System Performance - chapter 2 ( lesson 2 )

                                                                                                    

                            Chapter 2

 

 System Performance

                                                                         

 


1. MIPS



2. Risc v. Cisc



3. Clock speed and Landmark speed



4. The problems of speed

5. Data transfer rates

6. Bits and Bytes
7. Why does memory always double ?
8. How many buses?
9. Inside the chip - SX and DX2 
10. How many processors ?
11. Measuring memory - K,B, G and T
12. Wait states 
13. Measuring the FPU bus - MISA bus
14. The MCA bus 
15. choosing the bus 
16. Saturation


 System Performance

There is no single factor that makes a computer system powerful. Even systems based on the same processor running at the same speed show considerable differences in their ability to tackle particular tasks. This chapter explores these differences and explains how to assess a machine’s qualities.

One of the main reasons for using a 386 based machine is to run sophisticated programs as fast as possible under all conditions. In practice this is not just a matter of opting for the 386 or 486. There are many design decisions that have to be made that affect the speed at which programs run and it is important to understand which aspects of the complete system impinge on your application. You may even find that a slower processor is up to the task that you have in mind if coupled with the correct peripherals. Many of the ideas introduced in this chapter are developed in more detail later in this book. You will also find a number of technical boxes that deal with general issues and you can choose to read or ignore these as suits your curiosity or requirements.

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