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The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices Flashcards

1
Q

What is the Control unit? What are some of its roles?

A

Component of processor which directs operations of the CPU

-Decoding instructions
-Accepting next instruction
-Manages flow of data between CPU and other devices
-Stores resulting data back in memory
Coordinating activities of CPU

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2
Q

What is meant by the term ‘buses’?

A

They are a set of parallel wires which connect two or more components inside the CPU

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2
Q

Name the buses in the CPU

A

-Data bus
-Address bus
-Control bus

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3
Q

What is meant by the ‘bus width’?

A

The number of parallel wires a bus has
-Buses are typically 8,16,32 or 64 wires wide

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3
Q

The bus width is directly proportional to…

A

the number of bits that can be transfered simultaneously at any given time

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4
Q

Data bus

A

Its a bidirectional bus used for transporting data and instructions between components

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5
Q

What is meant by a ‘bidirectional bus’?

A

Bits can be carried in both directions

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6
Q

Address bus

A

This bus is used to transmit the memory addresses which specify where data is to be sent to or retrieved from

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7
Q

The width of an address bus is..

A

directly proportional to the number of addressable memory locations

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8
Q

Which buses are bidirectional and which ones are unidirectional?

A

Bidirectional = Data bus, Control bus
Unidirectional = Address bus

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9
Q

Control bus

A

This is a bidirectional bus
-Used to transmit control signals between internal and external components
-Coordinates the use of the data and address buses
-Provides status info between system components

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10
Q

Give examples of control signals

A

Transmitted using control bus
-Memory read
-Memory write
-Bus grant
-Bus request
-Clock signal (used to synchronise operations)
-Interrupt request (shows device is requesting access to CPU)

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11
Q

What is meant by a memory read and write control signal?

A

-Memory read (the data is read from a specific location to then be placed onto the data bus)
-Memory write (the data is then written into the addressed location using the control bus)

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12
Q

What is meant by a bus grant and a bus request control signal?

A

Bus request = Device is requesting use of data bus
Bus grant = CPU has granted access to the data bus to a device

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13
Q

Assembly language

A

Uses mnemonics to represent instructions
-Simplified way of representing machine code
-Instruction is divided in the CIR into opcode and operand

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14
Q

What is the difference between opcode and operand?

A

Opcode= The type of instruction to be executed (eg ADD)
Operand= Data or address of the data which the operation is to be carried on

Some bits in the operand are addressing modes

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15
Q

What is pipelining?

A

Separated into: Instruction and arithmetic pipelining

-The process of completing the FDE cycles of 3 separate instructions simultaneouly
-Aimed at reducing the amount of the CPU which is kept idle.

—Holding some data in a buffer close to the CPU until its required
—While one instruction is being executed another can be decoded and another can be fetched

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16
Q

What is the difference between arithmetic and instruction pipelining?

A

Instruction= Separating instruction into fetching, decoding and executing

Arithmetic= Breaking down the arithmetic operations and overlapping them as they are performed

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17
Q

What does pipelining aim to do?

A

Aimed at reducing the amount of CPU which is kept idle

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18
Q

What is meant by the FDE cycle?

A

Sequence of operations that are completed in order to execute an instruction

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19
Q

X What happens in the Fetch stage of the FDE cycle?

A

Address from PC is copied to the MAR
Instruction held at that address is copied to the MDR by the data bus
Simultaneously the contents of the PC are increased by 1
Value held in the MDR is copied to the CIR

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20
Q

X What happens in the Decode stage of the FDE cycle?

A

Contents of the CIR are split into opcode and operand

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21
Q

X What happens in the Execute stage of the FDE cycle?

A

Decode instruction is executed

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22
Q

Give me factors affecting CPU performance

A

-Clock speed
-Number of cores
-Cache (amount and type of cache memory)
-Address bus width
-Data bus width

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23
Q

X Explain how the clock speed affects the perfomance of the CPU

A

Clock speed is determined by system clock
-System clock generates signals alternating between 0 and 1

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24
Q

X Explain how the number of cores affects the perfomance of the CPU

A
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25
Q

Explain how the cache affects the perfomance of the CPU

A

Cache is the CPU’S onboard memory

-Instructions fetched from main memory are copied to the cache so if they are need again the can be accessed quicker.

-Before looking in main memory first look inside the cache

-As the cache fills up unused instructions are replaced

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26
Q

What happens as cache fills up?

