3b3i cpu & memory

Understanding CPUs
Every computer has at l……………………………. one processor, also called a central processing
unit (CPU). The CPU c…………………………. millions of tiny t……………………………………. and
pathways that take in data and instructions, process (calculate) the data according to the instructions, and output the results of the c…………………………………... A computer may also have smaller processors used in specific subsystems,
such as a graphics processor.  Most modern CPUs have multiple c………………………………., so they can complete multiple
tasks s…………………………………………………….., as if they physically were more than one CPU. A core consists of a separate set of the essential processor components (control unit, ALU, and registers). Most models of the Intel i7 processor have
four cores, for example. All the CPU’s cores are l…………………………………… on the same chip. In theory, the CPU is c………………………………. of executing a function with every tick of the system clock (called a clock cycle). However, in practice, the CPU sometimes is idle because there is a d………………………….. between the request for data to
be retrieved from memory and its delivery. A delay caused by waiting for another component to deliver data is called latency. To help m…………………………………………….. latency, CPUs have caches. A cache is a small amount
of very fast memory located near (or within) the CPU. Data that the CPU has recently used, or is p………………………………… to need soon, is placed in the cache for temporary holding.

Understanding Memory
Like the memory in the human brain, computer memory s………………………… data. Also like human memory, there is both short-term (t…………………………………….) and long-term (p…………………………………..) memory storage. Some memory is dynamic, in that it stores data only until the computer is t…………………………… off. Dynamic memory (also called volatile memory) must be constantly r………………………………………….
Static memory (also called non-volatile memory) retains whatever you put in it indefinitely.

Another way to classify memory is whether it can be overwritten with
new data or not. Random Access Memory (RAM) can be rewritten
freely; Read-Only Memory (ROM) cannot (at least not in the same
way that RAM can; see the following Note). All ROM is static, but RAM
can be either dynamic (more common) or static.

How Computers Use Memory
System memory: The main memory in a computer system, such as the RAM installed on the PC’s
m…………………………………………, is dynamic RAM (DRAM). System memory is installed in slots on the motherboard, p………………………………………….. to the motherboard itself.


Component memory: Many components have a small a…………………………………… of memory built in for their own use.
For example, a printer might have RAM that holds the information about the page it is printing, and
a display adapter might have memory to hold the data about the image it is d………………………………………… on the monitor. Component memory is typically DRAM unless the component’s function r…………………………………….. it to be otherwise because that’s the l……………………………… expensive kind.

Paging file
Windows also uses v……………………………. memory to help p……………………………. a computer from running out of memory. Virtual memory is a file on the hard drive used as an e…………………………………… to main memory. This file is called the paging file or swap file. When the physical memory gets full (or nearly full), Windows m…………………………. some data to the paging file on the hard drive. When a program r………………………….. that data, Windows moves something else out of memory, swaps the
old data back in again, and then responds to the request.


Quick Review
1.	What are the three main components inside a CPU?
2.	What is the purpose of a cache?
3.	What is a multi-core CPU?
4. 	Discuss modern CPUs APUs.
5 	Discuss swap file
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