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Paper 1 - Computer Systems - 1.1 Systems Architecture
infoWhy this? Systems architecture reveals how processors execute instructions and manipulate data through the coordinated work of components and registers. Understanding performance factors and embedded systems helps us explain how hardware meets different needs in everyday digital devices.
scheduleWhy now? Following programming, Boolean logic, and language translation, we can connect software instructions to the hardware that executes them. This introduces the computer systems strand before architecture is revisited and connected to memory and storage in Year 11.
neurologyYou need to know
- What actions occur at each stage of the fetch-execute cycle
- The role/purpose of each component and what it manages,
- stores, or controls during the fetch-execute cycle
- The purpose of each register, what it stores (data or address)
- The difference between storing data and an address
- Understanding of the 3 common characteristics
- The effects of changing any of the common characteristics on system performance, either individually or in combination
- What embedded systems are
- Typical characteristics of embedded systems
- Familiarity with a range of different embedded systems
rocket_launchYou must be able to
- follow the progress of data and instructions through the FDE cycle
- answer exam questions on the architecture of the CPU
- Explain the effects of changing the characteristics of the CPU
- Explain what an embedded system is and name some common ones.
Revision Quiz
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