Explain the effect on processor performance of:
- multiple cores
- cache memory
- clock speed
- word length
- address bus width
- data bus width.
Multiple cores
- Increase in processing power as instructions can be executed in parallel and does not have same power requirements as 1 large core.
Cache memory
- More data can be stored closer to the CPU so instructions are executed faster.
Clock speed
- The frequency at which a clock pulse occurs, increasing the clock speed will increase the speed at which instructions are executed.
Word length
- Increases the number of bits of information that a processor can process at one time.
Address bus length
- Increases the number of memory addresses possible e.g. from 24 bits to 32 bits. Determines the maximum possible memory capacity of the system.
Data bus length
- Increasing the width increases the number of bits that can be transferred at one time.
- A word is a fixed size group of digits which is handled as a unit by the processor and different types of process have different word sizes. Each word in memory has its own specific address.