Computer System Architecture Research Paper

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Evolution of System Performance:

RISC, pipelining, cache memory, virtual memory

Historically, improvements in computer system performance have encompassed two distinct factors: improvements in speed and also improvements in the number of applications which can be run by the system. Of course, the two are interlinked given that high levels of speed are linked to expansions of short-term memory and the ability of computers to use that memory to perform critical functions. One notable early improvement in computer functionality was the development of RISC. RISC is an acronym for Reduced Instruction Set Computer. RISC is characterized by several distinct features, most notably pipelining which is "a technique that allows for simultaneous execution of parts, or stages, of instructions to more efficiently process instructions" and a larger number of registers which allows for the use of more generalized terms to process a wider variety of applications, versus the more specialized ones characteristic of other types of architectures (Chen, Novick & Shimano 2000, What is RISC). Simultaneous execution notably expanded the complexity of applications computers were able to perform. The first RISC processor using pipelining was developed at Stanford University during the early 80s along with the creation of the first MIPS (Microprocessor without Interlinked Pipelining Stages) machine.

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The "MIPS processor implemented a smaller, simpler instruction set. Each of the instructions included in the chip design ran in a single clock cycle" (Chen, Novick & Shimano 2000, MOSC).

The history of cache memory also dates back to the 1980s. Before the development of cache memory, all computer memory was slow and expensive, which severely limited its utility on a practical basis. However, the ability of CPU caches to store small amounts of needed short-term memory notably speeded up systems, combined with the development of microprocessors at the same time (Hruska 2014: 1). "The goal of the cache system is to ensure that the CPU has the next bit of data it will need already loaded into cache by the time it goes looking for it" (Hruska 2014:1). The use of memory cache means that the programs and data the computer uses most frequently is easily accessible and thus speeds up access. "By keeping as much of this information as possible in SRAM, the computer avoids accessing the slower DRAM, which makes the computer faster" ("Cache," 2015).

The improvement of virtual memory has been another important asset to computer functioning and utility. When a….....

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