Assume for a given processor the CPI of arithmetic instructions is 1, the CPI of load/store instructions
Question:
Assume for a given processor the CPI of arithmetic instructions is 1, the CPI of load/store instructions is 10, and the CPI of branch instructions is 3. Assume a program has the following instruction breakdowns: 500 million arithmetic instructions, 300 million load/store instructions, 100 million branch instructions.
1. Suppose that new, more powerful arithmetic instructions are added to the instruction set. On average, through the use of these more powerful arithmetic instructions, we can reduce the number of arithmetic instructions needed to execute a program by 25%, and the cost of increasing the clock cycle time by only 10%. Is this a good design choice? Why?
2. Suppose that we fi nd a way to double the performance of arithmetic instructions. What is the overall speedup of our machine? What if we find a way to improve the performance of arithmetic instructions by 10 times?
Step by Step Answer:
Computer Organization and Design The Hardware Software Interface
ISBN: 978-0124077263
5th edition
Authors: David A. Patterson, John L. Hennessy