The cpu can do only one thing at a time. In other words, it can do a maximum of 1 instruction (or 1 operation). However, in a normal computer program, there might be several instructions per line. The more lines of code there are, the more the cpu needs to handle.
Table of Contents
What Limit The Number of Instructions The CPU Can Execute
The clock speed is the speed at which the cpu can read the code from memory. If you have a faster cpu, you can make it execute more instructions in the same amount of time.
The cpu is the limiting factor. More lines of code is not the limiting factor. It depends on the number of instructions in each line. A faster cpu might allow you to write more lines of code. More code means more instructions, so you have to consider the clock speed of the cpu.
A faster clock speed will allow you to execute more instructions in the same amount of time. It depends on the number of instructions in each line. You should know this. You are not a cpu expert.
The MIPS family, the MIPS16 has two ALUs, two Memory Units, and four sets of registers. The MIPS16 is capable of executing more than one instruction at a time. It is capable of executing two instructions at a time. The speed of the MIPS16 is limited by the number of registers it has. .You should also know that there are two types of cpu:
General Purpose CPU: It is capable of running several types of instructions at once. Examples are the x86 family. It is capable of executing several instructions in one clock cycle.
Special Purpose CPU: It is specialized for one type of instruction. Examples are the MIPS family. It is capable of executing only one type of instruction in one clock cycle.It is capable of executing only one type of instruction. It is not a general purpose cpu.
What is the difference between a General Purpose CPU and a Specialized CPU?
General purpose cpu can execute instructions of several types. Examples are x86 and ARM. A specialized cpu can execute only one type of instruction. Examples are ARM7 and ARM11
Undeniably, there is a huge difference. A general purpose cpu is capable of executing several types of instructions at once. The number of instructions it can execute simultaneously depends on the number of registers it has.
If the cpu has more registers, it can execute more instructions in the same amount of time. It can execute a sequence of instructions without any interruption. It is not a specialized cpu. Take the case of an ARM7, it has only one ALU and one Memory Unit. It has only one set of registers. It is a specialized cpu. It can execute only one type of instruction. It is not a general purpose cpu.Examples are the MIPS family.
It is capable of executing only one type of instruction. It is capable of executing only one type of instruction. It is not a general purpose cpu.Examples are the ARM family. It is capable of executing only one instruction.
For a given number of instructions, a specialized cpu is better than a general purpose cpu. The cpu can execute only one type of instruction at a time. It is capable of executing only one type of instruction. It is capable of executing only one type of instruction. It is not a general purpose cpu. Examples are the MIPS family.
Difference between a Program Counter and a Program Counter Register
The Program Counter is the memory location of the current instruction. The Program Counter Register is the memory location of the Program Counter. The Program Counter Register is used to access the Program Counter.
