The computer-architecture tag has no wiki summary.
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1answer
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TLB access in SMT processors
In SMT (simultaneous multithreading) processors which threads share the TLB, how does TLB differentiate one thread's access from the other one? Each thread has its own set of pages loaded into memory, ...
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2answers
56 views
Switch harddrive to different computer
I have an older amd system with a harddrive that has a fedora install on it. I have a newer intel system with a windows 7 install. Would I be able to put the old drive into the new machine and make ...
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1answer
81 views
What does R stand for in Von Neumann Architecture?
I would like some examples of modern day equipment that would equate with the 'R' in Von Neumann architecture.
I am referring to Section 2.6 on page 3 of the PDF version of the "First Draft of a ...
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0answers
38 views
Software for house modelling: What criteria should I use? [closed]
I am interested in creating 3D models of houses and their interiors. I've heard of Autodesk's Revit Architecture and Chief Architect Software's Chief Architect, although there may be other softwares ...
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3answers
105 views
Why using hexadecimal in computer is better than using octal?
What are benefits that hexadecimal provides? And is it really octal is less common than hexadecimal?
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5answers
53 views
The idea that “nothing is ever truly deleted” doesn't make sense to me [closed]
Why do people say that nothing is ever truly deleted?
Let's say I have a byte in my hard drive that contains the byte 0x00. If I overwrite it with the byte 0x01, how can anyone ever know that it ever ...
3
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1answer
131 views
How do hardware interrupts work compared to software interrupts?
To give you an impression of the level of detail I'm interested, one example. I know a system call ultimately leads to a trap which lets the processor store registers, switch to supervisor mode and ...
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2answers
175 views
Instruction per Cycle vs Increased Cycle Count
Increasing either instruction per cycle or increase cycle count both are valid design choice for processor manufactures. I understand theory, but it would be much clearer if I had some real life ...
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0answers
37 views
Supercomputing and High Performance Computing: advancements in both hardware and software? [closed]
It seemed that either Super User, Unix/Linux, and maybe Programmers was the best Stack Exchange site to ask this question, but out of the three, Super User seems to be the best fit.
Here is a bundle ...
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2answers
61 views
What type(s) of performance improvements to expect between architectures using QPI versus a FSB?
While comparing Intel's two new i7 processors, I noticed that the only difference between them apart from the L3 cache size and CPU speed is that one has QuickPath Interconnect, and that seems to ...
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3answers
358 views
Will a new processor with slower clockspeed run legacy applications faster?
I'm using Linux and have an old P4 with about 3 GHz clock speed. Will a newer chip that had slower clock speed run my legacy applications faster or slower? I only use one application at a time, an ...
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3answers
116 views
Are super computers made with just cache technology?
I was reading about memory hierarchy and I read that you can built a computer with just cache but it wouldn't be cost effective. I was wonderig if super computers are made with only cache technology?
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2answers
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Front Side Bus and RAM speed
We encouted an odd question during a Cisco IT Esstenials course which didn't make sense.
Which memory module has a front size bus speed of 200 MHz
Possible choices were
DDR-333
DDR-400
...
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1answer
44 views
How to figure out the internal organization of my laptop
I am learning about buses and I/O. I want to figure out the various buses and the devices, controllers connected to it in my laptop.
The website of my motherboard does not have a tech-spec.
Neither ...
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4answers
193 views
Why can't memory clock speeds be as fast as the CPU speed?
I was reading that in old i386 based systems, the ram bus used to be the same speed as the CPU but when CPU frequencies increased, it became too hard to make RAM the same speed. Why can't we have 2GHz ...
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0answers
63 views
What happens when you press the power button on a pc? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
How do computers boot?
What are the steps in excruciating detail that take place from the initial power button press all the way to the boot up of the operating system ...
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0answers
93 views
How to manufacture a computer from scratch? [closed]
I would like to learn to the smallest details how modern (x86) computer works.
Let say I have all resources, time, people, facotry - everything I need to build modern computer except knowledge. This ...
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2answers
69 views
Virtual memory vs. Virtual address space
I know virtual memory is a paging file that computer uses to store a part of RAM on hard disk for a running process. But how different is Virtual address space? is it the RAM or hard disk or both?
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4answers
136 views
Does having more installed programs slow down a computer? [closed]
I was wondering does having more installed programs in a Windows slow down the computer (like make it laggier because it has to perform more "stuff")?
What about Mac?
(I don't have a computer. I ...
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5answers
588 views
Is a higher core count or higher clock speed more beneficial to a computer's performance? [closed]
With lowering silicon costs and rising consumer needs, manufacturers seem to be pushing one of two things: clock speed and/or core count. With the way things are going, it doesn't seem that clock ...
6
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2answers
51 views
Run 10 sets of headphones from a pc via 10 separate channels
We have a PC application that runs on Windows 7 platform that is designed to play sound to up to 10 different MP3's to up to 10 separate sound cards (ie. 10 different inputs playing to 10 different ...
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0answers
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Processor Multimedia Extensions. How Useful are they actually? [closed]
Ever since the original Pentium, both AMD and Intel have been releasing competing multimedia extensions to their architectures, mmx, 3DNOW!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4, AVX, XOP... So many, that I ...
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1answer
77 views
What is address aliasing? [closed]
What is address aliasing?
How do you do it (general steps)?
What are its benefits/disadvantages?
Context: Given that we have a bunch of address lines and an address decoder inside of a computer...
...
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2answers
781 views
what differences and relations are between logical and virtual memory?
I was wondering what differences and relations are between logical and virtual memory? How do their purposes differ?
Are the relations and differences the same for logical and virtual addresses?
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3answers
415 views
understanding Flat memory model and Segmented memory model
I am trying to understand Flat memory model and Segmented memory model.
