System Architecture Flashcards
What is a computer?
An electronic device that takes an input, processes data and produces an output
What happens in stage 1 of the Fetch-Execute cycle?
- The program counter increases by one
- The program counter points to the next address
- The memory address register takes the address and passes it to RAM
What happens in stage 2 of the Fetch-Execute cycle?
- The control unit controls the flow of data in the CPU
- The instruction is decoded
What happens in stage 3 of the Fetch-Execute cycle?
- The instruction is carried out
(E.g. downloading a file or a mathematical equation)
What does CPU stand for?
Central Processing Unit
What does the CPU do?
The CPU runs the Fetch-Execute cycle
Name all four registers of the CPU
Program Counter
Accumulator
Memory Address Register
Memory Data Register
What does the PC do?
Increases by one every cycle of the Fetch-Execute cycle to point to the next address
What does the ACC do?
Stores all the mathematical equations completed by the ALU
What does the MAR do?
Stores the address of the next instruction to be carried out by the CPU
What does the MAR do?
Stores the data that is to be transferred to RAM
What is Von Neumann Architecture?
The idea that computers can store data and instructions in the same memory
What are fixed programs?
Computers or programs that can only do one task
What are stored programs?
Computers that can do multiple tasks
What three factors affect the performance of a CPU?
Clock speed
Number of cores
Cache size
What is clock speed?
The number of Fetch-Execute cycles per second
What is the number of cores?
The number of duplicate CPUs on a computer chip
What does the cache do?
Stores frequently used data and instructions
How does the cache size affect the performance of a CPU?
The cache is closer to the CPU than RAM. If more frequently used data and instructions can be stored closer to the CPU, the overall performance of the CPU wll be faster
What is an embedded system?
An embedded system is a computer with a dedicated function, built into a larger mechanical device
Give some examples of an embedded system
Washing machine
Coffee machine
Dishwasher
Traffic Light System
