Question

What is the purpose of a device using direct memory access (DMA)?

A. Communicates using a logical address.
B. Implements high-speed data transfer between the device and memory.
C. Implements high-speed data transfer between the device and CPU.
D. Provides multiprocessing using an interrupt-driven input/output (I/O).

Answer 1

The purpose of a device using Direct Memory Access (DMA) is to implement high-speed data transfer between the device and memory. DMA allows the device to transfer data directly to and from memory without involving the CPU, significantly improving the overall system performance. DMA is commonly used in devices such as graphics cards, sound cards, network cards, and hard disk controllers.

Step-by-step explanation:

The purpose of a device using Direct Memory Access (DMA) is to implement high-speed data transfer between the device and memory. It allows the device to transfer data directly to and from memory without involving the CPU, significantly improving the overall system performance.

DMA is commonly used in devices such as graphics cards, sound cards, network cards, and hard disk controllers. For example, in a graphics card, DMA is used to transfer large amounts of image data from memory to the GPU for rendering, without burdening the CPU.

By offloading data transfer tasks from the CPU, DMA helps free up the CPU to focus on other tasks, enhancing system efficiency and performance.