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CISC Features New

The document discusses CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) architecture. Some key points: - CISC processors, like Intel x86 chips, have complex instructions that can complete an operation like multiplication with a single instruction rather than multiple steps. They also support various addressing modes and have variable length instructions. - CISC was used in early personal computers and became dominant as more software was written for those instruction sets. This is why modern home computers still largely use x86 CISC architecture despite RISC being potentially faster. - While RISC aims to complete tasks faster through pipelining, CISC offers advantages like easier compiler design due to smaller assembly code and support for operations resembling high-level languages

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SUKRUTH RAMESH
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83 views17 pages

CISC Features New

The document discusses CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) architecture. Some key points: - CISC processors, like Intel x86 chips, have complex instructions that can complete an operation like multiplication with a single instruction rather than multiple steps. They also support various addressing modes and have variable length instructions. - CISC was used in early personal computers and became dominant as more software was written for those instruction sets. This is why modern home computers still largely use x86 CISC architecture despite RISC being potentially faster. - While RISC aims to complete tasks faster through pipelining, CISC offers advantages like easier compiler design due to smaller assembly code and support for operations resembling high-level languages

Uploaded by

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

Complex Instruction Set Computer


What is an ISA anyway?
• ISA stands for Instruction Set Architecture. The
term Instruction Set Architecture is used in many
different ways. H&P uses the term to mean the
actual set of instructions that programmers can
see; the glue that ties the hardware and software
together. For the purposes of this web page, I will
use a broader definition of Instruction Set
Architecture, a definition that includes the high
level design aspects of an IA-64 machine, what H&P
consider organization.
What type of ISA does my
computer at home have?
• The ISA most prominent in home computers is
called x86. If you have a Pentium computer, your
computer has an x86 ISA. x86 has been in use for a
long time, since about 1978.
• Your computer itself is just a bunch of silicon and metal
stuck together, the hardware. What really makes your
computer interact with you is the software. The
software must have some way to talk to the hardware;
this is where an ISA comes in. When software is
written, it is written in a manner that is easy for
humans to understand. We then use a program, called
a compiler, to translate that software into a language
that the computer can understand. The language that
the computer can understand is the ISA. So, basically,
your computer speaks x86.
CISC Architecture
• CISC stands for Complex Instruction Set Computer.
If the control unit contains a number of micro-
electronic circuitry to generate a set of control
signals and each micro-circuitry is activated by a
micro-code, this design approach is called CISC
design.
• The primary goal of CISC architecture is to complete
a task in as few lines of assembly code as possible.
Examples of CISC processors are:

• Intel 386, 486, Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II,


Pentium III
• Motorola’s 68000, 68020, 68040, etc.
Which one is faster cisc or risc?
• Well, it is commonly accepted that RISC ISA's
should make computers faster. The main reason
why is because RISC computers figure out more
words in a shorter amount of time due to
pipelining.
So why isn't my computer a RISC?
• CISC ISA's were implemented in the first personal
computers to enter the market, and when more and
more people started buying computers, CISC ISA's
became more prominent. Software was developed
and "translated" so that personal computers speaking
x86 would be able to interact with its users. Because
there was so much software written for computers
"speaking" x86, people continued to buy those
computers. If we tried to switch to another ISA, we
would not have all of the software choices we have
now.
Where are we running into problems
speeding up RISC and CISC?
Features of CISC Processors:
1. CISC chips have complex instructions.
• A CISC processor would come prepared with a specific
instruction (call it "MULT"). When executed, this instruction
loads the two values into separate registers, multiplies the
operands in the execution unit, and then stores the product in
the appropriate register. Thus, the entire task of multiplying
two numbers (2, 3) can be completed with one instruction:
MULT 2, 3
• MULT is what is known as a "complex instruction." It operates
directly on the computer's memory banks and does not
require the programmer to explicitly call any loading or storing
functions. It closely resembles a command in a higher level
language.
2. CISC processors have a variety of instructions:
• There are a variety of instructions many of which
are complex and thus make up for smaller assembly
code thus leading to very low RAM consumption.
3. CISC machines generally make use of complex
addressing modes.
CISC processes have a variety of different addressing
modes in which the operands can be addressed from
the memory as well as located in the different
registers of the CPU.
There are many instructions that refer memory as
opposed to RISC architecture
4. CISC processors have variable length instructions:
The decision of CISC processor designers to provide a
variety of addressing modes leads to variable-length
instructions. For example, instruction length
increases if an operand is in memory as opposed to
in a register.
5. Easier compiler design :
Compilers have very little to do when executing on a
computer having CISC architecture. The complex
instruction set and smaller assembly code meant
little work for the compiler and thus eased up
compiler design
6. CISC machines uses micro-program control unit:
CISC uses micro programmed control unit. These
systems consist of micro programs which are nothing
but series of microinstructions, which control the
CPU at a very fundamental level of hardware
circuitry. This is then stored in a control memory like
ROM from where the CPU accesses them and
generates control signals.
7. CISC processors are having limited number of
registers.
CISC processors normally only have a single set of
registers. Since the addressing modes give provisions
for memory operands, limited number of “costly”
register memory is sufficient for the functions.
Thank you

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