CPU Performance
No description yet. This curated deck is ready for daily study.
Card preview (9)
How does cache memory improve performance?
• Cache is closer to the CPU than RAM, meaning it can provide data and instructions to the CPU at a faster rate. • A computer with more cache memory should have a higher performance because repeatedly used instructions can be stored and accessed faster.
What is the limitation of cache memory?
• Costly, so most computers only have a small amount.
What is clock speed and how is it measured?
• It is the measure of how quickly a CPU can process instructions. • It is measured in Gigahertz (GHz). • 3.5Ghz = 3.5 billion cycles per second.
How does clock speed improve performance?
• The faster the clock speed, the faster the computer can perform the FDE cycle resulting in better performance because more instructions can be processed each second.
How does overclocking affect performance?
• Overclocking is when the computer’s clock speed is increased higher than the recommended rate. • This will make the computer perform faster, but it can lead to overheating and could damage the machine.
How does underclocking affect performance?
• Underclocking is when the computer’s clock speed is decreased lower than the recommended rate. • This will make the computer perform slower but will increase the lifespan of the machine.
What is a core?
• A complete set of CPU components.
How does the number of cores improve performance?
• A computer with more cores will have a higher performance because it can process more instructions at once.
Limitations of having more cores
• If one core is waiting for another core to finish processing, performance may not increase at all. • Some software is not written to make use of multiple cores, so it will not run any quicker on a multi-core computer.