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

________ 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 ________ 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