Computer architecture refers to various aspects of computer system designs which can affect compatibility, performance, and interfacing. Some issues related to computer architecture can be processor word size, memory bus size, or protocol implementation.
Questions tagged [computer-architecture]
252 questions
381
votes
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If 32-bit machines can only handle numbers up to 2^32, why can I write 1000000000000 (trillion) without my machine crashing?
32-bit computers can only store signed integers up to 231 - 1.
This is why we have run out of IPv4 addresses and have entered the 64-bit era.
However, the number 231 - 1 (2,147,483,647) is not as large as the number 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000)…
Ben Johnson mk2
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229
votes
19 answers
32-bit vs. 64-bit systems
What are the differences between 32-bit and 64-bit systems?
If you have used both of them, what kind of sharp differences have you experienced?
Would it be a problem to use 32-bit programs on 64-bit systems in some cases?
Mehper C. Palavuzlar
- 55,953
98
votes
7 answers
How to check my RAM configuration (Windows 7)?
I would like to check my RAM configuration.
I know it is easy to check the total RAM installed on a computer (eg 32 GB), but is there an easy way to check in Windows if the RAM is e.g. 2x16 GB, 4x8 GB, 8x4 GB or 16x2 GB?
Vince
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93
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20 answers
Can some software physically damage hardware?
I know a question similar to this one has been asked before however it was about installing a 32bit OS on a 64bit laptop. My question is more about damaging the hardware.
I was wondering if there was a way of interfacing with hardware from the OS or…
nopcorn
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77
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6 answers
How does a CPU 'know' what commands and instructions actually mean?
How does a processor 'know' what the different commands mean?
I'm thinking of assembly level commands like MOV, PUSH, CALL, etc...
Simon Verbeke
- 3,753
66
votes
9 answers
Why have CPU manufacturers stopped increasing the clock speeds of their processors?
I have read that manufacturers stopped concentrating on higher clock speeds and are now working on other things to improve performance.
With
an old Desktop machine with Intel® Xeon® Processor E3110 with clock speed of 3.0GHz
and a new server with…
learner
- 551
56
votes
17 answers
Why do computers count from zero?
Computers traditionally tally numerical values starting from zero. For example, arrays in C-based programming languages start from index zero.
What historical reasons exist for this, and what practical advantages does counting from zero have over…
bwDraco
- 46,683
44
votes
6 answers
Where exactly L1, L2 and L3 Caches located in computer?
Where exactly L1, L2 and L3 Caches Located in computer ?
I know, we use Cache to increase performance by picking DATA and INSTRUCTIONS from Cache rather than Main Memory.
Following are my questions
Where exactly L1 Cache located ? .
is on the CPU…
siva
42
votes
3 answers
Why are there so many pins on a SATA power connector?
I was just looking at the power connector for a SATA optical drive and noticed that it had fifteen pins!
I then marveled at the data connector next to it, which has a measly seven pins.
I know that there are only physically three pins needed for the…
eleven81
- 16,182
37
votes
10 answers
How can I enable PAE on Windows 7 (32-bit) to support more than 3.5 GB of RAM?
I know that Windows XP 32-bit can be configured, through PAE, to support more than 3.5 GB of RAM. Is there a good tutorial to do this with Windows 7 32-bit?
As to why I don't simply use 64-bit Windows 7: The software for my Internet connection…
Niphoet
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37
votes
6 answers
Why can't you have both high instructions per cycle and high clock speed?
The Megahertz Myth became a promotional tactic due to differences between the PC's INTEL 8086 processor and Apple's Rockwell 6502 processor. The 8086 ran at 4.77MHz while the 6502 ran at 1MHz. However, instructions on the 6502 needed fewer cycles;…
dobus
- 371
34
votes
5 answers
How can computers calculate exponential math without overflow errors?
Studying some RSA encrypt/decrypt methods, I found this article: An Example of the RSA Algorithm
It requires this to decrpyt this message
The total result of is so big, for a 64-bit/32-bit machine, I don't believe it can hold such a big value in…
Kit Ho
- 5,587
34
votes
12 answers
Why are most of the common processors' bit counts powers of 2?
Most of the processors/CPUs widely used today, have a bit count that is a power of 2 (usually 32 and 64, but also 16, 8, and 4 bits).
Even though the meaning of bit count isn't consistent (some say it's the word size, the size of the registers, the…
SamFF
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How can I determine if the current version of Windows is either 32-bit or 64-bit from the command line?
What's the command line to find out if the OS is running a 32-bit version or 64-bit of Windows?
Sreerag
26
votes
3 answers
Difference between port mapped and memory mapped access?
Can anyone explain what's the difference between port mapping and memory mapping, and what having both accomplishes? Why is there port mapped, how does it differ in structure from memory maps, and is there any reason many architectures use both?…
user291288