MGMT 1040 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Superscalar Processor, Multiprocessing
8 May 2018
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MGMT 1040 Chapter 2 Notes – Summary
Introduction
• Under ideal conditions, each CPU processes its own assigned sequence of program
instructions independently.
• Thus, a dual-core processor effectively doubles the number of instructions executed in a
given time
• A quad-core processor would quadruple the rate, and so forth.
• Of course this assumes that there are multiple independent tasks available to be
executed simultaneously.
• Since modern computer systems are normally executing many programs and segments
of programs concurrently this is nearly always the case.
• In practice, increasing the number of CPUs is, in fact, usually effective
• Although, as the number of CPUs increases, the value of the additional CPUs diminishes.
• Because of the overhead required to distribute the instructions in a useful way among
the different CPUs.
• The conflicts among the CPUs for shared resources.
• Such as memory, I/O, and access to the shared buses.
• With the exception of certain, specialized systems, there are rarely more than sixteen
CPUs sharing the workload in a multiprocessing computer.
• More commonly today, a multiprocessor might consist of two, four, or eight core CPUs
within a single chip.
• Still, each core in the chip is a full-blown superscalar CPU, of the type discussed in the
previous sections.
• Although increased computing power is a significant motivation for multiprocessing,
there are other considerations that make multiprocessing attractive
• Since the execution speed of a CPU is directly related to the clock speed of the CPU,
equivalent processing power can be achieved at much lower clock speeds, reducing
power consumption, heat, and stress within the various computer components.
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