Q. 19 Consider the following processors (ns stands for nanoseconds). Assume that the
pipeline registers have zero latency.
P1: Four-stage pipeline with stage latencies 1 ns, 2 ns, 2 ns, 1 ns. P2: Four-stage pipeline with stage latencies 1 ns, 1.5 ns, 1.5 ns, 1.5 ns. P3: Five-stage pipeline with stage latencies 0.5 ns, 1 ns, 1 ns, 0.6 ns, 1 ns. P4: Five-stage pipeline with stage latencies 0.5 ns, 0.5 ns, 1 ns, 1 ns, 1.1 ns.
Which processor has the highest peak clock frequency?
(A) P1
(B) P2
(C) P3
(D) P4
Answer: (C)
Explanation: