Speed Discrepancy Between Memory and Processor
Enroll to start learning
You’ve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take practice test.
Interactive Audio Lesson
Listen to a student-teacher conversation explaining the topic in a relatable way.
Address Bus Size and Memory Capacity
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Let’s start by understanding what an address bus does. Student_1, can you tell me what you think the address bus is responsible for?
I think it connects the CPU to the memory so that the CPU can access data?
Exactly! The address bus lets the processor specify memory locations. Now, if the address bus is 8 bits, how many addresses can we reach?
That would be 256 locations, right? Because 2 raised to the power of 8 equals 256?
Great! And if we increase the address bus to 10 bits, what happens?
That would be 1024 locations, so that’s 1 Kilo, I believe?
Correct! Remember the mnemonic 'Kilo for 1024' to retain that fact. By understanding these sizes, we can also derive how they relate to memory capacity.
How does that relate to memory speed?
Good question, and that's what we will explore next!
Memory Speed and Processor Performance
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Now, let's discuss the speed of memory compared to the processor. Why do you think memory is generally slower?
Maybe because it’s built with different technologies?
Exactly. Different technologies are used for memory modules compared to processors mainly to balance cost and performance. Can anyone recall the speed differences in terms of common terms like 'Gigahertz'?
I remember processors can run at several Gigahertz, so they’re significantly faster than memory.
That's right! We often see that gap to optimize costs while still delivering solid performance. What does this speed discrepancy mean for overall system performance?
It might create bottlenecks if the processor can't access data quickly enough.
Absolutely! Those bottlenecks affect application performance, leading us to look for efficient ways to utilize both memory and processor capabilities.
Memory Organization and Data Bus Size
🔒 Unlock Audio Lesson
Sign up and enroll to listen to this audio lesson
Next, we will dive into memory organization. Why do you think the organization of memory impacts the size of the data bus?
Because if we store more information in each location, we might need a wider data bus?
Exactly! A wider data bus means we can transmit more bits at a time. Can someone illustrate that for me with examples?
If we have a memory that is word-organized storing 16 bits, then we would need a 16-bit data bus.
But if it's a long word organization at 32 bits, it requires a 32-bit data bus!
Correct! Remember, a byte is made of 8 bits. So a larger data bus allows for more simultaneous data transfers, enhancing overall speed.
Introduction & Overview
Read summaries of the section's main ideas at different levels of detail.
Quick Overview
Standard
The section explains how the size of the address bus influences the number of memory locations that can be addressed, as well as the implications of memory speed compared to processor speed. It details how different memory organizations and their characteristics affect memory capacity and performance.
Detailed
Memory and processor speed discrepancies arise due to varying technologies employed in their construction. Different address bus sizes lead to distinct memory capacity levels, with calculations based on binary powers dictating how many locations can be addressed. As the address bus increases from 8 bits addressing 256 locations to 32 bits providing for up to 4 gigabytes (2^32 - 1), it significantly impacts the amount of data that can be processed. The section outlines how 1 byte corresponds to 8 bits and describes numerical conversions between decimal, hexadecimal, and binary systems. Furthermore, it explains the distinctions between various types of ROM and how memory organization directly influences system performance and bus specification.
Youtube Videos
Audio Book
Dive deep into the subject with an immersive audiobook experience.
Address Bus and Memory Locations
Chapter 1 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Like that; now I am just elaborating it now if the size of the address bus is 8, then what will happen? These contents will go from all zeros to all ones these are the different possible combination and in decimal we are saying that this is 0 or 255 that; that means, we can address 256 memory location if the size of the address bus is your 8 and this is 255 and here I am just writing it in hexadecimal, because I said that you take 4 bit together and thus get the hexadecimal equivalent, so this is your F.
Detailed Explanation
The address bus is a channel used to convey addresses from the processor to the memory. When the size of the address bus is 8 bits, it can represent values from 00000000 (0 in decimal) to 11111111 (255 in decimal), which creates a total of 256 unique addresses (from 0 to 255). Each address corresponds to a memory location, meaning the system can access 256 different pieces of data. Hexadecimal notation simplifies the representation of binary numbers by grouping bits into sets of four.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine a library. If the library has only 256 shelves (like an 8-bit address bus), it can only hold books in those shelves. Each shelf has a unique number, just like each memory location has a unique address. If you increase the number of shelves to 1024 (by adding more bits in the address bus), the library can hold many more books.
Increasing Address Bus Size
Chapter 2 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Now, if I am having 8 bit address bus and the content is something like that 01010111. So, if I have this particular contents then the decimal equivalent of this one is your 87; that means, we are looking for the 87th memory location which is starting from 0 8, so we are going to 87 my location and found a particular memory location we are going to a take the data or we are going to write data.
