The CPU, also known as the processor, is the most critical part of a computer that processes all instructions received from the hardware and software running on the computer. It is also responsible for the retrieval and execution of instructions and all other computing operations. If you refer to the CPU as the “brain” of the computer, it won’t be wrong. Without a CPU, we cannot run programs and perform any tasks on a computer. So, you have to ensure that it works properly without lagging in any situation for better results.
As we all know, the CPU is responsible for reading data and instructions from memory and then storing the results. So the CPU performs multiple computations in a second. You must know where does the CPU store its computations to better understand it. This may be a difficult task, but we’re here to make it easy. In this article, we’ll discuss where the CPU stores computations and give an overview of what “compute” is. We’ll delve into the instruction cycle and its components while explaining several other concepts.
- The CPU is the central processing unit of the computer, which performs calculations and instructions for various programs and processes.
- The CPU stores its computations in different types of memory, such as registers, cache, RAM, and hard disk.
- Registers are the smallest and fastest type of memory, which store temporary data and instructions for the CPU’s current operation.
- Cache is a larger and slower type of memory, which stores frequently used data and instructions for the CPU’s future operations.
- RAM is a much larger and slower type of memory, which stores data and instructions for the programs and processes running on the computer.
- Hard disk is the largest and slowest type of memory, which stores data and instructions for the programs and processes that are not currently running on the computer.
What is a computation?
By definition, computation is just the act of mathematical calculation since basically all CPUs are digital processors. When you give a CPU instruction, the CPU processes the instruction and stores the outputs as a string of 1s and 0s – binary code. In addition, the CPU consists of logic gate transistors with two values, yes and no, which is another way to look at the 1s and 0s. The way binary code is converted is that yes means one, and no means zero—binary code is the primary language of computers.
Where does the CPU store its computations?
The CPU, or central processing unit, stores its computations in registers, a unique type of memory storage made explicitly for the processor. Many tech enthusiasts often think that the RAM or cache stores the CPU computations, which is not the whole truth. Well, RAM takes instructions from the storage that further delivers to the CPU cache. And from here, registers take those instructions and store them for the processor. In short, RAM, cache, and registers all play a direct role in the CPU instruction. But registers are the end-part where computations are being stored. Therefore, we say that it primarily stores the CPU computations.
What is Register memory? What does a register do?
The level of the register is lower than that of the cache, which can be considered the L0 cache level. Registers are much smaller and faster than L1 cache. Most data registers can hold only a few calculations and partial results. For example, when multiplying, registers will store intermediate results and calculations while the CPU calculates until it gets to the final result. Another thing to notice is that the registers store the operational data that the CPU has processed. These are more likely the results of the previous operations that will be used in future operations.
Registers are basically not the direct memory part, and instead, they are unique auxiliary memory locations that provide speed benefits over the actual cache. They work by holding, transferring, and performing arithmetic comparisons at high speed under the direction of the control unit. When the CPU is instructed to perform calculations, it retrieves data from larger memory and stores them in registers for easy access. So these are freed when a new computation is started. In addition, the function can be determined according to the class of the register.
What are the types of registers?
Not all registers store calculations and similar values. They are divided into seven different categories based on their utility in processing. Let’s look at each of them:
- Accumulator: An accumulator is a basic and frequently used register that is a type of data storage memory. These vary in number among the various processors.
- Memory Address Registers (MARs): As the name suggests, these registers store the memory addresses used to fetch data to the CPU. Typically, these are parallel load registers that primarily hold the next memory address that needs to be manipulated.
- Memory Data Register (MDR): This register stores the data that needs to be written or fetched from a given location. Also known as a memory buffer register, it is used to store data for the next clock cycle.
- General Purpose Registers (GPRs): Modern CPUs have GPRs for storing temporary data during ongoing operations. The assembler can access the information stored in these registers.
- Program Counter (PC): As the name suggests, this register keeps track of program execution by holding the address of the next instruction. Sometimes, it also has a function to count the number of instructions.
- Instruction Register (IR): PC holds the address of the next instruction, and IR holds the instruction to be processed. Instructions from the PC are fetched from memory and stored in the IR so that the CPU starts executing when the PC points to the next instruction.
- Condition Code Register (CCR): Stores the current value of the condition code. It has five flag bits, which are set by the ALU (Logical Arithmetic Unit) to hold information about the operation just performed. These can be carry (C), overflow (V), zero (Z), negation (N), and extension (X).
