Kerry has heard of a CPU but does not know what it is - OCR - GCSE Computer Science - Question 1 - 2019 - Paper 1
Question 1
Kerry has heard of a CPU but does not know what it is.
(i) The following sentences describe the purpose of a CPU.
Complete the sentences by filling in the missing w... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Kerry has heard of a CPU but does not know what it is - OCR - GCSE Computer Science - Question 1 - 2019 - Paper 1
Step 1
Complete the sentences by filling in the missing words.
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Answer
CPU stands for Central Processing Unit.
It is the part of the computer that fetches and executes the instructions that are stored in main memory.
The CPU contains the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and the Control Unit (CU).
Step 2
Explain how the cache size can affect the performance of the CPU.
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Answer
The cache size can significantly affect CPU performance because a larger cache allows for more data to be stored close to the CPU. This means that it can access data and instructions faster than retrieving them from the main memory.
A CPU with a larger cache can reduce latency and wait times, allowing for quicker processing of tasks, especially those that require repeated access to the same data.
In contrast, a smaller cache may lead to more frequent cache misses, where the CPU has to retrieve data from slower main memory, thereby impacting overall performance.