A set of wires running from the central processing unit (CPU) to random-access memory (RAM).
The electronic channel, usually from 20 to 32 separate lines wide, used to transmit the signals that specify locations in memory. The number of lines in the address bus determines the number of memory locations that the processor can access, as each line carries one bit of the address. An address bus of 20 lines ( used in early Intel 8086/8088 processors) can access 1MB of memory, one of 24 lines ( as int he Intel 80286) can access 16MB, and an address bus of 32 lines (as used by Intel 80386,80486, and later processors, or the Motorola 68020) can access over 4 GB.
A unidirectional set of signals used by a computer to point to memory locations in which it is interested.
The part of a bus that carries the address that the data is moving to. Used to "route" data on the bus. Wider address buses permit data to be routed to a larger number of devices.
(n.) A dedicated bus that passes address information about computer memory. See also data bus.
A set of electrical lines connected to the processor and all of the peripherals with which it communicates. The processor uses the address bus to select a specific memory location or register within a particular peripheral.
Used by CPU to communicate memory and I/O address to memory controller and I/O devices.
Pathway through which source and destination addresses are transmitted between RAM, cache memory, and the processor. (See also data bus.)
A set of wires connected to a processor and all of the peripherals with which it communicates, for the purpose of selecting a specific memory location or register within a particular peripheral. If the address bus contains n electrical lines, the processor can address up to 2**n unique locations. Address decoding logic between the processor and the devices connected to the bus select the proper device, typically based on the uppermost bits.
Unidirectional lines that carry the address code from the CPU to memory and I/O devices.
An address bus is (part of) a computer bus, used by CPUs or DMA-capable units for communicating the physical addresses of computer memory elements/locations that the requesting unit wants to access (read/write).