What is CPU cache? How is the CPU cache different from the registers?
The difference is that registers are built closer to the CPU and are only used to store and retrieve specific information. Unlike caches, registers can be accessed multiple times per clock cycle. Both registers and caches are essential, and without either of them, the CPU would be very slow and inefficient. For now, you can consider the register as faster cache memory. But some people think that the registers are something that sits before the CPU cache. To understand these differences further, we need to explain what a CPU cache is.
A CPU cache is a type of volatile memory, volatile means it erases what is stored in it when power is lost. The opposite applies to non-volatile memory. This type of memory does not forget data until it is overwritten. The cache is built close to the CPU cores for speed and easy access. The cache usually consists of three levels, L1 cache, L2, and L3—some processors may have a single-level cache. Anyhow, all three levels have specific functions, and they are configured differently. The CPU uses temporary storage to enter and fetch data it may need again.
- Level 1 cache: The cache at this level has the smallest capacity but the fastest speed. This is where critical CPU instructions are stored for faster access.
- Level 2 cache: The second cache level is a nice middle ground, with moderate capacity and moderate speed. This is where less important CPU instructions are stored but will still benefit from fast access speeds.
- Level 3 cache: The third and last cache level has the highest capacity but is much slower than the other levels. This is where frequently used paths, such as application paths, are stored to increase CPU usage when accessing frequently used data.
What is the role of RAM in CPU computation?
RAM is the separate temporary hardware storage used to store operating system files and other applications. It takes those files or instructions from storage devices like SSDs, HDDs, or other secondary storage to reduce buffering time and ensure smooth performance. Caches and registers are the internal memory of the processor or CPU, while RAM is external memory but all stores instructions. Therefore, the CPU does not use RAM to store computations. However, it retrieves larger data that would otherwise be accessed again and again. All in all, RAM does the same job as cache.
A processor is an integral part of the computer since it supervises all ins and outs of the system. You must know how the CPU stores its computations so you can better understand its working and importance. For your information, the CPU computations are stored exclusively in registers. However, you wouldn’t say that computations are stored too far in the CPU cache, as that also plays a vital role. Your CPU needs registers to save and fetch small amounts of data very quickly. It also requires different cache levels to hold data since these cache levels have much higher capacity than registers.
The difference between the two is that the registers are faster and closer to the actual chip, so they are also crucial for the processor to operate. The similarity is that they are both faster than RAM and integrated closer to the CPU. Also, they both reside in the actual CPU itself. But the caches are larger and slower than registers, which is why registers are used to store the most critical data needed for operations. Registers typically store data or instructions that the CPU can use to accomplish its tasks. Your CPU needs registers and caches to be as fast and efficient as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a CPU store data?
The primary data files are stored in the PC’s storage memory or ROM. From here, the RAM takes the required instructions and transfers these to the CPU cache memory so the CPU can process this data. After processing, the CPU stores the processed computations in the register so they can be used for later operations.
What is the main store of the CPU?
The main storage that stores all the data that the CPU requires is RAM or volatile memory storage. It takes the instructions from the primary storage and passes them to the processor to perform the necessary operations.
What does the CPU store in the cache?
The CPU cache stores the instructions that a CPU requires to do its operations. A cache is faster than the RAM, so it takes the instruction from the RAM before when the CPU needs these. In this way, it reduces the time latencies by fastly transferring the instruction to the CPU than if the processors would take these directly from the RAM.
