Systems Architecture Flashcards
Describe the key feature of Von Neumann architecture
Stores both program instructions and data
Control Unit (CU)
Sends controls signal to direct the operation of the CPU
Program Counter (PC)
The register that contains the address of the next instruction to be fetched
Memory Address Register (MAR)
Track the address of the memory of the instruction that is going to be executed
Memory Data Register (MDR)
Stores the instruction that has been transferred from RAM to the CPU
Current Instruction Register (CIR)
Register that stores the instructions that the CPU is currently decoding/executing
Cache Memory
A type of memory used to temporarily store frequently used instructions or programs for quick access; similar to RAM but faster.
How can cache improve performance?
Cache is closer to the CPU than RAM meaning that is can provide data and instructions at a faster rate
Why do most computers have little cache memory?
Cache can be expensive
Clock Speed
dictates how many instructions the CPU can process each second
How can higher clock speed improve performance?
The faster the clock speed, the faster the CPU can execute the FDE cycle resulting in better performance because more instructions are being processed faster
Overclocking
Running a processor at a higher frequency than it’s recommended, which can result in an unstable system, but faster processing speed
Underclocking
When the computer’s clock speed is is decreased below it’s recommended rate, which will make it run slower but will increase the lifespan of the computer
Core
A complete set of CPU components that can process the FDE cycle
Why does multiple cores not always improve performance?
Some software is not written to make use of multiple cores so it will not run any quicker
