Computer architecture Flashcards
(35 cards)
What is the CPU?
The brain of the computer, responsible for taking input, processing data, and producing output.
What is a microprocessor?
A type of integrated circuit contained on a single chip that houses the CPU and sometimes other components.
What components can be found in a microprocessor?
- CPU
- Memory controllers
- I/O interfaces
What does the Von Neumann Architecture outline?
How the computer memory, input/output devices, and processor work together.
What are the main components of the Von Neumann architecture?
- Control unit (CU)
- Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
- Registers
- Buses
What is the function of the Control Unit (CU)?
Coordinates data movement within the CPU and decodes instructions fetched from memory.
What functions does the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) perform?
- Performs arithmetic operations
- Performs logical decisions
What is a register in the context of a CPU?
Extremely small, fast memory located in the CPU that holds small amounts of data needed for processing.
What are the 5 main registers in a CPU?
- Program Counter (PC)
- Memory Address Register (MAR)
- Memory Data Register (MDR)
- Current Instruction Register (CIR)
- Accumulator (ACC)
What is the purpose of the Program Counter (PC)?
Holds the memory address of the next instruction to be executed and increments by 1 during the fetch-decode-execute cycle.
What is the function of the Memory Address Register (MAR)?
Holds the memory address of where data or instructions are to be fetched from memory.
What does the Memory Data Register (MDR) do?
Stores the data or instruction that has been fetched from memory.
What is the role of the Current Instruction Register (CIR)?
Stores the instruction the CPU is currently decoding or executing.
What is the function of the Accumulator (ACC)?
Stores the results of calculations performed in the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU).
What is a bus in computer architecture?
A set of parallel wires through which data/signals are transmitted between components.
What are the three types of buses in a CPU?
- Address bus - unidirectional
- Data bus - bidirectional
- Control bus - bidirectional
What is the Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle?
The cycle that the CPU runs billions of times per second to process input and deliver output.
What happens during the fetch stage of the cycle?
The program counter holds the address of the next instruction, which is fetched from memory.
What is the instruction during the decode stage of the cycle split into?
The instruction is split into opcode (what the instruction is) and operand (what to do it to).
What occurs during the execute stage of the cycle?
The CPU carries out the fetched instruction, which may involve performing calculations or storing results.
What is clock speed?
Measured in Hertz (Hz), it indicates the number of fetch-decode-execute cycles that occur in one second.
What is the significance of cache size in a CPU?
Larger cache size allows more data to be stored, speeding up performance.
How do multi-core processors enhance CPU performance?
They allow multiple separate processing units to fetch, decode, and execute instructions simultaneously.
What is an instruction set?
A list of all commands that can be processed by a CPU, each with a corresponding binary code.
