Computer Science
Define an 'instruction set'
A set of all instructions written in machine code that can be recognised and exectued by a processing unit/CPU
Give the 2 types of instruction architecture
RISC(Reduced Instructon Set Computer) & CISC(Complex Instruction Set Computer)
State 4 things you know about RISC processors
- One instruction is carried out per system clock cycle
- Requires less circuitry
- Cheaper to design, gives offf less heat and consumes less power than CISC
- Low level programs in RISC are longer and take up more main memory(RAM)
-Several instructions are need to carry out basic tasks
-Supports pipelining
State 3 things you know about CISC processors
- Hardware of CISC is designed to execute complex instructions & they carry out many low level operations in single instructions
- As CISC processors have more specialised instructions, low level programs in CISC take up less space in main memory & is easier to translate to machine code
- It's more difficult to apply pipelining on a CISC processor, so these processors are mainly used for specialist computer systems
What procesors do todays computers use and state its cons and which devices it's used on
They use a combination of RISC and CISC processors, which increases the complexity causing it to give off more heat. They're used in devices with cooling features
What is a multicore processor
A single integrated circuit with 2 or more independent processing units
Define 'parallel processing'
The processing of a programs instructions by dividing them between multiple processors or processor cores
What are co-processors
An extra processor that's used to supplement the functions of a primary processor
Give 2 examples of what a co-processor does
-Performing floating point arithmetic
-Performing graphics processing
Give 2 ways a multicore processor an be enhanced
- On-chip shared cache
-Inter-core communtication
What is the processor on a graphics card called
GPU
What is the GPU designed for for
- Parallel processing
What is a GPU, how does it work and give an example of where it is used
A device that has many independent processors which work in parallel which making it efficient for completing repetitive tasks. e.g. image processing