WorksheetsSuperscalar Processor Design Quiz
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
What is the essential characteristic of the superscalar approach to processor design?
Utilizes very deep pipelines to execute instructions
Can execute multiple instructions in parallel
Executes instructions sequentially in a single pipeline
Uses a single functional unit for all operations
What is the main difference between the superscalar and super pipelined approaches?
Superscalar emphasizes parallel execution, while super pipelined emphasizes pipeline depth
Super pipelined can execute multiple instructions concurrently, while superscalar cannot
Superscalar does not depend on memory delay, but super pipelined does
Super pipelined uses fewer hardware resources
What does Instruction-Level Parallelism (ILP) refer to?
The complexity of a single instruction in a pipeline
The extent to which program instructions can be executed in parallel
The number of cycles it takes to complete a program
The sequential execution of instructions in the pipeline
Which types of dependencies are limitations to Instruction-Level Parallelism?
True data dependency
Procedural dependency
Resource conflicts
All of the above
How many types of instruction issue policies are there in superscalar design?
One
Two
Three
Four
The "in-order issue with out-of-order completion" policy allows which of the following?
Instructions are issued and completed in order
Instructions are issued in order but completed out of order
Instructions are issued and completed out of order
Instructions are issued out of order but completed in order
What is the purpose of an instruction window in a superscalar processor?
To store instructions that have already completed execution
To temporarily store instructions that are ready to execute
To manage the data required for instructions
To control dependencies among executing instructions
What is the purpose of register renaming?
To reduce conflicts over shared resources
To increase computational accuracy
To reduce memory access time
To limit the number of registers in use
Which technique is used by high-performance processors to handle branch instructions?
Super pipelined
Delayed branch
Branch prediction
Instruction fetch
Which of the following is a key component of a superscalar processor?
A single load/store functional unit
Multiple functional units and a hierarchical memory system
A temperature control unit
A single instruction processing unit
Which type of dependency involves conflicts over output, requiring instruction reordering?
True data dependency
Resource conflict
Output dependency
Procedural dependency
Which type of processor typically uses the "delayed branch" strategy?
RISC
Superscalar
Super pipelined
CISC
What allows an instruction to be issued before the previous instruction has completed?
In-order issue
Out-of-order issue
Instruction window
Register renaming
Which type of dependency limits parallel execution because multiple instructions need the same resource?
Procedural dependency
Resource conflict
True data dependency
Anti-dependency
What must be determined in superscalar execution to avoid stalls?
The index order of instructions
Dependencies among instructions
System memory size and bus speed
The temporary storage space for data
Register renaming in a superscalar processor helps minimize which types of conflicts?
Resource conflict
Anti-dependency and Output dependency
Procedural dependency
True data dependency
The "in-order issue with in-order completion" policy requires instructions to complete in which order?
The order they are issued
The order of earliest completion
Any order
No specific order
Anti-dependency usually occurs when:
Two instructions need access to the same register
An instruction requires output from the previous instruction
An instruction overwrites a value previously written by another
An instruction reads a value previously written by another
Superscalar processors require which type of resources to support concurrent instruction execution?
A single shared memory
Multiple functional units and hierarchical memory
A single instruction buffer
Only one instruction pipeline
Branch prediction in superscalar processors offers which advantage over delayed branch?
Allows faster execution by reducing dependency delays
Reduces the overall number of instructions
Increases system complexity
Requires fewer system resources
