Register renamingIn computer architecture, register renaming is a technique that abstracts logical registers from physical registers. Every logical register has a set of physical registers associated with it. When a machine language instruction refers to a particular logical register, the processor transposes this name to one specific physical register on the fly. The physical registers are opaque and cannot be referenced directly but only via the canonical names.
Out-of-order executionIn computer engineering, out-of-order execution (or more formally dynamic execution) is an instruction scheduling paradigm used in high-performance central processing units (CPUs) to make use of instruction cycles that would otherwise be wasted. In this paradigm, a processor executes instructions in an order governed by the availability of input data and execution units, rather than by their original order in a program.
Pentium (original)The Pentium (also referred to as the i586 or P5 Pentium) is a microprocessor introduced by Intel on March 22, 1993. It is the first CPU using the Pentium brand. Considered the fifth generation in the x86 (8086) compatible line of processors, succeeding the i486 as the series flagship under the Intel brand, its implementation and microarchitecture was internally called P5. Like the Intel i486, the Pentium is instruction set compatible with the 32-bit i386.
Pentium ProThe Pentium Pro is the first sixth-generation x86-based microprocessor developed and manufactured by Intel and introduced on November 1, 1995. It was the second Intel processor to bear the name Pentium, and the first x86-based Intel processor to implement the P6 microarchitecture (sometimes termed i686), itself being the successor to the P5 architecture of the original Pentium.Speculative executionIn computer science and processor design, speculative execution or speculation is a design characteristic where a processor is able to perform potentially useful work by guessing what work is needed next, compute them prematurely, and immediately applying or discarding the results when the work's necessity is eventually known. Since the 21st century, speculation is commonly seen on superscalarcentral processors (CPUs), as an optimization technique to increase its performance.
CPU cacheA CPU cache is a hardware cache used by the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer to reduce the average cost (time or energy) to access data from the main memory. A cache is a smaller, faster memory, located closer to a processor core, which stores copies of the data from frequently used main memory locations, avoiding the need to always refer to main memory which may be tens to hundreds of times slower to access.
TransistorA transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semiconductor material, usually with at least three terminals for connection to an electronic circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals controls the current through another pair of terminals.
MicroprocessorA microprocessor is a computer processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry required to perform the functions of a computer's central processing unit (CPU). The microprocessor is capable of interpreting and executing machine code and performing arithmetic operations.
AMDAmerican multinational semiconductor companyAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It develops central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), system-on-chips (SoCs), and high-performance computer components.
Reduced instruction set computerIn electronics and computer science, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC, pronounced "risk") is a computer architecture designed to simplify the individual instructions given to the computer to accomplish tasks. Compared to the instructions given to a complex instruction set computer (CISC), a RISC computer might require more machine code in order to accomplish a task because the individual instructions perform simpler operations.X86x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel, based on the 8086 microprocessor and its 8-bit-external-bus variant, the 8088. The 8086 was introduced in 1978 as a fully 16-bit extension of Intel's 8-bit 8080 microprocessor, with memory segmentation as a solution for addressing more memory than can be covered by a plain 16-bit address.
IntelAmerican multinational technology companyIntel Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It designs, manufactures, and sells computer components such as central processing units (CPUs) and related products for business and consumer markets.Branch target predictorIn computer architecture, a branch target predictor is the part of a processor that predicts the target, i.e., the address of the instruction that is executed next, of a taken conditional branch or unconditional branch instruction before the target of the branch instruction is computed by the execution unit of the processor. Branch target prediction is not the same as branch prediction, which guesses whether a conditional branch will be taken or not-taken in a binary manner.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.