- 2072 Chaitra · 2 marks
Performance balance of processor and memory
Short answer
Use a small fast cache to reduce average access time, widen the memory data path to fetch more bits per access, and employ interleaved memory banks to overlap accesses. Also use high-bandwidth buses, synchronous DRAM, and more registers to cut memory access frequency.
How can we maintain a performance balance between processor and memory?
The processor is much faster than main memory, so we balance them by:
- Wider memory: increase the number of bits read per access (a wider data path), so one access supplies more instructions or data.
- Cache memory: put a small, fast cache between processor and memory to cut the average access time.
- Interleaved memory: use several memory banks so accesses overlap.
- Faster interconnection: use a high-bandwidth bus or bus hierarchy.
- DRAM improvements: use synchronous DRAM and similar types for higher data rates.
- Reduce memory access frequency: use more registers and larger caches inside the processor.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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