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RISC vs. CISC: Key Characteristics and Examples

The document compares RISC and CISC processor designs. RISC uses simpler instructions with fixed sizes and assumes operands are in registers, while CISC uses more complex instructions with variable sizes and can access memory for operands. Examples of early RISC machines include MIPS and PA-RISC, while examples of CISC machines include 80x86 and 680x0. Modern processors tend to use hybrid CISC-RISC designs to gain the advantages of both approaches.

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22 views7 pages

RISC vs. CISC: Key Characteristics and Examples

The document compares RISC and CISC processor designs. RISC uses simpler instructions with fixed sizes and assumes operands are in registers, while CISC uses more complex instructions with variable sizes and can access memory for operands. Examples of early RISC machines include MIPS and PA-RISC, while examples of CISC machines include 80x86 and 680x0. Modern processors tend to use hybrid CISC-RISC designs to gain the advantages of both approaches.

Uploaded by

Alazar DInberu
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Chapter 2_Lecture 6

RISC Vs. CISC


Processor design
The time taken by a processor to complete
a program can be determined by three
factors:

• The number of instructions in the


program,

• The average number of clock cycles


required to execute an instruction, and

• The clock cycle time


RISC vs. CISC
RISC CISC
 Reduced Instruction Set Computer  Complex Instruction set
Computer
 Uses simple instruction  Uses complex instruction
 Operands are assumed to be in  Operands can be in registers or
processor registers i.e. Not in memory
memory
 Only load/store instructions can
access memory
 Simple to design  Complex to design
 Fixed instruction size  Variable instruction size
 Usually doesn’t use micro-  Typically uses a micro-program
program
 Long program length  Fewer instructions needed to
specify the algorithm
 Lower power consumption  Higher power consumption
Cont…
Examples

Intl:80x86 CISC Machines


Motorola: 680x0
Sun: Sparc

Silicon Graphics: MIPS


HP: PA-RISC
RISC Machines
IBM: PowerPC
Compaq: Alpha
Hybrid CISC-RISC
• Up until the mid 1990s, processor designers
were split into two opposing camps
• One side supporting CISC designs due to its
low burden on compiler developers and wide
availability of existing software
• The other camp supported RISC designs
because of its simplicity and efficiency
• However, the CISC vs. RISC debate has now
died down as contemporary processor
designers realize that RISC designs might
benefit from the addition of some CISC
characteristics and vice-versa
CISC-RISC hybrid
• Today, most CISC processors are based on hybrid
CISC-RISC architectures
• These designs use a decoder to convert CISC
instructions into RISC instructions before
execution. They are then processed by a RISC
core, which performs a few basic instructions very
quickly
• Having a RISC core is advantageous because it
allows performance enhancing features, such as
pipelining and branch prediction
• Popular examples of hybrid designs include the
Pentium and Athlon family of processors. These
processors are compatible with software written for
their CISC predecessors yet perform competitively
against processors based on RISC designs

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