A

Unused instructions are replaced

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27
Q

Level 1 cache type

A

Very fast memory cells with small capacity

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28
Q

Level 2 cache type

A

Relatively fast memory cells with medium capacity

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29
Q

Level 3 cache type

A

Slower memory cells with large capacity

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30
Q

X Von Neumann architecture

A

Includes basic components of a computer and processor such as single CU, ALU, registers and memory units

SHARED memory and SHARED data bus is used for both data and instructions

Von Neumann architecture is built on the stored program concept

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31
Q

Von Neuman architecture is built on the…

A

stored program concept

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32
Q

X Harvard architecture

A

Physically seprate memories for instructions and data

Used more commonly in embedded processors

This is useful for when memories have different characteristics

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33
Q

Contemporary processing

A
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34
Q

What came first RISC OR CISC?

A

CISC processors where used as a standard at first but they got replaced with RISC with time

Know CISC are more used in embedded systems and microcontrollers

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35
Q

What does RISC stand for?

A

Reduced instruction Set Computers

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36
Q

What does CISC stand for?

A

Complex instruction Set Computers

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37
Q

RISC

A

REDUCED INSTRUCTION SET COMPUTERS

In these processors there is a SMALL instruction set
-Each instruction is approximately one line of machine code and takes one clock cycle

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38
Q

CISC

A

COMPLEX INSTRUCTION SET COMPUTERS

In these processors there is a LARGE instruction set, these instructions are built into the hardware
-Aim is to try and complete tasks in as few lines of assembly code as possible

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39
Q

X Comparison between RISC and CISC

A

RISC:Compiler has to do more work to translate HL code into MC
CISC: Compiler has less work to translate HL into MC

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40
Q

What is meant by a multi-core CPU?

A

They have multiple independent cores which can complete instructions separately ==> Results in better performance

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41
Q

What performs better and when multi-core systems or parallel systems?

A

Multicore perform better in larger projects

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42
Q

Describe the principles of Optical devices

A

These devices are read from and written to using a laser light

Laser shines on top of disc
Binary info is arranged in a spiral track. The laser starts reading from the inner edge and moves outward in a continuous spiral.

Pits scatter light they represent 0
Lands reflect light they represent 1

R: During reading, the laser shines on the disc, and the sensor detects the variations in light reflection caused by the pits and lands. The pattern of reflected and scattered light is interpreted as binary data.

W: When data is written, the laser alters the surface of the disc by creating pits and lands according to the encoded binary information.

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43
Q

Reading from optical devices

A

-Laser shines on top of disc
-Binary info is arranged in a spiral track.
-The laser starts reading from the inner edge and moves outward in a continuous spiral.

-A sensor detects the variations in light reflection caused by the pits and lands.
-The pattern of reflected and scattered light is interpreted as binary data.

-Pits scatter light they represent 0
-Lands reflect light they represent 1

43
Q

Writing to Optical devices

A

When data is written, the laser shines on top of the disk which alters its surface by creating pits and lands according to the encoded binary information.
Where:
Pits scatter light they represent 0
Lands reflect light they represent 1

44
Q

Virtual storage

A
45
Q

RAM

A
46
Q

ROM

A
47
Q

What is the difference between an input and an output device?

A

Input = puts data and info into a computer
Output = used to send info from the computer

48
Q

Give a device that is both an input and an output device

A

Touch screen

Input = you can touch
Output= displays info

49
Q

Give examples of optical devices

A

CD (compact disc)
DVD (digital versatile disc/digital video disc)
BluRay

50
Q

CDs

A

Compact discs

-Store small quantities of info
-Thin, small = portable
-Common for audio files, text and digital images

X Easily damaged by scratches
X Limited storage capacity
X Relatively slow transfer speeds

51
Q

What is role of the control unit? SHORT ANSWER

A

Directs the operations of the CPU, coordinating how data moves through the processor.

52
Q

Give functions of the control unit

A

-Decodes instructions from memory

-Sends signals to other components, such as the ALU and registers, to execute instructions.

-Manages the flow of data within the CPU

-Send memory read/write signals to memory

53
Q

What is the role of the Arithmetic Logic Unit?

A

The ALU performs all arithmetic and logical operations within the CPU.

The ALU often includes a small temporary storage area called the accumulator to hold intermediate results of calculations.

54
Q

What sort of operations does the ALU do?

A

Logic and arithmetic

-logic= XOR, OR, NOT, AND

-arithmetic= +,-,x…

-Carries out comparison operations (e.g., checking if values are equal or one is greater).

55
Q

A type of register within the CPU. It is used specifically for storing intermediate results of arithmetic and logic operations performed by the Arithmetic Logic Unit

What is this?

A

Accumulator

56
Q

CPU

What is an accumulator?

A

A type of register within the CPU. It is used specifically for storing intermediate results of arithmetic and logic operations performed by the ALU.

57
Q

How does the accumulator improve processor efficiency?

A

Its a type of register within the CPU which stores immediate results of logic and arithmetic operations performed by the ALU.

