How Modern CPUs Work
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Birmingham, UK
Aselabs.com have posted an article looking at how the core component of a computer, the CPU, actually works.
View: How Modern CPUs Work
View: How Modern CPUs Work
Source: AselabsThe simplest CPU is a single-cycle CPU. You feed an instruction in and in one clock cycle, the data is produced. Think of going to the laundromat to get your clothes clean. In a single-cycle CPU, you take over a combination of the washing machine (30 minutes), the dryer (40 minutes) and the folding table (20 minutes). No one can use the washing machine until you have completed your entire task. In a single-cycle CPU, each instruction takes one cycle no matter which instruction is executing. The clock speed is determined by the runtime of the longest instruction. In a single-cycle CPU, logic is easy. There is a purely combinational approach to this type of CPU and there is no need to worry about data dependencies or hazards. Today's single-cycle CPUs are typically called micro controllers. Since a single-cycle CPU effectively locks out the entire datapath of the CPU, it is considered to waste resources. Going back to the example, when you finished your washing machine load and moved onto the dryer, someone else could start using the washing machine right after. This is the same as a multi-cycle CPU or pipelined CPU. Most (if not all) server and desktop CPUs are pipelined including the x86 CPUs. In this example, a person exists the laundromat every 90 minutes (30+40+20), which is the execution time of a single instruction.
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