Computer Architecture - CPU & Memory

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from the Computer Architecture lecture on CPU and Memory.

ALU

Arithmetic Logic Unit; performs calculations and comparisons.

CU

Control Unit; performs fetch/execute cycle and accesses program instructions.

Registers

Small, permanent storage locations within the CPU for specific functions, holding data, addresses, or instructions.

Program Counter (PC)

Special-Purpose Register that keeps track of the address of the next instruction to be executed.

Memory Address Register (MAR)

Holds the memory address of the data that needs to be accessed.

Memory Data Register (MDR)

Also called memory buffer register; temporarily holds data being transferred to or from memory.

Fetch-Execute Cycle

A two-cycle process that involves fetching an instruction from memory and executing it.

MDR Function

Used as a buffer between the CPU and main memory to hold data being read or written.

DRAM

Dynamic RAM; most common memory type, volatile, must be refreshed frequently.

ROM

Read-Only Memory; holds software that is not expected to change over the life of the system.

Parallel Bus

Transmits multiple bits simultaneously, used for short distances but subject to interference.

Serial Bus

Transmits one bit at a time, generally faster than parallel for many applications due to reduced interference.

Instruction Set

Defines functions performed by the processor, including the number and complexity of instructions.

Opcode

The part of a machine code instruction that specifies the operation to be performed.

Operand

The part of the instruction that specifies the data or address of the data to be operated on.