WEAKNESSES - memory and storage

why does cache size affect the performance of the CPU?

• Data is transferred faster - the CPU is more efficient

• it is faster to transfer data to and from cache than RAM

Is the ALU a register

no

what are the main registers in the CPU?

• MAR

• MDR

• Acc

• PC

What is the function of the Accumulator?

stores the result of arithmetic and logic operations performed by the ALU

why does clock speed improve performance?

• more FDE cycles per second

• more instructions can be executed per second

what is the purpose of the control unit?

controls the flow of data in the CPU.

Runs the FDE cycle

Decodes instructions fetched from RAM

characteristics of embedded systems (4)

• within a larger system

• dedicated to a specific function

• hard to change their function

• small and low power

describe what happens during the FDE cycle

• MAR stores RAM address of the current instruction to be fetched

• MDR stores the data fetched from RAM

• data is fetched from RAM

• PC increments by one

• the control unit decodes the data

• the ALU performs logical and arithmetic operations

• instructions are executed

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