Question

What is the problem with executing conditional branches in a deep pipeline?

a.

The processor must wait before processing instructions currently in the pipeline until the information on whether the branch is taken or not becomes available.

b.

The pipeline is automatically refilled with instructions located either right after the branch instruction (when the branch is not expected to be taken) or from the branch’s target address (when the branch is expected to be taken).

c.

Predicting the outcome of a branch has no impact on pipeline performance.

d.

None of the above.

Posted under Reverse Engineering

Answer: (a).The processor must wait before processing instructions currently in the pipeline until the information on whether the branch is taken or not becomes available. Explanation:Conditional branches are a problem in a deep pipeline because often their outcome is not known at the time the next instruction must be fetched, and simply waiting until the outcome is known before processing instructions currently in the pipeline would have a detrimental impact on performance.

Engage with the Community - Add Your Comment

Confused About the Answer? Ask for Details Here.

Know the Explanation? Add it Here.

Q. What is the problem with executing conditional branches in a deep pipeline?

Add Comment

Similar Questions

Discover Related MCQs

Q. What is the general prediction strategy for conditional branches?

View solution

Q. How does the IA-32 processor improve its prediction abilities for branches?

View solution

Q. What is the purpose of the retirement section in the NetBurst pipeline?

View solution

Q. What is the problem with conditional branches in a pipelined processor?

View solution

Q. How does the processor predict the outcome of a conditional branch?

View solution

Q. What is the purpose of the double-speed ALUs in the IA-32 architecture?

View solution

Q. What is object-oriented design (OOD)?

View solution

Q. What is assembly language?

View solution

Q. What is a compiler?

View solution

Q. What is a virtual machine?

View solution

Q. What is a virtual machine?

View solution

Q. What are two common virtual machine architectures?

View solution

Q. What is bytecode?

View solution

Q. What is an interpreter?

View solution

Q. What is an interpreter?

View solution

Q. What is an interpreter?

View solution

Q. What is the major drawback of interpreters?

View solution

Q. What is metadata?

View solution

View All MCQs on Reverse Engineering

Suggested Topics

Are you eager to expand your knowledge beyond Reverse Engineering? We've curated a selection of related categories that you might find intriguing.

Click on the categories below to discover a wealth of MCQs and enrich your understanding of Computer Science. Happy exploring!

Object Oriented Programming

Enhance your coding skills with our Object Oriented Programming MCQs. Understand...

Digital Communication

Master the basics of electronic communication with our Digital Communication MCQs....

Software Engineering

Learn about the systematic approach to developing software with our Software...

PHP

Venture into server-side scripting with our PHP MCQs. Cover everything from syntax...

CSS

Polish your web design skills with our CSS MCQs. Learn about selectors, properties,...

Java Programming

Level up your coding skills with our Java Programming MCQs. From object-oriented...

HTML

Start your journey in web development with our HTML MCQs. Learn the building blocks...

Computer Graphics

Step into the visual side of computing with our Computer Graphics MCQs. Cover topics...

Reverse Engineering

Strengthen your understanding of Reverse Engineering with our curated set of MCQs....