Notes

A number of factors can affect a computer's CPU performance. Most users want their computers to run quicker, especially when doing processor-intensive tasks. The approaches to achieving increased processor speed are:
Increase Cache size and performance
We can increase the processor performance by increasing the size and performance of the caches that lie between the CPU and the main memory. Cache access times are reduced significantly by allocating a section of the CPU chip to the cache.
A computer system is continuously exchanging data in and out of cache memory and RAM while running applications. It is inefficient for a processor to fetch an instruction, or set of instructions, from RAM each time it is used. To address this, cache memory is utilized to store instructions that are likely to be used. As a result, improving the cache performance leads to an improvement in processor performance.
Increasing the number of cores
A CPU core is the processor of a computer. Traditionally, each processor had only one core that could focus on one task at a time. Multicore processors are computers that have more than one processing unit (core).
As more cores are added, performance increases rapidly. When one core is overloaded, the load is passed on to the next one, and so on. The greater the number of cores in a computer, the more instructions it can perform. The computer will outperform machines with the same sort of CPU but fewer cores. As a result, the higher the number of cores, the better the performance.
Overclocking
The clock speed of a computer's processor determines how fast the central processing unit (CPU) can retrieve and interpret instructions. This allows your computer to execute more tasks much faster. Clock speeds are measured in gigahertz (GHz), with a greater value corresponding to a faster clock.
Overclocking is the technique of manually increasing the clock speed of a hardware component. It operates at a quicker rate than the manufacturers' design. Some graphics-intensive apps and games need huge graphics, which are impossible to produce without overclocking. Overclocking a CPU/GPU ultimately raises the clock speed, which improves overall performance.
Increasing word length
Word length, often known as word size, is an important aspect of processor design. It refers to the amount of data that the processor can process at one time. The length of a word is always a multiple of 8.
The larger the word size, the more data can be transferred to the CPU in a single pass. As a result, the longer the word length, the faster (fewer passes) the processor can access instructions and data, resulting in higher processor performance.
Pipelining
Pipelining is a technique for increasing processor performance. It is a method of breaking down a sequential process into suboperations, with each subprocess running in its own dedicated segment that runs concurrently with all other segments.
A CPU's throughput is increased when it is pipelined. With more pipeline stages, each stage may run faster, increasing the chip's clock speed. Increasing the number of pipeline stages improves the number of instructions that may be executed per time, resulting in improved processor speed.


An interrupt is a signal that is emitted by hardware or software when a process or event requires immediate attention. It notifies the processor about a high-priority process that requires the interruption of the ongoing working process. While handling interrupts, the CPU must inform the device that its request has been recognized so that the interrupt request signal is no longer transmitted. When more than one device sends an interrupt request signal, additional info is required to determine which device should be evaluated first.
The two techniques that processors use to handle and control multiple interruptions are as follows:
Multiple Interrupt Lines
As the name implies, the system provides multiple interrupt lines connecting the processor to the I/O modules. This enables the handling of multiple modules at the same time. However, assigning multiple bus lines and processor pins to interrupt lines is impractical. One of the reasons might be that more than one I/O module is connected to a single line.
Polling/Daisy Chain Method
This is a poll about hardware. The interrupt acknowledges line is daisy-chained to all of the modules. When an interrupt occurs, the CPU sends an interrupt acknowledgment, which propagates through the sequence of I/O modules. This procedure will be repeated until it reaches a requesting module. The module will respond by placing word (vector) on the data lines. This vector might be either the module's address or a special identifier. Based on the vector, the CPU then sends the module to its' specific device-service routine. This method is sometimes known as vectored interrupt. It eliminates the requirement for an interrupt-service routine (ISR) completely.