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• List the basic internal components of the processor: ALU, Control Unit, registers and buses

• List factors which affect the performance of the CPU: clock speed, number of cores, cache

• Explain what is meant by a multicore system and parallel processing

• Describe the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle, naming the registers and describing how they are used.

• Describe the role of the data, address and control buses

• Describe the use of pipelining in a processor to improve efficiency

• Describe von Neumann and Harvard architectures 

• Describe the characteristics and use of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

• Describe the benefits and potential problems of virtual storage

• Describe the uses of magnetic, flash and optical storage devices

• Describe how different I/O and storage devices can be applied to the solution of different problems

• Describe features of contemporary processor architecture

• Describe the differences between, and uses of, CISC and RISC architecture

• Explain how system architecture and bus width relates to assembly language programs