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Computer Organization

Computer organization deals with how a computer system is structured and how its components interact. A microprocessor is the central processing unit of a computer system, containing an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and control unit on a single chip. Microprocessors work by fetching instructions from memory, decoding them, and executing the instructions using the ALU until a stop instruction is reached. Microprocessors can be classified as RISC (reduced instruction set computing) or CISC (complex instruction set computing) depending on the complexity of their instruction sets. [/SUMMARY]

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104 views

Computer Organization

Computer organization deals with how a computer system is structured and how its components interact. A microprocessor is the central processing unit of a computer system, containing an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and control unit on a single chip. Microprocessors work by fetching instructions from memory, decoding them, and executing the instructions using the ALU until a stop instruction is reached. Microprocessors can be classified as RISC (reduced instruction set computing) or CISC (complex instruction set computing) depending on the complexity of their instruction sets. [/SUMMARY]

Uploaded by

SARFRAZ
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Computer Organization

Computer Organization is concerned with the structure and behavior of a computer system
as seen by the user. It acts as the interface between hardware and software. It deals with the
components of a connection in a system.
Microprocessor
A microprocessor is a controlling unit of a micro-computer, fabricated on a small chip capable
of performing Arithmetic Logical Unit (ALU) operations and communicating with the other
devices connected to it. Microprocessor consists of an ALU, register array, and a control unit. ALU
performs arithmetical and logical operations on the data received from the memory or an input device.

Block Diagram of a Basic Microcomputer

How does a Microprocessor Work?


The microprocessor follows a sequence: Fetch, Decode, and then Execute.
Initially, the instructions are stored in the memory in a sequential order. The microprocessor
fetches those instructions from the memory, then decodes it and executes those instructions till
STOP instruction is reached. Later, it sends the result in binary to the output port. Between
these processes, the register stores the temporarily data and ALU performs the computing
functions.

List of Terms Used in a Microprocessor


Here is a list of some of the frequently used terms in a microprocessor −
 Instruction Set − It is the set of instructions that the microprocessor can understand.
 Bandwidth − It is the number of bits processed in a single instruction.
 Clock Speed − It determines the number of operations per second the processor can
perform. It is expressed in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).It is also known as
Clock Rate.
 Word Length − It depends upon the width of internal data bus, registers, ALU, etc. An
8-bit microprocessor can process 8-bit data at a time. The word length ranges from 4 bits
to 64 bits depending upon the type of the microcomputer.
 Data Types − The microprocessor has multiple data type formats like binary, BCD,
ASCII, signed and unsigned numbers.

Features of a Microprocessor
Here is a list of some of the most prominent features of any microprocessor −
 Cost-effective − The microprocessor chips are available at low prices and results its low
cost.
 Size − The microprocessor is of small size chip, hence is portable.
 Low Power Consumption − Microprocessors are manufactured by using metaloxide
semiconductor technology, which has low power consumption.
 Versatility − The microprocessors are versatile as we can use the same chip in a number
of applications by configuring the software program.
 Reliability − The failure rate of an IC in microprocessors is very low, hence it is reliable.
A microprocessor can be classified into three categories −

RISC Processor
RISC stands for Reduced Instruction Set Computer. It is designed to reduce the execution
time by simplifying the instruction set of the computer. Using RISC processors, each instruction
requires only one clock cycle to execute results in uniform execution time. This reduces the
efficiency as there are more lines of code, hence more RAM is needed to store the instructions.
The compiler also has to work more to convert high-level language instructions into machine
code. Power PC: 601, 604, 615, 620 is example of RISC processors.
Architecture of RISC
RISC microprocessor architecture uses highly-optimized set of instructions. It is used in
portable devices like Apple iPod due to its power efficiency.

Characteristics of RISC
The major characteristics of a RISC processor are as follows −
 It consists of simple instructions.
 It supports various data-type formats.
 It supports register to use in any context.
 One cycle execution time.
 “LOAD” and “STORE” instructions are used to access the memory location.
 It consists of larger number of registers.
 It consists of less number of transistors.

CISC Processor
CISC stands for Complex Instruction Set Computer. It is designed to minimize the number of
instructions per program, ignoring the number of cycles per instruction. The emphasis is on
building complex instructions directly into the hardware.
The compiler has to do very little work to translate a high-level language into assembly level
language/machine code because the length of the code is relatively short, so very little RAM is
required to store the instructions.
Some of the CISC Processors are −
 IBM 370/168
 Intel 80486

Architecture of CISC
Its architecture is designed to decrease the memory cost because more storage is needed in
larger programs resulting in higher memory cost. To resolve this, the number of instructions per
program can be reduced by embedding the number of operations in a single instruction.

Characteristics of CISC

 Variety of addressing modes.


 Larger number of instructions.
 Variable length of instruction formats.
 One instruction is required to support multiple addressing modes.

Special Processors
These are the processors which are designed for some special purposes. Few of the special
processors are discussed −

Coprocessor
A coprocessor is a specially designed microprocessor, which can handle its particular function
many times faster than the ordinary microprocessor.
For example − Math Coprocessor.
Some Intel math-coprocessors are −

 8087-used with 8086


 80287-used with 80286
Input/Output Processor
It is a specially designed microprocessor having a local memory of its own, which is used to
control I/O devices with minimum CPU involvement.
For example −

 DMA (direct Memory Access) controller


 Keyboard/mouse controller
 Graphic display controller
 SCSI port controller

Transputer (Transistor Computer)


A transputer is a specially designed microprocessor with its own local memory and having links
to connect one transputer to another transputer for inter-processor communications. It was first
designed in 1980 and is targeted to the utilization of VLSI technology. A transputer can be used
as a single processor system or can be connected to external links, which reduces the
construction cost and increases the performance.
For example − 16-bit T212, 32-bit T425, the floating point (T800, T805 & T9000) processors.

DSP (Digital Signal Processor)


This processor is specially designed to process the analog signals into a digital form. This is
done by sampling the voltage level at regular time intervals and converting the voltage at that
instant into a digital form.
A DSP contains the following components −
 Program Memory − It stores the programs that DSP will use to process data.
 Data Memory − It stores the information to be processed.
 Compute Engine − It performs the mathematical processing, accessing the program
from the program memory and the data from the data memory.
 Input/Output − It connects to the outside world.
Its applications are −

 Sound and music synthesis


 Audio and video compression
 Video signal processing
 2D and 3d graphics acceleration.

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