Main Memory - Toshiba Tecra 500CS User Manual

000-book.bk : 14-nerd.fm5 Page 314 Wednesday, May 15, 1996 4:15 PM
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If You Want to Know More
What Is a Computer?
Processor
The processor is the computer's engine; it is where the actual com-
puting takes place. Your Tecra 500 computer contains an Intel
Pentium microprocessor chip, which operates at 120 MHz. It
incorporates a math co-processor for high speed numerical calcu-
lations, and 16KB of cache memory to boost performance further.
Cache reduces the time the processor spends waiting while new
data is retrieved from main memory for processing or results are
stored. By default, main memory is accessed only when necessary
to update the cache contents. This caching policy is known as
write-back and gives the best performance. You can choose a
write-through policy instead. It accesses the main memory every
time the processor handles data. See the TSETUP chapter for
details of how to set caching policy.
Because it has a relatively high power consumption, the processor
could overheat when you are working with large spreadsheets or
databases, or doing intensive manipulation of graphics. To prevent
this happening, the chip has a cooling fan and an internal tempera-
ture sensor. If the temperature rises above a certain level, the fan is
turned on and/or the processing speed is reduced.
Again, you can choose the cooling policy in the MaxTime Control
Panel or TSETUP. If you are using an AC outlet, you will proba-
bly want to use the fan for cooling so that you maintain the com-
puter's performance. If you are using battery power, you may
choose to reduce processor speed and sacrifice performance to
conserve the battery.

Main Memory

Random Access Memory or RAM is where the computer stores
data it is currently using, such as a document you are writing.
Accessing data in RAM is much faster than accessing it on a disk,
but is slower than accessing cache.
Part I: Getting To Know Your Computer