Questions tagged [processor]

139 questions
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Why do CPU's typically connect to only one bus?

I found a motherboard architecture here: This looks to be the typical layout of motherboards. EDIT: Well, apparently it's not so typical anymore. Why does the CPU connect to only 1 bus? That front-side bus looks like a major bottleneck. Wouldn't it…
DrZ214
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Soft core processors vs hard core processors

I am doing a study on FPGA interfacing with microprocessors such as ARM9. I found the concept of soft core processors and hard core processors in my study. May I know what is the comparison between these two types, the similarities and differences…
How Xing Quan
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Identify processor type from raw binary code?

Not really related to chips, but hopefully I'll get some directions to follow from here. I got a chunk of code, but I don't know what processor it intended for. Are there tools available that can help me identify the code type? What statistic…
mentalist
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Where are registers and what do they look like?

I racked my brain through my comp-arch class and reread wiki’s article on hardware registers (they’re flip-flops, I get that), but one year later and I still don’t understand what a register physically is , other than that detail. Where on a…
JohnnyApplesauce
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Why does working processors harder use more electrical power?

Back in the mists of time when I started coding, at least as far as I'm aware, processors all used a fixed amount of power. There was no such thing as a processor being "idle". These days there are all sorts of technologies for reducing power usage…
GazTheDestroyer
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3 answers

What is flash memory wait states?

I'm using a freescale PowerPC microcontroller. In the flash memory module in the datasheet, the number of "wait states of the flash memory access" is configurable. The following is the part of the datasheet raised my question, it's taken from the…
MohamedEzz
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How do 16-bit addresses work inside 8-bit data bus processors?

As a project I am building a small 8-bit RISC processor out of discrete ICs. I have 17 instructions and cannot fit all information into instructions that are only one byte, so I have been thinking about using a 16-bit address bus, instruction set…
David777
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In a CPU, does the speed of a calculation affect the heat generated?

Take as an example a CPU that is capable of changing its clock speed, like a modern computer CPU (Intel, AMD, whatever). When it does a certain calculation at a particular clock speed, does it generate the same amount of heat as when it does the…
user3629081
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What are the typical uses for a soft-processor such as MicroBlaze?

I know that the FPGA-DSP combination is typically used for high-end power electronics/ultrasound/MRI/etc. Is it possible for the soft-processor to fully replace the DSP even on lower-end FPGAs such as Spartan 3/6? Added: What would be the reason for…
user02222022
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How many cycles of instructions are needed to execute RISC-V in a single cycle processor?

I've been looking at "single-cycle" processors such as PicoRV32, and I've noticed that barring textbook examples of single cycle processors with magical fully combinational and separate instruction and data memories such as "Digital Design and…
itisyeetimetoday
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Why are smartphones and tablets ARM based?

Why don't these devices use Intel processors like laptops do? Why are they restricted to ARM? Also for Windows 8, do they want ARM just for tablets and smartphones or is it also for laptops/desktops (is that even possible)?
4thSpace
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Processor with hardware camera interface port?

I was looking for a processor to interface to the DVP port of a 5MP CMOS camera module. I could possibly write the software for doing this but I've heard that many processors have a hardware camera interface port that makes the job much efficient.…
Kevin Boyd
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Inside a CPU, what happens in a single clock cycle?

In grossly simplified terms, a processor calculates 1 instruction in a single clock cycle. But what does that even mean? If a processor is a bunch of transistors, is 1 clock cycle simply 1 state change (or the potential for a state change) for all…
user3629081
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Difference between Micro-Operations in RISC and CISC processors

I've read that the modern Intel processors use the CISC instructions on the top, which are converted into RISC-like simpler instructions in the form of Micro-Operations at the back-end. So if Intel micro-ops are RISC-like simple hardware level…
Kraken
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How do hybrid electronic systems work?

In hybrid systems, we can have DSPs, FPGAs, General purpose processors, etc on the same system operating together on the same application. How are the tasks distributed among them, and which unit manages this?
Xpleria
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