Factors affecting processor performance

Which of the following directly affects the speed at which a CPU executes instructions?

• Addressable space

• Clock speed

• Disk speed

• Mbit/s

What does the number of cores in a CPU determine?

• The size of the cache

• The number of instructions executed per second

• The number of tasks it can handle simultaneously

• The size of the data bus

What is the primary function of cache memory?

• Increase RAM size

• Store data permanently

• Provide faster access to frequently used data

• Reduce power consumption

(a)   occurs when the stages of the instruction cycle are overlapped, enabling the processor to execute multiple instructions simultaneously.

Which type of cache is the fastest but smallest?

• Arms cache

• L1 cache

• L2 cache

• L3 cache

What does a wider data bus allow?

• Faster branch prediction

• More bits to be transferred at once

• Larger instructions to be executed

• Improved cooling efficiency

A CPU’s performance is bottlenecked due to frequent memory access. What could improve performance?

• Increasing cache size

• Increasing the width of the address bus

• Increasing the number of registers

• Using a slower clock speed

How does a larger address bus width affect performance?

• It increases cache memory size.

• It reduces latency in fetching instructions.

• It allows data to travel faster to the CPU.

• It increases the number of locations in memory that can be addressed.

Increasing the width of the (a)   bus allows the processor to transfer more bits of data at once, improving overall performance.

What is a potential downside of increasing the clock speed of a CPU?

• Reduced instruction cycle efficiency

• Increased data bus width

• Reduced cache size

• Higher power consumption and heat generation