Computer Architecture - MIPS

[joe111]

Can anyone please help with this homework question. Thank you

1 (a) MIPS is a popular metric for rating the performance of a computer. In

this context what does MIPS mean?

(1 mark)

(b) There are three types of MIPS ratings, namely:

(i) Native MIPS

(ii) Peak MIPS

(iii) Relative MIPS

Explain how each type is calculated and what their drawbacks may be.

(9 marks)

© Another derivation of MIPS used by a RISC research team at Stanford

– some of whom went on to found the MIPS Company – was

Microprocessor [without] Interlocked Pipeline Stages. This approach

traded off simplicity in the hardware with complexity in the compiler and

assembler for the machine. Highlight two issues that the compiler

and/or the assembler (the software) would need to deal with in order to

overcome the problems inherent in a non-interlocked pipeline. Give

typical examples of the software techniques used to overcome these

problem

(4 marks)

(d) Modern processor implementations now have hardware support to

detect, and circumvent, the problems arising from pipelined datapaths.

Describe two examples of the hardware techniques used to overcome

these problems.

(6 marks)