1.1.2 Types of Processor - CISC and RISC

Question 1

What are two advantages of RISC compared with CISC?

Answer 1

When using RISC Architecture, programs run faster due to simpler instructions.

The simple instruction sets used in RISC do not require as complex hardware as CISC does, meaning it costs less.

Question 2

Which has more addressing modes out of CISC and RISC?

Answer 2

CISC has a large amount of addressing modes avaliable

Question 3

How many cycles does each instruction take when using CISC and how many when using RISC?

Answer 3

When using CISC, each instruction may take multiple cycles, whilst instructions only ever take 1 cycle when using RISC

Question 4

Which, out of CISC and RISC, support pipelining?

Answer 4

RISC supports pipelining whilst CISC does not.

Question 5

Which processor architecture lends itself to repetitive tasks where the same instruction is carried out on sets of similar data?

Answer 5

RISC lends itself to tasks where the same instruction is applied to similar data repetitively.