1.1 - System Architecture

1.1 - System Architecture

1. The Processor is what carries out instructions and processes data

   • The Processor is measured in Hertz (Hz)
     • 1GHz means the processor can process 100 Instructions per second. Likewise, 2GHz means the processor can process 200 instructions.
   • Each processor has a "core" where the instructions are executed.
     • Processors can be multi-core
       • Quadcore means it has 4 cores
       • Dualcore means it has two cores
       • There can even be 8 cores
   • A processor has "cache" which is a small amount of memory on the processor chip
     • The Cache holds recently used data while processing instructions
     • The Cache acts as an intermediary between the processor and the Main Memory

2. Embedded systems are computers built into larger machines.

   • An embedded system is more efficient for specific tasks as it was built to do so
   • An example of an embedded system is a dishwasher
   • Embedded systems do not normally have an OS (Operating System)

3. There are 3 things that can affect processor performance

   • Clock Speed - The higher the clock speed, the more instructions can be carried out
   • Cores - Raising the number of cores may raise the number of instructions carried out
   • Cache - Increasing the cache will decrease the memory transferred to disk, which in turn will make processing go faster