CPU (Processor) ni sehemu muhimu zaidi ya kompyuta ambayo inashughulikia maagizo yote yaliyopokelewa kutoka kwa vifaa na programu zinazoendesha kompyuta. Pia ni wajibu kwa ajili ya kupata na utekelezaji wa maelekezo na shughuli nyingine zote za kompyuta. Kama wewe rejea CPU kama "ubongo" wa kompyuta, itakuwa si makosa. Bila CPU, hatuwezi kuendesha programu na kufanya kazi yoyote kwenye kompyuta. Kwa hiyo, lazima uhakikishe kwamba inafanya kazi vizuri bila lagging katika hali yoyote kwa matokeo bora. CPU ni jukumu la kusoma data na maagizo kutoka kumbukumbu na kisha kuhifadhi matokeo. CPU hufanya hesabu nyingi kwa sekunde. Lazima ujue ambapo CPU huhifadhi mahesabu yake ili kuielewa vizuri. Hii inaweza kuwa kazi ngumu, lakini tuko hapa kuifanya iwe rahisi. Katika makala hii, tutazungumzia ambapo CPU kuhifadhi mahesabu na kutoa muhtasari wa nini "uhesabu". Sisi <unk>ll delve katika mzunguko wa maagizo na vipengele vyake wakati kueleza dhana nyingine kadhaa. CPU ni kitengo cha kati cha usindikaji cha kompyuta, ambacho hufanya hesabu na maagizo kwa programu na michakato mbalimbali. - CPU huhifadhi mahesabu yake katika aina tofauti za kumbukumbu, kama vile rekodi, cache, RAM, na diski ngumu. - Registers ni aina ndogo na ya haraka zaidi ya kumbukumbu, ambayo kuhifadhi data ya muda na maelekezo kwa ajili ya CPU ya sasa ya operesheni. - Cache ni aina kubwa na polepole ya kumbukumbu, ambayo kuhifadhi data kutumika mara kwa mara na maelekezo kwa ajili ya CPU ya shughuli za baadaye. RAM ni aina kubwa zaidi na polepole ya kumbukumbu, ambayo huhifadhi data na maelekezo kwa ajili ya programu na michakato mbio kwenye kompyuta. Hard disk ni aina kubwa na polepole ya kumbukumbu ambayo huhifadhi data na maelekezo kwa ajili ya programu na michakato ambayo si sasa mbio kwenye kompyuta. Mahesabu ni nini? Kwa ufafanuzi, hesabu ni tu kitendo cha hesabu ya hisabati tangu kimsingi CPU zote ni wasindikaji digital. Wakati wewe kutoa amri CPU, CPU taratibu amri na kuhifadhi matokeo kama mfululizo wa 1s na 0s <binary code>. CPU ina transistors ya logic gate na thamani mbili, ndiyo na hapana, ambayo ni njia nyingine ya kuangalia 1s na 0s. Njia code binary ni kubadilishwa ni kwamba ndiyo ina maana moja, na hakuna maana sifuri <unk> code binary ni lugha ya msingi ya kompyuta. CPU huhifadhi wapi hesabu zake? CPU, au kitengo cha usindikaji wa kati, huhifadhi hesabu zake katika rekodi, aina ya kipekee ya kuhifadhi kumbukumbu iliyoundwa wazi kwa ajili ya processor. Wengi tech enthusiasts mara nyingi kufikiri kwamba RAM au cache kuhifadhi CPU mahesabu, ambayo si ukweli wote. RAM inachukua maagizo kutoka kwa kumbukumbu ambayo huwasilisha kwa cache ya CPU. Na kutoka hapa, kumbukumbu kuchukua maelekezo hayo na kuhifadhi yao kwa ajili ya processor. Kwa kifupi, RAM, cache, na rekodi zote kucheza jukumu moja kwa moja katika maagizo CPU. Lakini rejista ni sehemu ya mwisho ambapo mahesabu ni kuhifadhiwa. Kwa hiyo, sisi kusema kwamba ni hasa kuhifadhi CPU mahesabu. Kumbuka cha Usajili ni nini? Daftari hufanya nini? Kiwango cha kumbukumbu ni chini ya cache, ambayo inaweza kuchukuliwa L0 ngazi cache. Registers ni ndogo sana na kwa kasi zaidi kuliko L1 cache. Usajili wengi wa data unaweza kushikilia tu mahesabu machache na matokeo ya sehemu. Kwa mfano, wakati wa kuzidisha, kumbukumbu itahifadhi matokeo ya kati na mahesabu wakati CPU inahesabu hadi ifikie matokeo ya mwisho. Jambo jingine la kutambua ni kwamba