blog 5, Explain the following terms to your mother

Explain the following terms to your mother (she is not very computer literate)

The processor frequency is the speed at which the central processor operates internally. It is measured in Milihertz (MHz), which is 1,000,000 beats per second, or Gigahertz (GHz), which is 1,000,000,000 beats per second, and faster is better. It is figures by multiplying the multiplier by the bus frequency. The multiplier is figured by the ratio of the speed (frequency) of the central processor operates internally with its external speed. For instance: If the central processor’s internal speed is 10 times that of its external speed, the multiplier is 10.
The word size is the largest amount of information, measured in bits; the central processor can process at one time. The word size used by today’s processors is generally 32 bits; however there are some very advanced and more capable processors that can operate a 64 bit word size. The processor with the larger word size would be faster and more capable than one with a smaller word size.
Overclocking is when the computer user or administrator speeds the central processor frequency up beyond the manufacturer’s recommendation. The manufacturer recommends a top frequency because running the central processor faster can cause overheating, which can result in damage to your computer. The higher speed may also be unstable.

The data path is the part of the system bus that communicates with the central processor. The word size is limited by the data path; however the data path may b larger than the word size. For instance you can run a 32 bit word size on a 64 bit data path.

SRAM is a static memory cache. It is much faster than the rest of the memory in a computer’s system, due to it’s retaining its memory without having to be constantly refreshed, and the very limited amount of memory it uses. SRAM is used to store data that the central processor is going to be using immediately, saving the central processor from having to search the entire RAM store every time it performs an operation. This greatly improves the speed of the central processor.
An SRAM cache actually on the central processor chip is called the primary cache, or level one cache.

An SRAM cache outside the central processor is called an external cache, or a level two cache. A level 2 cache may, or may not, be inside the central processor housing. A memory cache is an SRAM.