DIFFERENT PURPOSES

摘要

To understand why basic processor architectures coexist and whether they will converge or remain viably separate, look at the characteristics of each (Figure A). General-purpose microprocessors sport the fastest clock rates and rely heavily on large external memories and controllers. They run large, complex operating systems supported by a mature development-tool infrastructure, and significant reusable legacy software is available. These processors are central to desktop computers and strong for general data manipulation. Because they rely on external devices to interact with the real world, they are stronger for user interfaces and application hosting that can communicate with and manage external components for control and signal processing. They are performance-biased and less sensitive to size, heat dissipation, power consumption, and cost than embedded processors.