CPU performance: Practice Questions

• a.The CPU can store more data in its internal registers.
• b.The CPU can process more instructions per second.
• c.The CPU can access RAM more quickly by reducing physical distance.
• d.The CPU can perform more tasks simultaneously by adding more cores.

• a.The software may not have been designed to split its tasks across multiple cores.
• b.The Cache memory is disabled when more than two cores are active.
• c.Quad-core processors are only capable of sequential processing.
• d.Adding more cores automatically reduces the clock speed of each core.

• a.A larger cache increases the number of fetch-execute cycles that can occur per second.
• b.A larger cache provides the CPU with faster access to more frequently used data, reducing the time spent waiting for data from RAM.
• c.A larger cache increases the physical speed at which electrical signals travel through the CPU.
• d.A larger cache allows the CPU to process more bits of data in a single calculation.

• a.Performance will stay the same because clock speed is the only factor in CPU speed.
• b.Performance will double because the CPU will process instructions twice as fast.
• c.Performance may slightly decrease because Level 2 cache is typically slower to access than Level 1 cache.
• d.The CPU will be able to run more cores simultaneously due to the extra memory.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.