Are Flat memory model and Segmented memory model determined by CPU architecture or OS or both?
Or are they not determined by ...
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2answers
249 views
Is the size of a memory address and size of the address bus related?
My questions are about the relation between the size of an actual/physical address and the size of the address bus.
If I understand correctly, the actual/physical address size is
determined during ...
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3answers
394 views
What do the terms “asynchronous” and “synchronous” mean, with respect to the definition of an interrupt?
Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrupt:
an interrupt is an asynchronous signal indicating the need for
attention or a synchronous event in software indicating the need for a
change ...
2
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2answers
128 views
Northbridge + Southbridge = Unitedbridge? Is the division likely to persist? [closed]
Okay, hardware based question.
I was at shopping for laptops the other day and one of the salespeople was trying to talk up an integrated graphics system as opposed to a discrete graphics system. He ...
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2answers
154 views
How do I interpret the specification of memory (RAM)?
When looking at memory there are a few specifications that I don't understand and was hoping to have clarification on. What do these terms mean, and how do they affect the systems performance? Feel ...
4
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1answer
173 views
Intel's AES-NI performance: Isn't the hard drive the bottleneck?
Will I see a performance gain with AES-NI using dm-crypt/LUKS for hard drive system encryption?
Isn't the hard drive the bottleneck even without hardware acceleration?
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18answers
3k views
Can some software physically damage hardware?
I know a question similar to this one has been asked before however it was about installing a 32bit OS on a 64bit laptop. My question is more....damaging.
I was wondering if there was a way of ...
43
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6answers
2k views
How does a CPU know what commands and instructions actually mean?
How does a processor know what the different commands mean?
I'm thinking of assembly level commands like MOV, PUSH, CALL, etc...
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2answers
55 views
cache architecture
I have a 2 way associative cache that stores 2 bytes of data in each cache line.
issuing the following sequential write commands:
address | data
xxxx11011 | 1
yyyy11010 | 2
zzzz11011 | 3
...
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2answers
149 views
Bits of CPU, architecture and OS
I was wondering if the bits of OS, of
instruction set, of CPU registers,
of data bus from CPU to memory, and of
address bus from CPU to memory must
be consistent in some sense and how?
When we cay ...
2
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1answer
294 views
Meaning of computer architecture [closed]
I am not a CS student. I have tried many times to understand what computer architecture means, including reading its wikipedia article, but still haven't got clear understanding.
Besides directly ...
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2answers
51 views
Why my computer working without harddisc with livecd, but with hardisk not working - computer not response to any signals? [closed]
History of problem:
I formated computer (HP Pavalion Desktop).
When I restart computer - computer come to first screen before boot and not response to any signals (f2, f10, ESC, etc..)
I take out ...
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0answers
177 views
How to tell if an EXE is 32-bit or 64-bit? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
Quick way to tell if an installed application is 64-bit or 32-bit
What's the easiest way to know if a Windows EXE is 32-bit or 64-bit?
1
vote
1answer
773 views
Block diagram containing computer buses,motherboard
I am trying to understand computer architecture. In particular:
- Physical view i.e. what all is packed inside the motherboard and what all outside
- Conceptual view. how processor,memory,peripherals ...
2
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1answer
643 views
Harvard vs. Von Neumann architecture [closed]
Our teacher told us, that Harvard architecture is the most evolved and produced architecture today and towards future. But I think because of massive overhead of x86 and Von Neumann based ARM systems ...
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4answers
766 views
Difference between cache memory and register?
What is the difference between cache memory and registers?I know them by definition but why do we need the other when we have any one of them?
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5answers
2k views
Where exactly L1, L2 and L3 Caches located in computer?
Where exactly L1, L2 and L3 Caches Located in computer ?
I know, we use Cache to increase performance by picking DATA and INSTRUCTIONS from Cache rather than Main Memory.
Following are my questions
...
3
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3answers
707 views
How to build my own single-board computer?
For fun, I would like to build my own single-board computer which I can later program. I know there are already many development kits out there, sold by companies such as Altera and Xilinx, but I want ...
3
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7answers
746 views
How can I determine whether my processor is 32-bit or 64-bit?
How can I determine whether my processor is 32-bit or 64-bit? My processor is AMD Phenom 8450 triple-core.
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4answers
2k views
How to find the architecture of OS installed?
I'm using Core 2 Duo. So, from Intel website I found that it is 64-bit architecture CPU.
Long back I've installed Ubuntu OS on this machine. But I'm not sure if I installed x86-32 or x86-64 version ...
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5answers
242 views
Books for understanding how computers work
I have been listening to a Podcast called "Security Now" and one of the shows presenters, "Steve Gibson" has been covering the basics of of how computers work. Topics include the basics from logic ...
4
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3answers
192 views
What hardware is at physical address 0x80000000 on powerpc New World Macintosh?
Open Firmware device tree gives no clue what device might decode at physical address 0x80000000 to 0x8008200 on a G4 New World Macintosh. The mmu has three adjacent Virtual=Real translations for that ...
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4answers
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Why multi core processors?
Why are chips containing more and more cores? Why not manufacture a larger single-core processor? Is it easier to manufacture? Is it to allow programs to multithread using seperate cores?
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5answers
1k views
How is the processing capacity of modern devices compared with that used decades ago?
I saw on t.v. a description of the computer used in the first travel to the moon.
I wonder if modern devices such as an smarthphone have already that same capacity?
Does anyone have a link where ...
3
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3answers
303 views
Relation between controllers, interfaces, adapt cards, chipsets, buses
I am confused about the following concepts and their relations: controllers, interfaces, adapters, chipsets, buses and north/south bridges. Can anyone point out how they are working together, what are ...
