously for a pipelined processor?
5.
Define 5 stages of a single-cycle processor.
Fetch: read instruction from IM.
Decode: read source operands from register file and decodes the instruction to produce signals.
Execute: ALU computes current instruction.
Memory: read or writes data to memory.
Writeback
processor writes result to register if applicable.
What does computer performance depend on?
- Processor performance
- Memory system performance
One Benefit and Con of using fully associate cache?
Reduces conflict misses. Extremely expensive to build
What uses the virtual address?
Programs
Where is the virtual address stored?
Harddrive.
Where is the physical address stored?
DRAM adresses.
How are virtual addresses translated into physical (DRAM) addresses?
Via the CPU.
Where is the data not in DRAM fetched from?
Harddrive.
What is the physical address comparable to?
The cache.
Where are most accesses hit?
Physical memory (remember it’s like the cache)
What do I/O interfaces do?
Manage comms. between peripherals and computer.
