List and describe three ways that a processor affects computer performance. How do you evaluate each?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A processor can affect a computer's performance in many ways.

* Clock speed is the pace in which the computer executes instructions. Clock speed is measured in MHz or GHz. The faster the clock, the more instructions the processor can execute per second.

* Bus speed. A bus is an electronic pathway that carries the electronic signals between the electronic parts of a computer. Bus speed identifies how fast the electronic signals move along the bus pathways. The FSB is the circuitry that transports data to and from the processor, and is measured in MHz.

* Word size is the number of bits a processor can manipulate at one time. Most computers have 32- or 64-bit processors. A 32-bit word size means that the processor has 32-bit registers, processes 32 bits at a time, an is a 32-bit processor. Processors with a larger word size can process more data during each processor cycle.

* Cache size refers to the amount of high-speed memory a process has access to. A Level 1 (L1) cache is built into the processor, where a L2 cache is on a separate chip. Usually cache capacity is expressed in megabytes.