RISC vs. CISC Architectures

RISC systems support a smaller and more uniform set of instructions, which simplifies decoding and execution in the processor pipeline. Because of their simplified instruction set, RISC processors can execute instructions at a higher rate, often completing one per clock cycle.

CISC processors, while slower for individual instructions, reduce the number of instructions needed per program because of their complex commands.

Although RISC emphasizes hardware simplicity, it may require more software-level instructions, increasing the complexity of compilers.

CISC, on the other hand, shifts some complexity from software to hardware, which can lead to slower performance for simple tasks.