12. Fetch Cycle
The chapter covers the fetch and execute cycles crucial for how a processor retrieves and processes instructions. It explains the roles of essential registers like the program counter (PC), memory address register (MAR), and instruction register (IR) in coordinating these operations. Finally, the differences between read and write operations, as well as control signals generated by the control unit, are discussed in detail.
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What we have learnt
- The fetch cycle involves retrieving instructions from memory based on the address in the program counter.
- Critical registers involved in instruction execution include the program counter, instruction register, memory address register, and memory buffer register.
- Memory access is managed sequentially due to the speed differences between the processor and memory.
Key Concepts
- -- Fetch Cycle
- The process by which a processor retrieves an instruction from memory using the address provided by the program counter.
- -- Program Counter (PC)
- A special-purpose register that holds the memory address of the next instruction to be executed by the processor.
- -- Read and Write Operations
- Actions performed by the processor to either fetch data from memory (read) or send data to memory (write), facilitated through the MAR and MBR.
- -- Control Unit
- A component within the processor responsible for generating control signals that dictate the operation of other components during instruction execution.
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