CPU

CPU

1. Cache

   • A high-speed access memory that is very expensive. Due to its high cost, only small amounts of cache memory are present in most computer systems
   • Cache memory improves the performance of the CPU as its able to provide instructions and data to the CPU at a much faster rate than other systems such as RAM

2. Clock speed

   • The speed at which a processor operates is called the clock speed. The faster the clock speed, the faster the computer is able to run the fetch-decode-execute cycle and therefore process more instructions
   • the speed of the processor is measured in Hertz (Hz). One click tick per second would be measured as 1 Hz. Therefore a processor that operates at 1000 clokc ticks per secopnd would be 1000Hz processor.
   • The clock speed inside the CPU can sometimes be changed. A processor can be set up to run faster than its original design. By doing this however, it uses more energy and produces more heat. IF this heat is not removed through cooling, the CPU can overheat, which will damage the CPU and shorten its lifespan. This is called overclocking.

3. Number of cores

   • A core is the term used to describe the processing components within the CPU, Multi-core processors therefore have many processing components within the same CPU.

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