What is the difference between RISC and CISC ?

Microcomputer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) No.EA9901501

Answer

RISC (reduced instruction set computer) processors are designed to perform a limited number of instruction types so that the circuit structure can be simplified and faster operation can be realized.
CISC (complex instruction set computer) processors allow multiple operations to be performed with a single instruction.

RISC vs CISC
	RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)	CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer)
Circuit Structure	Simple	Complex
Code Size	Large	Small
Number of Instructions	Small	Large
Operating Frequency	High	Low

The performance of recent RISC devices are so high that RISCs would overcome the inferior features to CISCs.