CPUs and architecture
Which is a characteristic of RISC (reduced instruction set computer)?
- AIt has many complex instructions of varying length
- BIt limits instructions to a small number of simple ones, making pipelining easier
- CIt has no instructions at all
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. It limits instructions to a small number of simple ones, making pipelining easier
RISC is a design philosophy that limits instructions to simple ones of uniform length so that each can execute in a short time. Because instruction processing times are uniform, it is well suited to pipelining. An architecture with complex, multifunction instructions is called CISC.