etc. whereas RISC is used in video and image processing computer systems. Performance of CPU The performance of the CPU is often seen as a key contributor to the overall performance of your computer system. However, as we will see with the additional internal components there are other factors. To improve your CPU performance, you could: Increase the Number of Cycles: referred to as overclocking, by increasing the number of cycles per second you can run more instructions. However, please be warned, processor manufacturers set their processors to their optimum setting based on performance, efficiency and reliability. By overclocking your processor you may see gains in processing speed in the short term but in the long term may lead to a shorter shelf life and excess heat being created that your heat sink/fan may not be able to keep cool. Typical processor speeds run from 2-5GHz which is 2-5 billion instructions per second. Increased Number of Cores: Using Jon Von Neumann’s architecture (still used by most computers), instructions are fetched, decoded and executed one at a time. Modern computer systems can now be referred to as dual-core or quad-core, etc. with each core having its own fetch, decode and execute cycle. A computer system which operates as a dual-core or quad-core can be up to two or four times faster than its single core counterparts. However, it isn’t that clear cut. The speed of the processor is determined by the software it is running, not all software takes advantage of these additional cores. For example, gaming software is written by coders trying to take full advantage>