MOI UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF ACTUARIAL SCIENCE

COM 110 :Introduction to computers and computing. Assignment: Factors affecting CPU performance.

Name: Agunda Leslie Akello REG. NO: ACS/01/13 Date due: Lecturer:

FACTORS AFFECTING CPU (CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT) PERFORMANCE.

A central processing unit also referred to a central processor unit, is the hardware within a computer system or smart phone which carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetical, logical and input/output operations of the system. Some of the factors which affect the performance of the central processing unit include:

THE CLOCK SPEED OF THE CPU This is a measure of how many instructions the processor can execute in one second. It is measured in megahertz or gigahertz Therefore all other factors being equal processors with faster clock speeds process data faster than those with slower clock speeds. BANDWIDTH The bandwidth determines how much information the processor can process in one instruction.

FRONT SIDE BUS.

It is the interface between the processor and the system memory. As such the FSB speed limits the rate at which data can get to the CPU which in turn limits the rate at which the CPU can process the data. The CPUs FSB speed determines the maximum speed at which it can transfer data to the rest of the system

HEAT AND HEAT DISSIPATION. When processors run too hot they can end up causing errors locking freezing or burning up thus inhibiting the function of the CPU. This is mainly due to the installation of an inadequate cooling system.

THE DESIGN OF THE CPU. Different CPUs may be designed to process larger units of data at a time or process certain types of data more efficiently .An Intel Pentium Celeron processor running at 800MHz will not be as fast as an Intel Pentium 2 processor running at the same clock speed The amount of RAM. Increasing the memory size of RAM improves the speed of a computer, this is because at any single time more data and programmes can be loaded from the hard disk to it,thus the CPU can process data more efficiently. The type of graphics card. Mordern graphic cards often have new design features and more built in memory than older ones.This graphic cards enable the computer to run graphics oriented software more quickly and smoothly. The type of CDROM AND DVDROM Fast CD- and DVDROMS reduce the time taken to access data and move data. A 52x speed CDROM drive is faster than a 36x speed drive for a given type of disk. The number of applications running The processing speed of a computer slows down if a lot of programmes/applications are running at the same time. It is therefore important to close programmes which are not being used.

The type of hard disk Different hard disks have different access speeds. High access speeds improve the processing speed of a computer. Also the amount of free space on the hard disk affects the processing speed of the computer. Thus free hard disk space can optimize the performance of a computer.