Reduced Instruction-Set Computing

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CISC and RISC are microcomputer architectures. The RISC set programs a small number of instructions directly in the microcomputer. This allows a few critical functions to be performed rapidly with single instructions to the CPU. More complex instructions need to be programmed. The decision to use either RISC or CISC depends largely on what type of computing you will be doing (most general-purpose computing users are unlikely to notice any real difference between the two).

More Information

• CPU Info Center