CSE 332

  Computer Organization and Architecture   

Lecture 2: Computer Performance

Tanzilur Rahman (Tnr)

North South University
Performance

• Performance is the key to understanding underlying motivation

for the hardware and its organization

• Why is some hardware better than others for different

programs?

• What factors of system performance are hardware related?

(e.g., do we need a new machine, or a new operating system?)
Performance

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 What do we measure?
Define performance….

• How much faster is the Concorde compared to the 747?

• How much bigger is the Boeing 747 than the Douglas DC-8?
Defining Performance

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 Computer Performance: TIME, TIME,
TIME!!!
• Response Time (elapsed time, latency):
• How long does it take to complete (start to finish) a task? Individual user
• Eg: how long must I wait for the database query? concerns…

Individual is more interested in response time. As a user of a smart phone/laptop,

the one that responds faster is better!

Response time (computer ): the total time required by computer to complete a

task including :
Disk access Memory access I/O activities OS overheads CPU exec. time etc
Computer Performance: TIME, TIME,
TIME!!!
• Throughput:
• Total work done per unit time……(per hr,day etc)
• how many jobs can the machine run at once? Systems manager
concerns…
• what is the average execution rate?
• how much work is getting done?
 Response Time and Throughput

• If we upgrade a machine with a new processor what do we increase?

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Relative Performance

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Relative Performance

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 Execution Time
• Elapsed Time
• counts everything (disk and memory accesses, waiting for I/O, running other
programs, etc.) from start to finish
• a useful number, but often not good for comparison purposes
Elapsed time = CPU time + wait time (I/O, other programs, etc.)

• CPU time
• doesn't count waiting for I/O or time spent running other programs
• can be divided into user CPU time and system CPU time (OS calls)
CPU time = user CPU time + system CPU time

• Our focus:
• user CPU time (CPU execution time or, simply, execution time)
• time spent executing the lines of code that are in our program
• For easier writing, user CPU time has been termed simply as CPU time in rest of
the studies.
Execution Time
Summary of Execution Time
CPU Clocking

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CPU Clocking

Clock

Processor
Transistor
s

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CPU Time

Performance Equation - I

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Example

• Our favorite program runs in 10 seconds on computer A, which has a

2Ghz. clock.
• We are trying to help a computer designer build a new machine B, that
will run this program in 6 seconds. The designer can use new (or
perhaps more expensive) technology to substantially increase the clock
rate, but has informed us that this increase will affect the rest of the
CPU design, causing machine B to require 1.2 times as many clock cycles
as machine A for the same program.

• What clock rate should we tell the designer to target?

CPU Time Example

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CPU Time Example

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CPU Time Example

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No. of Clock Cycles

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Instruction Count and CPI

Performance Equation - II 22
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Factors Influencing Performance

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Factors Influencing Performance

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Factors Influencing Performance

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Factors Influencing Performance

More to follow in ALU and Pipeline chapter

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CPU Time Example

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CPU Time Example

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CPU Time Example

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Self Help

• Suppose we have two implementations of the same instruction set

architecture (ISA). For some program:
• machine A has a clock cycle time of 10 ns. and a CPI of 2.0
• machine B has a clock cycle time of 20 ns. and a CPI of 1.2

• Which machine is faster for this program, and by how much?

• If two machines have the same ISA, which of our quantities (e.g., clock
rate, CPI, execution time, # of instructions, MIPS) will always be
identical?
CPI Example
• A compiler designer is trying to decide between two code sequences for
a particular machine.
• Based on the hardware implementation, there are three different
classes of instructions: Class A, Class B, and Class C,

• Which code sequence has the most instructions? Which sequence will be
faster? How much? What is the CPI for each sequence?
For different class of Instructions
CPI Example
Which code sequence has the most instructions?

Which sequence will be faster?

What is the CPI for each sequence

Self Help

• Two different compilers are being tested for a 500 MHz. machine with
three different classes of instructions: Class A, Class B, and Class C,
which require 1, 2 and 3 cycles (respectively). Both compilers are used
to produce code for a large piece of software.
• Compiler 1 generates code with 5 billion Class A instructions, 1 billion
Class B instructions, and 1 billion Class C instructions.
• Compiler 2 generates code with 10 billion Class A instructions, 1 billion
Class B instructions, and 1 billion Class C instructions.

• Which sequence will be faster according to MIPS?

• Which sequence will be faster according to execution time?
Example
Benchmarks

• Performance best determined by running a real application

• use programs typical of expected workload
• or, typical of expected class of applications
e.g., compilers/editors, scientific applications, graphics, etc.

• Benchmark suites
• Each vendor announces a SPEC rating for their system
• a measure of execution time for a fixed collection of programs
• is a function of a specific CPU, memory system, IO system, operating
system, compiler enables easy comparison of different systems

• The key is coming up with a collection of relevant programs

SPEC (System Performance Evaluation
Corporation)
• Sponsored by industry but independent and self-managed – trusted by
code developers and machine vendors
• Clear guides for testing, see www.spec.org
• Regular updates (benchmarks are dropped and new ones added
periodically according to relevance)
• Specialized benchmarks for particular classes of applications
SPEC CPU

• The 2006 version includes 12 integer and 17 floating-point applications

• The SPEC rating specifies how much faster a system is, compared to
a baseline machine – a system with SPEC rating 600 is 1.5 times
faster than a system with SPEC rating 400

• Note that this rating incorporates the behavior of all 29 programs – this
may not necessarily predict performance for your favorite program!

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SPEC CPU

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SPEC CPU

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Summary

• Performance is specific to a particular program

• total execution time is a consistent summary of performance

• For a given architecture performance increases come from:

• increases in clock rate (without adverse CPI affects)
• improvements in processor organization that lower CPI
• compiler enhancements that lower CPI and/or instruction count
Important Trends

• Running out of ideas to improve single thread performance

• Power wall makes it harder to add complex features

• Power wall makes it harder to increase frequency

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Power Wall
 Power Wall

The energy of a pulse during the logic transition of 0 → 1 → 0 or 1 → 0 → 1

Energy ∝ Capacitive load X Voltage2
The energy of a single transition
Energy ∝ ½ X Capacitive load X Voltage2
The power required per transistor
Power ∝ ½ X Capacitive load XVoltage2 X Frequency switched 49
Power Wall
 Power Wall

The energy of a pulse during the logic transition of 0 → 1 → 0 or 1 → 0 → 1

Energy ∝ Capacitive load X Voltage2
The energy of a single transition
Energy ∝ ½ X Capacitive load X Voltage2
The power required per transistor
Power ∝ ½ X Capacitive load XVoltage2 X Frequency switched

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Power Wall

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