RISC processor definition of RISC processor in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

RISC processor [Reduced Instruction Set Computer], computer computer, device capable of performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations. A computer is distinguished from a calculating machine, such as an electronic calculator , by being able to store a computer program (so that it can repeat its operations and make
..... Click the link for more information. arithmetic-logic unit that uses a minimal instruction set, emphasizing the instructions used most often and optimizing them for the fastest possible execution. Software for RISC processors must handle more operations than traditional CISC [Complex Instruction Set Computer] processors, but RISC processors have advantages in applications that benefit from faster instruction execution, such as engineering and graphics workstations and parallel-processing parallel processing, the concurrent or simultaneous execution of two or more parts of a single computer program , at speeds far exceeding those of a conventional computer .
..... Click the link for more information. systems. They are also less costly to design, test, and manufacture. In the mid-1990s RISC processors began to be used in personal computers personal computer (PC), small but powerful computer primarily used in an office or home without the need to be connected to a larger computer. PCs evolved after the development of the microprocessor made possible the hobby-computer movement of the late 1970s, when
..... Click the link for more information. instead of the CISC processors that had been used since the introduction of the microprocessor microprocessor, integrated circuit containing the arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry required to interpret and execute instructions from a computer program .
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Bibliography

See D. Tabak, RISC Systems (1990); M. Slater, A Guide to RISC Microprocessors (1992).