CPU characteristics and their impact on performance - questions and answers
Q1. What units are CPU clock speeds given in?
A1. Gigahertz.
Q2. What is the main difference between ‘cache’ and ‘RAM’?
A2. Cache has faster access times.
Q3. How many processors does a dual-core CPU have?
A3. Two.
Q4. Why is ‘word size’ important in a CPU?
A4. The word size refers to the number of a bits a CPU can work on in one go. The more bits it can work on in one go, the less time it will take overall.
Q5. How many ticks of the computer clock does an instruction take to execute?
A5. It depends on the instruction. Some take just one tick to run. Others might take two or three to carry out.
Q6. Are all processors equal in performance?
A6. No. CPU performance depends on materials, clock speed, cache size, the number of cores and the word size.
Q7. How many processors does a quad-core CPU have?
A7. It has four.
Q8. Why does the material a CPU is made of change performance?
A8. Different materials have different characteristics. Materials can be manipulated so that they behave differently. The more work that goes into the materials to get the performance up, the higher the cost of the processor. Manufacturers have to get a balance between performance and cost when designing components and computers.
Q9. What is a register?
A9. A register an a storage area within the CPU.
Q10. Why do many CPUs inside a computer have a fan attached to the top of them?
A10. CPUs can get very hot. If they get too hot, they will be damaged so must be kept at a sensible temperature using a fan.