SLR1-1.1: The factors affecting the performance of the CPU Flashcards
(8 cards)
1
Q
What are 3 factors that affect the performance of the CPU?
A
- Clock speed
- Cache size
- Number of cores
2
Q
How does a fast clock speed improve performance?
A
- More cycles per second
- More instructions executed per second
- Program finishes faster
3
Q
How does a large cache size improve performance?
A
- Stores data/instructions
- Less RAM needed
- Faster than accessing RAM
4
Q
How does more number of cores improve performance?
A
- A complete complete copy of the CPU
- More cores means more power to run multiple programs at the same time
5
Q
What are the potential limitations of increasing the number of cores?
A
- CPU cores have to communicate with each other - takes time
- Software may not be able to use the full advantage of all processors
6
Q
What are the two types of processors?
A
- Dual-core processor
- Quad-core processor
7
Q
What is a dual-core processor?
A
It is two processors linked together in an integrated circuit (x2)
8
Q
What is a quad-core processor?
A
It is four processors linked together in an integrated circuit (x4)
