July 2025
Beginner
528 pages
13h 18m
English
Content preview from The Microprocessor
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CHAPTER 3Program Execution
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Historically, two major processor architectures have emerged: complex instruction set computer (CISC) and reduced instruction set computer (RISC).
A RISC architecture utilizes a simpler instruction set, allowing most instructions to be executed in a single clock cycle. This simplicity enables the use of a pipeline architecture, where different stages like instruction fetch, decode, and execution are overlapped, allowing for parallel processing of instructions. In contrast, CISC architectures employ more complex instructions, varying in length and execution time, that can perform multiple operations within a single instruction.
Both approaches have their advantages. RISC's simplified instruction set reduces gate count, leading to greater power efficiency. CISC, on the other hand, can achieve more compact code due to complex ...
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