If a program requires multiple calculations in sequence, the accumulator temporarily holds each result so it can be used in the next operation without constantly needing to read from or write back to main memory

58
Q

Define register

A

Registers are small, fast memory locations inside the CPU that temporarily hold data and instructions during processing.

59
Q

What does the program counter do?

A

Its a register in the CPU

Holds the memory address of the next instruction to be executed. It increments after each instruction, directing the CPU to the next step.

60
Q

What does the memory address register do?

A

Holds the memory address of data that needs to be accessed (either for reading or writing).

61
Q

What is the role of the Memory Buffer register?

A

Temporarily holds the actual data fetched from or to be written to memory.

62
Q

What is the role of the Current instruction register?

A

Stores the current instruction being decoded and executed.

63
Q

Give the names of registers in the CPU

A

-Program counter
-Memory address register
-Memory buffer register
-Current instruction register
-Accumulator

64
Q

What is the role of the cache?

A

Cache is a small, high-speed memory that stores frequently accessed data and instructions close to the CPU.

It speeds up access times because before having to look in memory the CPU first looks in the cache.

65
Q

The cache is divided into levels (L1, L2, and sometimes L3)

Explain the properties of these levels

A

L1 being the fastest and closest to the CPU cores.
L3 is the largest and may be shared among multiple cores.

66
Q

What is the role of the clock?

A

The clock generates a continuous stream of electrical pulses which provides the timing signal that synchronizes all operations within the CPU.

one pulse = one cycle.

67
Q

A faster clock allows more instructions to be processed in a given time

What is the disadvantage of this?

A

Generates more heat and requires more power.

68
Q

What is the role of the data bus?

A

Carries data between the CPU and memory or input/output devices.

69
Q

What is the role of the control bus?

A

Carries control signals from the Control Unit to other parts of the CPU and computer, managing data flow.

70
Q

What is the role of the address bus?

A

Carries memory addresses from the CPU to other components, specifying where data should be read or written.

71
Q

Explain the Fetch stage of the FDE cycle

A
  1. Program Counter which holds the address of the next instruction to be executed.
  2. The address in the PC is copied to the MAR. This register is used to specify the location in memory where data or instructions are fetched. This address makes its way to memory via address bus
  3. A memory read signal is sent by the CU via the control bus to retrieve the instruction from the memory address specified in the MAR.
  4. The fetched instruction from memory is loaded into the MDR via the data bus.
  5. The instruction in the MDR is then copied to the CIR, where it will be held while it is decoded.
  6. The PC increments by one/by the size of the instruction, preparing to fetch the next instruction.
72
Q

Explain the Decode stage of the FDE cycle

A
  1. The CU takes the instruction from the CIR and decodes it to understand what needs to be done.
  2. The instruction is split into opcode and operand.
  3. Based on the opcode (operation), the Control Unit determines which parts of the CPU (like the ALU or registers) will be involved in the execution.
73
Q

Explain the Execute stage of the FDE cycle

A
  1. The operation specified by the opcode is executed (e.g ALU adding two values).
  2. If the operation produces a result, it may be stored in the Accumulator (a register within the ALU)
74
Q

Explain how the number of cores can improve processor performance

A

-Parallel Processing: Each core in a processor can execute its own sequence of instructions.

-More cores allow a processor to handle several tasks at the same time (so more tasks carried at a time)

-In single-core processors, tasks are queued and completed one at a time, creating bottlenecks. With multiple cores, these bottlenecks are reduced as different tasks can be processed in parallel.

-Energy Efficiency: Multi-core processors are typically more energy-efficient than single-core processors with a high clock speed. By distributing tasks across multiple cores, each core can run at a lower frequency, which can reduce power consumption and heat generation.

75
Q

What is meant by ‘parallel processing’?

A

Each core in a processor can execute its own sequence of instructions.

With multiple cores, a processor can handle multiple tasks at the same time

76
Q

Give an advantage of having a multi-core processor when it come to energy efficiency

A

Multi-core processors are typically more energy-efficient than single-core processors with a high clock speed. By distributing tasks across multiple cores, each core can run at a lower frequency (lower clock speed), which can reduce power consumption and heat generation.

77
Q

What is the stored program concept?

A

“serially fetching and executing ​machine code instructions​ stored in ​main memory ​by a processor that performs arithmetic and logical​ operations
both instructions and data are stored together in main memory and they serially fetching and executing ​machine code instructions​ stored

78
Q

Define ‘serially’

A

Instructions are fetched and executed in order

79
Q

Computers that use the stored program concept can be based on the Von Neumann architecture.

TRUE OR FALSE?

A

FALSE
Computers that use the stored program concept can be based on one of two different architectures:

Harvard architecture AND von Neumann architecture.

80
Q

Which generally perform better multi-core or parallel systems?

A

Multicore systems

81
Q

How are multi-core systems and parallel systems different at completing tasks?

