Computing

[From the last episode: We saw how branch speculation can both save time and hurt long pipelines.] Before we talk more about processors, we need to take a look at memory. Pretty much no computing happens without some kind of memory. The thing is, there are different kinds of memory, […]

[From the last episode: We looked at pipelines and their role in computers] A friend visits you from afar, and you offer your guest bedroom for them to stay in. They through the night, and you’re in the kitchen when they arise. You hear them say, “Good m…” Now, by […]

[From the last episode: We looked at some of the characteristics of big and small processors.] A big question with processors is how fast they can work. But that’s not as easy a question as you might think. “Fast” can mean different things. First, all mainstream processors use a clock […]

[From the last episode: We looked at how engineers count using hexadecimal numbers.] Let’s come back to the basic microprocessor for today’s discussion. That is, the general-purpose one. They’re not all made alike. Of course, they may have different features – just like any product – but there are some […]

[From the last episode: We looked at different categories of processor] We’re going to look at big and little microprocessors, but before we do that, it’s helpful to understand how engineers count so that we can discuss memory addresses more easily. It’s hard for me to know how obvious this […]