3.5.9 Practice Questions Processor

A special socket for inserting and securing a processor. Explanation Newer motherboard use a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) socket for inserting the processor. A ZIF socket has a lever or screw that opens to install the processor and closes to lock the processor into place. A Pin Grid Array (PGA) has a series of pins on the bottom in concentric squares.

Allows a processor to access data more quickly. Explanation The increased speed of cache memory allows a processor to access frequently used data more quickly than by getting the data from system memory. Data is stored in cache where it can be accessed quicker than retrieving the data from RAM. Like RAM cache memory is volatile meaning that the contents of the memory are lost when the power is turned off.

Performance will depend on other factors such as cache and other features. Explanation Processor performance is dependent on the specifications of the chip not on the manufacturer or even the speed rating. Other factors such as the amount of cache has a greater impact on performance than does the processor speed.

The ability to use over 4 GB of memory. Explanation The biggest advantage of 64-bit processors over 32-bit processors is in the amount of memory they can use. 32-bit processors have a limit of 4 GB. 64-bit processors have a theoretical limit of 16 EB. 32-bit processors use the IA-32 instruction set (also referred to as x86). Applications typically perform better on 64-bit systems but this is not the biggest advantage. Hyper-threading is a feature of same Intel processors that allows a single processor to run threads (instructions) in parallel as opposed to processing threads linearly, and is not dependent on whether the processor is 32-or 64-bit.

32-bit processors use only the IA-32 instruction set (also referred to as x86). 64-bit processors use the x86-64 instruction set (also referred to as x64). Explanation The processor instruction set identifies all instructions (operations) that a processor can perform. 32-bit processors use the IA-32 instruction set (also referred to as x86). Itanium processors from Intel use the IA-64 instruction set. AMD64 and Intel 64 processors use the x86-64 instruction set (also referred to a x64). 32-bit applications can run on 64-bit processors. x64 processors execute both 32-bit and 64-bit instructions in the hardware.

Read the motherboard documentation to identify which processors are supported. Explanation The first thing you need to do before purchasing and installing a new processor is to verify with the motherboard documentation that the new processor is supported by your existing motherboard. After you have determined that the new processor is supported by the motherboard you can take additional steps such as installing the processor editing the CMOS configuring jumpers and replacing the VRM if necessary.

Match the speed of the new processor with the speed of the existing processor. Explanation When adding multiple processors in a multi-processor system the speed of the processors must be the same. The terminating resistor occupies the processor slot when a second processor is not installed; it must be removed before the second processor is added. Level II cache is on the processor and cannot be upgraded.

Replace the existing processor. Explanation A multi-core system supports processors that have multiple processors on a single processor die. Multi-core systems have a single processor slot. To upgrade this system you will need to remove the existing processor and replace it with one that has four cores. Multi-processor systems have speed. Unused slots are filled with a terminating resistor. Dual-channel memory does not affect using dual processors or dual core processors.

Install the application normally. Explanation You can install a 32-bit application on a system with a 64-bit processor. If the processor runs the x86-64 architecture the processor itself is capable of running the 32-bit application without modifications.

Replace the terminating resistor in the slot that was occupied by the second CPU. Explanation In this case, the motherboard originally required a terminator. Whenever a second CPU is removed, the terminator must be replaced. Some motherboards are self-terminating while resistor in the unused processor slot. When troubleshooting a problem focus first on the things you changed, (in this case removing the terminator). Most motherboards now detect new processors, so changing the BIOS is likely not necessary.

775

AM3+

1366

FM1

775

1366

AM3+

Commonly-implemented Intel processor sockets include the following: - 775: Used with the Intel Pentium 4, Celeron D, Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, Pentium D, Pentium Dual-Core, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme. - Core 2 Quad, Xeon, and Celeron processors. - 1155: Used with the Intel Pentium 4, Celeron, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i7 Extreme, and Xeon processors. - 1156: USed with the Intel Pentium 4, Celeron, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Xeon processors. - 1366: Used with the Intel Celeron, Core i7m and Xeon processors. - 1150: Used with the Intel Celeron Dual-core, Pentium Dual-Core, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i7 Extreme, and Xeon processors. - 2011: Used with the Intel Core i7 and Xeon processors. Commonly implemented AMD processor sockets include the following: - 940: Used with the AMD Opteron and Athlon 64 FX processors. - AM3: Used with the AMD Phenom II, Athlon II, Sempron, and Opteron processors. - AM3+: USed with the AMD Phenom II, Athlon II, Sempron, and Opteron processors. - FM 1: Used with the AMD Athlon II processor along with the A-series APUs. - FM2: Used with the AMD A4 series, A6 series, A8 series, A10 series, Athlon X2, Athlon X4, FX, FirePro, and Sempron processors. - FM2+: Used with the AMD A4 series, A6 series, A8 series, A10, Athlon X2, Athlon X4, and FX processors.