rejista kuhifadhi data ya uendeshaji kwamba CPU imesafiwa. Hizi ni uwezekano zaidi matokeo ya shughuli za awali ambayo itatumiwa katika shughuli za baadaye. Registers ni moja kwa moja kumbukumbu sehemu, na badala yake, wao ni kipekee misaada kumbukumbu maeneo ambayo kutoa faida ya kasi juu ya cache halisi. Wao hufanya kazi kwa kushikilia, kuhamisha, na kufanya kulinganisha hesabu kwa mwendo wa kasi chini ya mwelekeo wa kitengo cha kudhibiti. CPU inapopewa maagizo ya kufanya hesabu, inachukua data kutoka kumbukumbu kubwa na kuhifadhi katika kumbukumbu kwa urahisi. Hivyo hizi ni huru wakati hesabu mpya ni kuanza. Aidha, kazi inaweza kuamua kulingana na darasa la usajili. Ni aina gani za rekodi? Si rekodi zote kuhifadhi mahesabu na maadili sawa. Wao ni kugawanywa katika makundi saba tofauti kulingana na matumizi yao katika usindikaji. Hebu kuangalia kila mmoja wao: - Accumulator: Accumulator ni msingi na mara nyingi kutumika kumbukumbu kwamba ni aina ya kumbukumbu ya kuhifadhi data. Idadi hiyo hutofautiana kati ya wasindikaji mbalimbali. Kama jina linavyodokeza, kumbukumbu hizi huhifadhi anwani za kumbukumbu zinazotumiwa kupata data kwa CPU. Kwa kawaida, hizi ni kumbukumbu za mzigo sambamba ambazo hasa huhifadhi anwani ya kumbukumbu inayofuata ambayo inahitaji kudhibitiwa. - Memory Data Register (MDR): Hii orodha anahifadhi data ambayo inahitaji kuandikwa au fetched kutoka eneo fulani. Pia inajulikana kama kumbukumbu buffer usajili, ni kutumika kuhifadhi data kwa ajili ya mzunguko wa saa ijayo. - General Purpose Registers (GPRs): CPUs ya kisasa na GPRs kwa ajili ya kuhifadhi data ya muda wakati wa shughuli zinazoendelea. Assembler inaweza kupata habari kuhifadhiwa katika rejista hizi. - Programu Counter (PC): Kama jina linavyodokeza, kumbukumbu hii anaendelea kufuatilia utekelezaji wa programu kwa kushikilia anwani ya maagizo ya pili. Wakati mwingine, pia ina kazi ya kuhesabu idadi ya maelekezo. - Maagizo Register (IR): PC ana anwani ya maagizo ya pili, na IR ana maagizo ya kuwa na kusindika. Maagizo kutoka kwa PC hupatikana kutoka kumbukumbu na kuhifadhiwa katika IR ili CPU ianze kutekeleza wakati PC inaelekeza kwa maagizo ya pili. - Hali Code Register (CCR): Hifadhi thamani ya sasa ya hali code. Ina alama tano bits, ambayo ni kuweka na ALU (Logical Arithmetic Unit) kuweka habari kuhusu operesheni tu uliofanywa. Hizi zinaweza kuwa kubeba (C), kufurika (V), sifuri (Z), kupinga (N), na upanuzi (X). Nini ni CPU cache? Jinsi gani CPU cache ni tofauti na orodha? Tofauti ni kwamba kumbukumbu ni kujengwa karibu na CPU na ni tu kutumika kuhifadhi na kupata habari maalum. Tofauti na caches, rekodi inaweza kupatikana mara nyingi kwa mzunguko wa saa. Wote registers na caches ni muhimu, na bila yoyote ya yao, CPU itakuwa polepole sana na haina ufanisi. Kwa sasa, unaweza kuzingatia usajili kama kumbukumbu ya haraka ya cache. Lakini baadhi ya watu kufikiri kwamba registers ni kitu kwamba anakaa kabla ya CPU cache. Ili kuelewa tofauti hizi zaidi, tunahitaji kueleza nini CPU cache ni. CPU cache ni aina ya kumbukumbu ya volatile ambayo hufuta kumbukumbu zilizowekwa ndani yake wakati nguvu zinapotea. Kinyume chake kinatumika kwa kumbukumbu isiyo ya kutoweka. Aina hii ya kumbukumbu haisahau data mpaka iandaliwe. Cache ni kujengwa karibu na CPU cores kwa kasi na upatikanaji rahisi. Cache kawaida ina ngazi tatu, L1, L2, na L3. Kwa vyovyote vile, ngazi zote tatu zina kazi maalum, na