Document page
Computer Science IGCSEPDF 26
142 pagesrevision 46930
PDF 26
Page image rendered from the stored file at 110 dpi; it sharpens as you zoom. Outlines are placed from each region’s stored position on the page (612 × 792 pt).
readable
Source of this text: embedded text layer. The better of the embedded text and OCR is kept.
○
○
Cache Size
Number of Cores
●
●
●
○
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
Eachcore functions like an individual CPU.
Multi-core processors have multiple units that can
process instructions simultaneously.
A dual-core processor has 2 cores, each with its own
CU, ALU, ACC, and registers.
More cores allow smoother performance with
demanding programs.
Multiple cores boost CPU performance alongside
clock speed.
Example: A quad-core CPU at 3GHz can handle up to
12 billion instructions per second (4 cores × 3GHz).
An instruction set is a list of all commands a CPU can process.
Each command is represented by a binary code, known as
machine code.
Opcode & Operand
○ The opcode specifies the operation to perform.
Cache is a small, fast memory located on or near the
CPU.
It temporarily stores copies of frequently used data and
instructions for quick access.
Larger cache size allows more commonly used data to
be stored.
This reduces the number of fetches from RAM,
improving CPU performance.
Cache is much faster than RAM, making data retrieval
quicker.
➤ CPU Instructions Set
➥