Higher Computing
Factors affecting system perfromance
The factors which can affect the performance of a computer system are:
- Data Bus Width
- Use of Cache Memory
- Rate of Data Transfer (to and from peripherals)
Data Bus Width
The width of the data bus determines the quantity of data which the data bus can carry at any one time.
Increasing the data bus width will increase the quantity of data which the bus can carry at any one time.
Cache Memory
Cache memory sits between the processor and main memory
It is much faster for the processor to access data and instructions held in cache memory than in main memory
It is made up from fast static RAM rather than slower dynamic RAM
Data Transfer
The rate of data transfer is controlled by the type pf interface used to connect the peripheral to the processor
- Firewire currently has two versions, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800, which have transmission speeds if 400 and 800 Megabits/second
Other Factors
- Increasing clock speed
- Adding more main memory
- Increasing the video RAM
- Adding more processors
- Address bus width