A

Multicore= a processor with multiple independent cores on the same chip that can complete instructions separetely

Parallel= complete tasks with a single core using threading

82
Q

Explain what is meant by a multicore processor

A

A multi-core system is a single processor that has multiple cores on the same chip.

Each core can independently execute instructions, meaning multiple threads or processes can run simultaneously within a single CPU.

83
Q

What is meant by ‘threading’?

A

Used in parallel systems

Threading is a programming technique that enables multiple sequences of instructions (or threads) to run concurrently (at the same time) within a single process.

Each thread shares the same memory space but operates independently.

84
Q

What is meant by a ‘process’?

A

An instance of a program that is being executed by a computer.

85
Q

What is a GPU?

A

GRAPHICS PROCESSING UNIT (GPU)
-Type of parallel processor
-Device (which unlike CPU) has lots of independent processors which work in parallel (as the cpu is a processor)
-Type of coprocessor

-Each core is simpler than a CPU core but excels at performing a large number of small calculations at once
==>So good for repetitive tasks

86
Q

A multi-core processor has multiple independent processors on the same chip which can all independently execute instructions

A

FALSE

A multi-core system is a single processor that has multiple cores on the same chip.

Each core can independently execute instructions, meaning multiple threads or processes can run simultaneously within a single CPU.

87
Q

How are do multi-core processors and parallel processors use threading differently?

A

Multicore systems= use threading to make the most of multiple cores within a single CPU.

Parallel systems= use threading to distribute tasks across multiple CPUs

88
Q

A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a type of co-processor
What is meant by a ‘co-processor’?

A

A secondary processor designed to assist the main CPU by handling specific tasks more efficiently so the primary processor can focus on other tasks

This is because you can specialise them in specific tasks so that they can perform these tasks better than the main CPU

89
Q

Give tasks that a GPU may be efficient at completing

A

-Image processing
-Machine learning

90
Q

Give types of primary storage

A

-RAM
-ROM

91
Q

RAM isnt used for storing personal files but as temporary storage while the computer is running

Why is this?

A

Because RAM is volatile meaning that it loses all its contents once power is turned off

(so when power is turned off all this personal files will be lost also)

92
Q

RAM is more expensive per gigabyte than secondary storage devices

TRUE OR FALSE?

A

TRUE

93
Q

ROM is useful for storing fixed sequences of instructions (e.g boostrap)

Why is that?

A

-Non volatile which means that all the data will be retained even when the power is turned off

-Can’t be modified as once programmed the memory cells inside dont change

94
Q

ROM = volatile
RAM = non-volatile

TRUE OR FALSE?

A

FALSE
ROM = non-volatile
RAM = volatile

95
Q
A
95
Q

Give examples of virtual storage

A

-Cloud storage

96
Q

Give examples of cloud storage

A

-Google drive
-Microsoft OneDrive

97
Q

-Google drive
-Microsoft OneDrive

Are examples of?

A

Cloud storage

98
Q

What is meant by virtual storage (involving cloud and remote storage)?

A

Storing info remotely so that it can be accessed by any computer with the necessary permissions and network access

Data is stored on remote servers, rather than on a local computer or device. Users can upload, download, access same data and manage their files over the internet.

99
Q

Give advantages of using virtual storage (e.g cloud storage)

A

Shared Resources: Virtual storage allows multiple users to access the same data and files. ==> good for projects, collaborating from diff locations

Scalability: Many virtual storages are scalable, allowing users to increase their storage capacity, without worrying about hardware limitations.
==>but there might be an extra cost

Data Synchronization: Any changes made to them can be automatically synced across devices, ensuring that the most up-to-date version is always accessible.

100
Q

Give examples of optical devices

A

-CDs
-DVDs
-Blu-Ray

101
Q

CD stands for….

A

Compact disc

102
Q

Give advantages of using CDs

A

Compact discs

-Cheap
-Light, thin ==> portable

103
Q

Give disadvantages of using CDs

A

Compact discs

-Easily damaged
-Limited storage capacity (lower than DVDs and Bluray) (making them suitable for dig images and audio files)
-Relatively slow transfer speeds

104
Q

What are the differences between CD-R, CD-RW and CD-ROM?

A

CD-R = can only be written to once
CD-RW = can be written to more than once
CD-ROM = written when first made/production and can then only be read from (eg. movies)

105
Q

What does DVD stand for?

A

Digital versatile disc or Digital video disc

They are suitable for dig vids (as they have more capacity than CDs)

106
Q

Which has a higher storage capacity, CDs or DVDs?

A

DVDs

107
Q

Which has a lower storage capacity Blu-Ray or DVD?

A

DVDs

So Bluray is useful for storing highresolution films

and DVDs for digital videos

108
Q
A

1 (5 decks)

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