An engineering firm uses two high-performance computing nodes, Compute-Node X and Compute-Node Y, to run complex finite element analysis simulations. A summary of their CPU characteristics is given below:
| Processor Attribute | Compute-Node X | Compute-Node Y |
|---|---|---|
| Clock Frequency | 3.2 GHz | 4.0 GHz |
| Physical CPU Cores | 8 | 16 |
| Level 2 (L2) Cache Size | 8 MB | 16 MB |
Identify two other hardware components of a computer system, which are not listed in the table, that could be upgraded to improve the overall computational performance of these nodes.
12 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Computer Science CPU performance. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.