[SOLVED] could 2 x 8 bit cpu's be put together to make a 16 bit cpu?

the666

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Oct 28, 2017
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so, say if you had 2 x z80 processors, these could be put together to run a 16 bit system?
 
Solution
so, say if you had 2 x z80 processors, these could be put together to run a 16 bit system?
While you can emulate at the software level higher "bittage", you can't do it at the hardware level. When you say a CPU is "x-bit", it implies the math (integer) operations are x-bit wide, the registers for pointers (memory) are (up to) x-bit in length and some other specific hardware implications. Having 2 CPUs with lower bittage won't be able to individually address more memory or calculate higher (hardware) bittage operations.

So, in short: nope.

On a more general note, the waters are a bit murkier nowadays thanks to SIMD engines in CPUs, as they support really wide bittage operations.

Cheers!
so, say if you had 2 x z80 processors, these could be put together to run a 16 bit system?
While you can emulate at the software level higher "bittage", you can't do it at the hardware level. When you say a CPU is "x-bit", it implies the math (integer) operations are x-bit wide, the registers for pointers (memory) are (up to) x-bit in length and some other specific hardware implications. Having 2 CPUs with lower bittage won't be able to individually address more memory or calculate higher (hardware) bittage operations.

So, in short: nope.

On a more general note, the waters are a bit murkier nowadays thanks to SIMD engines in CPUs, as they support really wide bittage operations.

Cheers!
 
Solution