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GCSE Computer Science > System Architecture > Flashcards

System Architecture Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the stages of the FDE cycle?

A

Stage 1: Fetch
Stage 2: Decode
Stage 3: Execute

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2
Q

What is RAM?

A

The main memory

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3
Q

What happens in the fetch stage of the fetch-execute cycle?

A
  • The program counter is checked as it holds the address of the next instruction to be executed.
  • This address is used by the MAR to fetch the instruction needed from RAM and bring it back to the CPU
  • The address in the program counter is incremented to point at the next instruction
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4
Q

What happens in the decode stage of the fetch-execute cycle?

A

The CU decodes the instruction and works out what needs to be done

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5
Q

What happens in the execute stage of the fetch-execute cycle?

A

The instruction is executed with could be
- Going back to the memory and grabbing some data
- Performing a calculation
- Storing information back into main memory

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6
Q

What is clock speed measured in?

A

Hertz (Hz)

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7
Q

1 hertz (Hz) means…

A

…one cycle per second

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8
Q

CPU stands for

A

Central processing unit

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9
Q

What is an input device?

A

A device used to enter information into a computer

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10
Q

What is an output device?

A

A device that presents data from the computer

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11
Q

What is a storage device

A

A piece of computer equipment on which information can be stored

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12
Q

What is the CPU?

A

The part of the computer that fetches, decodes and executes instructions and manages the rest of the hardware

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13
Q

Describe The Von Neumann Architecture

A
  • Instructions are fetched, decoded and executed once at a time
  • Instructions and data are held together in the same memory space
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14
Q

What does the address bus travel between?

A

MAR to RAM

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15
Q

What does the data bus travel between?

A

MDR and RAM

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16
Q

What does the control bus do?

A

Carry signals to coordinate all the computer’s activities

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17
Q

What does CU stand for?

A

Control unit

18
Q

What does the CU do?

A
  • Decode instructions
  • Send control signals to control how data moves around the CPU
19
Q

What does ALU stand for?

A

Arithmetic logic unit

20
Q

What does the ALU do?

A

Carry out mathematical and logical operations

21
Q

What are special purpose registers

A

Small amounts of high speed memory used to store small amounts of data needed in proccesing

22
Q

What does MAR stand for?

A

Memory address register

23
Q

What does the MAR do?

A

Holds the address of where data is to be fetched or stored

24
Q

What does MDR stand for?

A

Memory data register

25
Q

What does the MDR do?

A

Holds data fetched from or to be written to the memory

26
Q

What does the program counter do?

A

Holds the address of the next instruction

27
Q

What does ACC stand for?

A

Accumulator

28
Q

What does the accumulator do?

A

Hold the results of calculations performed by the ALU

29
Q

What is the cache?

A

Memory that provides fast access to frequently used instructions and data

30
Q

What are the factors affecting the speed of the CPU?

A
  • Clock speed
  • Number of cores
  • Cache size
31
Q

What did John Von Neumann invent in 1945?

A

The first computer with a stored program

32
Q

What is a fixed program?

A

A program that cannot be updated without rewiring or redesigning

33
Q

What is a core

A

A complete copy of the CPU

34
Q

What are embedded systems?

A

Computer systems with a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electrical system

35
Q

What are the advantages of multi core processors?

A
  • Cores can work on separate tasks at the same time (multitasking)
  • The cores can work together (parallel processing)
36
Q

How does a bus transport data across the motherboard?

A

With electrical conductors

37
Q

What is another name for the FDE cycle?

A

The instruction cycle

38
Q

What is clock speed?

A

The frequency at which the internal clock generates pulses

39
Q

What does the internal clock do?

A

Synchronises components by generating pulses at a constant rate

40
Q

Why does cache size affect the speed of the CPU?

A

The larger the cache, the more data can be stored without having go back to RAM

GCSE Computer Science (12 decks)

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