Make the common case fast (1) - RISC vs. CISC

RISC vs. CISC

RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)

• Simpler instruction set:
• Smaller number of instructions:
• Faster cycle time:
• Uniform instruction format:

CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer)

• Powerful instruction set:
• Greater number of instructions:
• Slower cycle time:
• Variable-length instruction format:

RISC architectures pursues speed and simplicity by focusing only on a small set of highly efficient instructions. This design philosophy goes with the principle of "Make the common case fast", which emphasizes optimizing frequently executed instructions to maximize overall performance. By simplifying the instruction set and ensuring that common operations can be executed quickly and efficiently, RISC processors reduce the complexity of the hardware, allowing for faster execution and better pipelining.