What is the purpose of registers in microprocessor

  • Thread starter Thread starter soft land
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
Registers in a microprocessor serve as high-speed storage locations that hold data temporarily for processing. They facilitate quick access to data during logical operations and data manipulation by the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU). While registers allow direct interaction with the ALU, external memory requires explicit read and write operations to transfer data. This distinction highlights the efficiency of registers in executing commands compared to external memory. Understanding the role of registers is crucial for optimizing microprocessor performance.
soft land
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
what is the purpose of registers in microprocessor ?
 
Engineering news on Phys.org


soft land said:
what is the purpose of registers in microprocessor ?

What would be your thoughts? Do some reading at this web page, and let us know what you've learned:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor
 


When you give certain commands to the processor the bits currently on the register will undergo logical operations, or be moved to a bus/device.
 


MIC said:
When you give certain commands to the processor the bits currently on the register will undergo logical operations, or be moved to a bus/device.

well, the same could be said of external memory, other external devices, temporary registers, and the like.
 


berkeman is trying to help you learn. If you were not inspired by the reference he gave you, here is another microprocessor reference. We'd like to hear your thoughts after reading this material.
 


Phrak said:
well, the same could be said of external memory, other external devices, temporary registers, and the like.

then why do you have to explicitly read from or write to external memory using the registers, while information on the registers can directly be manipulated with the ALU
 
Last edited:


MIC said:
then why do you have to explicitly read from or write to external memory using the registers, while information on the registers can directly be manipulated with the ALU

Now, I think you've answered the OPs question at the programming level.
 
Back
Top