Notes Chapter 3

Question 1

Where is the CPU located?

Answer 1

The CPU hides on the motherboard below a heat sink and often a fan assembly as well

Question 2

External data bus EDB

Answer 2

A collection of wires that connects a processor to other devices on a motherboard

Question 3

Register

Answer 3

Small amount of high speed memory contained within the CPU

Question 4

General purpose registers

Answer 4

AX, BX, CX, and DX

Question 5

Code books

Answer 5

Are called microprocessors machine language (1s and 0s) —- lines of code

Question 6

CPU clock speed

Answer 6

A CPUs clock speed is its max speed not the speed it should run at

Question 7

Where is program stored?

Answer 7

On the hard drive

Question 8

What is an “ if “ statement called?

Answer 8

A branch

Question 9

Random access memory (RAM)

Answer 9

Enables a CPU to jump to any line of stored code as needed

Question 10

Graph from bit to quad word

Answer 10

• any individual 1 or 0 = bit
• 4 bits =-0.5 bytes a nibble
• 8 bits =1 byte
• 16 bits=a word
  -32 bits = a double word
  -64 bits =a paragraph or quad word

Question 11

An if statement is called a

Answer 11

Branch

Question 12

RAM spreadsheet analogy

Answer 12

Let’s look at RAM as an excel spreadsheet.

Each cell in the spreadsheet can only store a 1 or a 0. Each cell is called a bit.

Each row is 8 bits across to match the EDB of the 8088. Each row of 8 bits is called a byte.

Question 13

The terms used to talk about quantities of bits

Answer 13

Any individual 1 or 0 = a bit
4 bits = a nibble
8 bits = a byte
16 bits = a word
32 bits = a double word
64 bits = a paragraph or quad word

Question 14

Memory control chip (MCC)

Answer 14

Contains special circuitry so it can grab the content of any line of RAM and place the data or command on the EDB. This enables the CPU to act on code.

Question 15

The power of 2 different names

Answer 15

1 kilo = 2^10 =1,024 (K)
1 kilobyte = 1,024 bytes (KB)
1 mega = 2^20 =1,048,576 (M)
1 megabyte = 1,048,576 bytes (MB)
1 giga = 2^30 =1,073,741,824 (G)
1 gigabyte = 1,073,741,824 bytes (GB)
1 tera = 2^40 = 1,099,511,627,776 (T)
1 terabyte = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes (TB)

Question 16

Exam tip for x86-64

Answer 16

Exam objectives reverse the numbers for x86-64, so you’ll see them as x64/x86.

Question 17

Exabyte EB

Answer 17

Higher than giga and Tera. For 64 bit computing.

Question 18

What is the primary benefit of 64 bit computing?

Answer 18

It supports more than 4 GB of memory, the limit with 32 bit processing

Question 19

X86

Answer 19

X86 CPUs from the early days. The 90s

Question 20

X64

Answer 20

Helped with marketing in its early stages. Since you couldn’t return software after you bought it.

Question 21

X86-64

Answer 21

x86 is the same as 32 bit. Now it’s x86 bit vs X64

Question 22

To get a command form the data bus, do the calculation, and then send the answer back out onto the data bus, a CPU takes at least four steps (each of these steps are called a stage)

Answer 22

Fetch - get the data from the EDB
Decode - figure out what type of command needs to be executed
Execute - perform the calculation
Write - send the data back onto the EDB

Question 23

Pipelining stages

Answer 23

Discrete circuits inside the CPU handle each of these stages. — today the circuits are organized in a conveyer belt fashion called a pipeline.

Question 24

Pipeline stalls

Answer 24

When a stage hits a complex command that requires more than one clock cycle, forcing the pipeline to stop.

Question 25

Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) (or integer unit)

Answer 25

Handles integer math: basic math for numbers with no decimal point

Question 26

Floating point unit (FPU)

Answer 26

A special circuitry to handle complex number

Question 27

Thread

Answer 27

Smallest logical division of a single program

Question 28

Pipeline stalls are also called what?

Answer 28

Wait states

Question 29

Modern day CPUs include three caches

Answer 29

L1, L2, and L3 cache (Intel calls it smart cache)

Question 30

The address bus and external data bus (connecting the CPU, MCC, and RAM) were lumped into a single term called what?

Answer 30

The front side bus

Question 31

The Conner to in between the CPU and the L2 cache is called what?

Answer 31

The backside bus

Question 32

Multi threading or hyper threading

Answer 32

Enables a CPU run multiple threads at the same time, turning the CPU into two CPUs on one chip with a catch

Question 33

Single and dual core architecture

Answer 33

1 CPU = single core 2 CPU = dual core architecture

Question 34

Break down of Intel Core i7 7500 U

Answer 34

Intel Core = brand i7 = brand modifier 7 = generation 500 = SKU numbers U = alpha suffix (U indicates that it’s a desktop processor using ultra low power)

Question 35

Break down of Intel Core i7 12700K

Answer 35

Intel Core = brand i7 = brand modifier 12 = generation 700 = SKU numbers K = alpha suffix (K indicates that the processor is unlocked and therefore overclockable)

Question 36

Break down of AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

Answer 36

AMD Ryzen = brand 7 = market segment/power (higher number is more powerful) 5 = generation 8 = performance level 00 = model number X = power suffix (X indicates high performance)

Question 37

Intel CPUs

Answer 37

Use “ land grid array (LGA) “ package for socketed CPUs, where the underside of the CPU has hundreds of contact points that line up with the socket points

Question 38

AMD CPUs

Answer 38

Have the pins; sockets have holes. The pins in the AMD “ pin guard if array (PGA) “ CPUs align with the hole in the sockets

Question 39

CPUs and heating

Answer 39

Since CPUs do a lot of work, they also produce a lot of heat. They don’t take heat well so cooling is important. Almost every CPU uses a combination of a heat sink and fan assembly to wick heat away from the CPU.

Question 40

Heating sink with no fan/heat sink with a fan

Answer 40

A heat sink by itself (no fan) on a chip provides passive cooling. A heat sink and fan combination provides active cooling. You’ll sometimes hear the latter described as an “ active heat sink “

Question 41

Specialized CPU coolers

Answer 41

Many companies sell third party heat sink and fan assemblies for a variety of CPUs. These usually exceed the OEM heat sinks in the amount of heat they dissipate and typically come in eye catching designs. Some even light up.

Question 42

Liquid cooling

Answer 42

Works by running some liquid “ usually water “ through a metal block that sits on top of your CPU, absorbing heat. The liquid gets heated by the block, runs out of the block and into something that cools the liquid, and is then pumped through a he block again.

Question 43

What are the three main parts of a liquid cooling system?

Answer 43

- A hollow metal block that sits on the CPU - A pump to move the liquid around - Some device to cool the liquid