Computer Performance

Computer Performance

1. RAM

   • Stores the programs, parts of the operating system and the files curently being used
     • RAM is volatile , meaning that the data is not stored when the computer system is switched off
   • RAM stores instructions and data while a program is running
   • The greater the amount of RAM, the more instructions and data can be stored while a program is running. This means that less instructions will be stored in the much slower virtual memory and will therefore improve the performance of the computer

2. Cores

   • The number of independant proccessers in the CPU which run the fetch-decode-execute cycle
     • Dual core: 2 independant processors in the CPU working
       • Quad core: 4 independant processors in the CPU working
   • If there is a larger amount of cache memory storage, a greater number of frequently used instructions can be stored. This means that more instructions can be accessed quickly, which will improve the performance of the computer

3. Cache

   • Cache is a small amount of memory that stores data
     • common types of caches include browser cache, disk cache, memory cache and processor cache
   • The CPU cache SRAM is a lot faster than DRAM
   • Cache memory is faster and more expensive than RAM

4. Clock speed

   • Clock speed is how fast the CPU can access information
     • The higher the clock speed the quicker and better quality it will have
   • For example 1Hz is one cycle per second, 1KHz is one thousand, 1MHz is one million and 1GHz is one billion
   • If there are more cores, the CPU will execute more instructions every second so the computer's performance will be improved.