zimebuniwa kwa njia tofauti. CPU hutumia kuhifadhi muda wa kuingia na kupata data inaweza haja tena. Kiwango cha 1 cache: Kiwango hiki cha cache kina uwezo mdogo lakini kasi ya haraka. Hii ni ambapo maelekezo muhimu CPU ni kuhifadhiwa kwa ajili ya upatikanaji wa haraka. Kiwango cha 2 cache ni kiwango cha kati cha kiwango cha juu na uwezo wa wastani. Hii ni ambapo maelekezo ya CPU muhimu kidogo ni kuhifadhiwa lakini bado kufaidika na kasi ya upatikanaji wa haraka. Kiwango cha 3 cha cache: Kiwango cha tatu na cha mwisho cha cache kina uwezo mkubwa lakini ni polepole zaidi kuliko viwango vingine. Hii ni ambapo njia mara kwa mara kutumika, kama vile njia ya maombi, ni kuhifadhiwa kuongeza matumizi ya CPU wakati wa kupata data mara kwa mara kutumika. Ni nini jukumu la RAM katika CPU hesabu? RAM ni kumbukumbu ya muda ya vifaa tofauti kutumika kuhifadhi faili za mfumo wa uendeshaji na maombi mengine. Inachukua faili hizo au maagizo kutoka kwa vifaa vya kuhifadhi kama vile SSD, HDD, au kuhifadhi nyingine ya sekondari ili kupunguza muda wa buffering na kuhakikisha utendaji laini. Cache ni kumbukumbu ya ndani ya processor, wakati RAM ni kumbukumbu ya nje na kumbukumbu ya nje ya processor. Kwa hiyo, CPU haina kutumia RAM kuhifadhi mahesabu. Hata hivyo, hupata data kubwa ambayo ingekuwa kuwasiliana tena na tena. Kwa ujumla, RAM hufanya kazi sawa na cache. Processor ni sehemu muhimu ya kompyuta tangu inasimamia wote ins na outs ya mfumo. Lazima kujua jinsi CPU kuhifadhi mahesabu yake hivyo unaweza vizuri kuelewa kazi yake na umuhimu. Kwa habari yako, mahesabu ya CPU ni kuhifadhiwa peke katika kumbukumbu. Hata hivyo, huwezi kusema kwamba mahesabu ni kuhifadhiwa mbali sana katika CPU cache, kama kwamba pia ina jukumu muhimu. CPU yako inahitaji registers kuhifadhi na kupata kiasi kidogo cha data haraka sana. Pia inahitaji ngazi tofauti za cache kuweka data tangu ngazi hizi cache kuwa na uwezo mkubwa zaidi kuliko rejista. Tofauti kati ya hizi mbili ni kwamba, kwa kuwa ni za haraka na ziko karibu na chip halisi, zinahitajika kwa ajili ya uendeshaji wa processor. Kufanana ni kwamba wote ni haraka kuliko RAM na jumuishi karibu na CPU. Pia, wote wawili wanaishi katika CPU halisi yenyewe. Cache ni kubwa na polepole kuliko usajili, na kwa hiyo ni usajili kutumika kuhifadhi data muhimu zaidi zinahitajika kwa ajili ya shughuli. Usajili kwa kawaida kuhifadhi data au maelekezo kwamba CPU inaweza kutumia kukamilisha kazi zake. CPU yako inahitaji registers na caches kuwa haraka na ufanisi iwezekanavyo. Maswali ya Mara kwa Mara Jinsi CPU Inavyohifadhi Takwimu? Faili za data ya msingi ni kuhifadhiwa katika kumbukumbu ya kuhifadhi PC au ROM. RAM inachukua maagizo ya kuelekeza na kuhamisha kwa kumbukumbu ya CPU ili CPU iweze kusindika data. Baada ya usindikaji, CPU huhifadhi hesabu zilizosindika katika usajili ili ziweze kutumika kwa shughuli za baadaye. Ni nini hifadhi kuu ya CPU? Hifadhi ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu ya kumbukumbu. Inachukua maelekezo kutoka kuhifadhi ya msingi na hupitisha kwa processor kufanya shughuli muhimu. CPU huhifadhi nini katika cache? CPU cache huhifadhi maagizo ambayo CPU inahitaji kufanya shughuli zake. Cache ni ya haraka kuliko RAM, kwa hivyo inachukua maagizo kutoka kwa RAM kabla CPU inahitaji haya. Kwa njia hii, hupunguza muda wa latency kwa kuhamisha haraka maagizo kwa CPU kuliko kama wasindikaji wangechukua moja kwa moja kutoka RAM.