1.1.2 cpu performance

what three factors affect the performance of a computer system?

cache memory, clock speed, number of cores

what is cache memory?

temporary storage for frequently accessed data

how does cache memory improve performance?

it’s closer to the CPU than RAM so it can provide data and instructions to the CPU at a faster rate

will a computer with more cache memory have a higher performance and why?

yes because repeatedly used instructions can be stored and accessed faster

what is a limitation of cache memory?

it’s costly so most computers only have a small amount

what is clock speed?

the measure of how quickly a CPU can process instructions

what is clock speed measured in?

gigahertz (GHz)

what is the default clock speed on a computer?

3.5 GHz

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

what is overclocking?

when the computer’s clock speed is increased higher than the recommended rate

what will overclocking make a computer do?

it’ll perform faster but can lead to overheating and could damage the machine

what is underclocking?

when the computer’s clock speed is decreased lower than the recommended rate

what will underclocking make a computer do?

it’ll perform slower but will increase the lifespan of the machine

what is a core?

a complete set of CPU components

what can each core peform?

its own FDE cycle

what is a multi-core CPU?

it has more than one set of components within the same CPU

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

what are two limitations to having more cores?

if one core is waiting for another core to finish processing, performance may not increase at all

some software isn’t written to make use of multiple cores so it won’t run any quicker on a multi-core computer

what are the advantages of increasing RAM?>