CISC vs RISC Summary

Flashcards summarizing key concepts and definitions related to the differences between CISC and RISC computer architectures.

CISC

Stands for Complex Instruction Set Computer; architecture that supports complex instructions capable of performing multiple operations.

RISC

Stands for Reduced Instruction Set Computer; architecture that uses a simple instruction set with fixed-length instructions.

Pipelining

A technique that allows for overlapping execution of instructions to improve performance, used more effectively in RISC architecture.

Microprogrammed control unit

A type of control unit in CISC architecture that manages instruction execution using multiple clock cycles.

Instruction cycle

Fetch → Decode → Execute