Trusted since 2008
LoginRegister
Study resources on Kenyaplex

Get ready-made curriculum aligned revision materials

Exam papers, notes, holiday assignments and topical questions – all aligned to the Kenyan curriculum.

Browse exam papers
Or go directly to:
Class notes Holiday assignments Topical questions Other resources

State and explain two parameters used in classifying microprocessors.

State and explain two parameters used in classifying microprocessors.

Answers

Kavungya
a)Clock Speed.
Every Microprocessor has a clock that drives its operation. Clock speed is the speed at which the processor runs.
Microprocessor speed refers to its Clock speed, which is measured in Megahertz (MHz – 1 million cycles per second).
The Clock speed varies from one processor to another. Microprocessors with faster clocks perform operations much faster compared to those with slower clocks. Therefore, the speed of a microprocessor gives its power – the higher the speed, the more powerful the microprocessor.
Note. The speed at which a computer can process data is also affected by the speed at which the memory can work.

b)Bus Width.
The size of the Data Bus determines the Bus Width of a microprocessor. It indicates the moving capability of information of the chip.
Higher Bus widths provide higher computer performance. For example, fetching a 16-bit instruction from memory using a Data bus width of 16 bits would require a single fetch operation, whereas an 8-bit Data bus would require 2 cycles to fetch the same instruction; hence slowing the execution of the instruction.
Kavungya answered the question on April 2, 2019 at 08:47

Answer Attachments

Next: Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.

Previous: A wheel and axle are used to raise a load of 280N by a force 40N applied to the rim of the wheel. If the radii...

View more Computer Studies Questions and Answers  |  Return to Questions Index

Exams With Marking Schemes

Related Questions