Types Of Processors

Question 1

Von Neumann Architecture

Answer 1

shared memory space to hold both programs and data, which makes it easy to change tasks by loading a different program into RAM

single control unit processes one instruction at a time, following the fetch-decode-execute cycle

Registers are used as fast access to instructions and data

most computers today are built with this idea in mind

Question 2

Harvard Architecture

Answer 2

memory is split into two parts, one for data and one for programs and each has its own bus

Reading and writing data can be done at the same time as fetching.

This architecture is typically used by RISC processors.q

Question 3

Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD)

Answer 3

uses parallel processing where a processor carries out a single instruction on multiple data items at the same time –often used by graphic processors

Question 4

Multiple Instructions Multiple Data (MIMD)

Answer 4

multiple instructions are carried on multiple data items across several cores.

Question 5

Distributed computing

Answer 5

multiple computers on a shared network each take part in a bigger problem –this can be done on a grand scale over the internet such as the SETI@home initiative by NASA.

Question 6

Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC)

Answer 6

large amount of known instructions (for example 80-100) and these will be complex in nature (i.e. each instruction may represent several steps)

Question 7

Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC)

Answer 7

in RISC processors, the instructions are not complex (they are simple) and so a single RISC instruction will not automate all other required steps such as LOAD and STORE

Question 8

Graphical Processing Unit (GPU)

Answer 8

processes large blocks of visual data

Question 9

Multicore System

Answer 9

single chip containing 2 or more independent processing units

Question 10

Parralel Processor System

Answer 10

processing program instructions by dividing the work between multiple processors