Detailed Explanation
For an 8-bit address bus, if the binary value 01010111 is present, it can be converted to decimal, equaling 87. This indicates that the processor is accessing the 87th memory location out of the available 256 locations. Whether reading or writing data, the system locates and interacts with data stored at that specific location.
Examples & Analogies
Consider this like finding a book in the library again. If the library has 256 shelves and you want to find a specific book labeled '87', you would go directly to the 87th shelf to retrieve it, just like the processor locates data at the 87th memory address.
Variation with Address Bus Size
Chapter 3 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Like that if I am going to increase the size of the address bus to 10 then what will happen? It will become now 2^10 which is your; 1023, or in hexadecimal I am saying that this is 3FF, so it will go from memory location 0 to memory location 1023.
Detailed Explanation
When the size of the address bus increases to 10 bits, it can now represent 2^10 addresses, equaling 1024 memory locations (from 0 to 1023). In hexadecimal, this can be represented as 3FF. This increase in address space allows the system to access more data, which is crucial for handling larger applications or datasets in computing.
Examples & Analogies
If you think of the library again but expand it to contain 1024 shelves instead of just 256. Now, you can store and retrieve books on a wider range of topics or categories, just like a computer can operate more efficiently with a larger address range.
Impact of Data Bus on Memory Access
Chapter 4 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
So, now we are talking about address bus this is the same slide, but along with that we are talking about the, what is the capacity? Now if it is size is your 8 bit then total memory capacity is 28, 256; that means we are having 256 memory location.
Detailed Explanation
The size of the data bus also affects the memory capacity of the system. For an 8-bit data bus, the total capacity it can address is 2^8 or 256 memory locations. Each memory location can store one byte of data. The size of the data bus determines how much information can be read from or written to memory in a single operation.
Examples & Analogies
Think of the data bus as the width of a highway. A wider highway (larger data bus) allows more cars (data) to travel simultaneously compared to a narrow road (smaller data bus). If we have a wide highway, we can transport goods faster and more efficiently.
Understanding Memory Capacity in Terms of Data Sizes
Chapter 5 of 5
🔒 Unlock Audio Chapter
Sign up and enroll to access the full audio experience
Chapter Content
Now how we are going to specify our memory? Whether it is your mega location or Giga location or kilo location, now you just see that sometimes you used to say that, in your memory we are having 4 gigabyte of memory what does it means?
Detailed Explanation
Memory capacity is often expressed using terms like kilobytes (kB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), and terabytes (TB). One gigabyte equals 1024 megabytes or 2^30 bytes. When we say a system has 4 GB of memory, it means it can store approximately 4 billion bytes of data. Understanding these terms is crucial for evaluating the amount of data a computer can manage.
Examples & Analogies
Store your ideas in an apartment. If your apartment can accommodate 4 GB worth of items, that's like being able to store 4 billion tiny books. Just think of how much organization and order you'll need to manage such an extensive collection effectively!
Key Concepts
-
Address Bus: Determines the number of memory locations that can be accessed.
-
Data Bus: Indicates how much data can be transferred at once.
-
Speed Discrepancy: Memory speed is generally slower than processor speed, affecting performance.
Examples & Applications
An 8-bit address bus can access up to 256 addresses (0 to 255).
With a 32-bit address bus, a processor can access up to 4 Gigabytes of memory.
Memory speed discrepancies create potential bottlenecks in performance.
Memory Aids
Interactive tools to help you remember key concepts
Rhymes
Memory is slow, CPU's fast, to balance things, technology’s key in the past.
Stories
Once there was a fast messenger (the processor) who always wanted to share news (data) but had to wait for a sleepy housekeeper (memory) to get the letters (information) ready.
Memory Tools
RAM: Rapid Access Memory; Think of it as 'Rapid' since it's fast but 'Access' takes time.
Acronyms
Giga = 1024 x 1024 x 1024, which makes up a 'GAKS' (Giga's All Kbits Store).
Flash Cards
Glossary
- Address Bus
The set of wires that carry the address from the CPU to memory, determining which memory location is accessed.
- Data Bus
The set of wires that transfer data between the CPU and memory or I/O devices.
- Kilobyte (K)
A unit of digital information equal to 1024 bytes.
- Gigabyte (GB)
A unit of digital information equal to 1024 megabytes or 2^30 bytes.
- ROM
Read-Only Memory, a type of non-volatile storage that is used to store firmware.
Reference links
Supplementary resources to enhance your learning experience.