SYSTEM UNIT

By: SEF TOTING:)

MOTHERBOARD

What is a Motherboard? Definition and Function.

A motherboard is one of the most essential parts of the

computer system. It holds together many of the crucial
components of a computer, including the Central
Processing Unit (CPU), memory and the connectors for
input and output devices.

Motherboard contains the central processing unit, the

memory, and all the connectors to the rest of the
hardware of the computer system. The board is the
mother of all components.

PROCESSOR

A processor, or "microprocessor," is a small chip that resides

incomputersand other electronic devices. Its basic job is to
receive inputand provide the appropriateoutput. While this
may seem like a simple task, modern processors can handle
trillions of calculations per second.

The central processor of a computer is also known as theCPU,

or "central processing unit." This processor handles all the
basic system instructions, such as
processingmouseandkeyboardinput and running applications.
Mostdesktop computerscontain a CPU developed by either
Intel or AMD, both of which use thex86processorarchitecture.
Mobile devices, such aslaptopsand tabletsmay use Intel and
AMD CPUs, but can also use specific mobile processors
developed by companies like ARM or Apple

CONTROL UNIT

A control unit (CU) handles all processor control signals. It directs all input
and output flow, fetches code for instructions from microprograms and
directs other units and models by providing control and timing signals. A
CU component is considered the processor brain because it issues orders
to just about everything and ensures correct instruction execution.
CUs are designed in two ways:

Hardwired control: Design is based on a fixed architecture. The CU is

made up of flip-flops, logic gates, digital circuits and encoder and decoder
circuits that are wired in a specific and fixed way. When instruction set
changes are required, wiring and circuit changes must be made. This is
preferred in a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) architecture,
which only has a small number of instructions.

Microprogram control: Microprograms are stored in a special control

memory and are based on flowcharts. They are replaceable and ideal
because of their simplicity.

ARITHMETIC LOGIC UNIT

Anarithmetic logic unit (ALU)is a digital circuit used to

perform arithmetic and logic operations. It represents the
fundamental building block of thecentral processing unit
(CPU)of a computer. Modern CPUs contain very powerful and
complex ALUs. In addition to ALUs, modern CPUs contain a
control unit (CU).

An ALU performs basic arithmetic and logic operations.

Examples of arithmetic operations are addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division. Examples of logic operations are
comparisons of values such as NOT, AND, and OR.

All information in a computer is stored and manipulated in the

form ofbinary numbers, i.e. 0 and 1.Transistor switches are
used to manipulate binary numbers since there are only two
possible states of a switch: open or closed. An open transistor,
through which there is no current, represents a 0. A closed
transistor, through which there is a current, represents a 1.

MACHINE CYCLE

The computer can only do one thing at a time. Each action must be broken
down into the most basic steps. One round of steps from getting an
instruction back to getting the next instruction is called theMachine Cycle.

Fetch-get an instruction from Main Memory

Decode-translate it into computer commands

Execute-actually process the command

Store-write the result to Main Memory

Speed

The immense speed of the computer enables it to do millions of such steps

in a second.
In fact,MIPS, standing formillions of instructions per second, is one
way to measure computer speeds.

SYSTEM CLOCK

Every modern PC has multiple system clocks. Each of these vibrates at a

specific frequency, normally measured in MHz (megahertz, or millions of
cycles per second). A clock "tick" is the smallest unit of time in which
processing happens, and is sometimes called acycle; some types of work
can be done in one cycle while others require many. The ticking of these
clocks is what drives the various circuits in the PC, and the faster they tick,
the more performance you get from your machine (other things being
equal).

The original PCs had a unified system clock; a single clock (running at a
very low speed like 8 MHz) drove the processor, memory (there was no
cache back then) and I/O bus. As PCs have advanced and different parts
have gained in speed more than others, the need for multiple clocks has
arisen. A typical modern PC now has either four or five different clocks,
running at different (but related) speeds. When the "system clock" is
referred to generically, it normally refers to the speed of the memory bus
running on the motherboard (and not usually that of the processor).

The various clocks in the modern PC are created using a single clock generator
circuit (on the motherboard) to generate the "main" system clock, and then
various clock multiplier or divider circuits to create the other signals. The table
below shows the typical arrangement of clocks in a 266 MHz Pentium II PC, and
how they relate to each other:
Device / Bus Clock
Speed (MHz)
Generated As
Processor
266
System Clock * 4
Level 2 Cache
133
System Clock * 2
(or Processor / 2)
System (Memory) Bus
66
PCI Bus
33
System Clock / 2
ISA Bus
8.3
PCI Bus / 4

COMPOSITION OF PROCESSOR

Processor clock- A timing device connected to the processor that

synchronizes when the fetch, decode execute cycle runs.

Clock speed- The number of cycles that are performed by the CPU per second

Registers- a small amount of fast storage which is part of the processor

A common register is theAccumulator(acc) which is

a data register, where the user is able to directly
address (talk to) it and use it to store any results they
wish. Processors may also have other registers with
particular purposes:
General purpose register - allow users to use them as
they wish
Address registers - used for storing addresses
Conditional registers - hold truth values for loop and
selection

There are also 4 registers in particular that you need

to know.
Program Counter(PC)- an incrementing counter
that keeps track of the memory address of which
instruction is to be executed next.
Memory Address Register(MAR)- holds the
address in memory of the next instruction to be
executed
Memory Buffer Register (MBR)- a two-way
register that holds data fetched from memory (and
ready for the CPU to process) or data waiting to be
stored in memory
Current Instruction register(CIR)- a temporary
holding ground for the instruction that has just been
fetched from memory

Clock speed- The number of cycles that are

performed by the CPU per second

Word size- The number of bits of information that

a processor can process at one time

Bus Size- The number of bits of information a bus

can carry at one time (the number of wires making
up a bus)

Processor - connected to other devices using buses

Data bus - bi-directional connection between devices
Main memory - internal to the computer and linked through the
buses
Keyboard - external to the computer, an input device
Secondary storage - external device, an input and output device
Address bus - uni-directional connection between devices
Clock - regulates the processor
Monitor - external output device
VDU controller - connects system to external monitor
Disk controller - connects system to external secondary storage
Keyboard controller - connects system to external keyboard
device
Control Bus - A bi-directional bus used to control signals between
the components

BUSES
BY: CHRYSTEL SEGOVIA

Bus- bits that transfer internally within the

circuitry of the computer along electrical channels.
Uses:
1. Used to transfer bits from input devices to
memory.
2. Used to transfer bits from memory to the
processor.
3. Used to transfer bits from processor to memory
4. Used to transfer bits from memory to output or
storage devices.
Two types of Buses:
5. Data Bus- used to transfer actual data.
6. Address Bus- used to transfer information about
where the data should reside in memory.

Bus Width- size of the bus

- determines the number of bits that a
computer can transmit at one time.
FACT: The larger the number of bits handed by the
bus the faster the computer transfers data.
Clock speed- for bus (herts)
FACT: The higher the bus clock speed, the faster the
transmission of data which result in programs running
faster.
Basic Type of Buses:
1. System Bus- a part of the motherboard and connects
the processor to the main memory.
2. Backside Bus- connects the processor to the cache.
3. Expansion Bus- allows the processor to
communicate with peripherals.

BAYS
Is an opening inside the system unit in which you
can install additional equipment.
Drive Bay- is a rectangular opening that typically
holds the disk drives.
-other bay house cards readers and widely used
ports such as USB, FIREWIRE, and AUDIO PORTS.
1. External Bay- allows the user to access
openings on the bay from outside the system unit.
Ex: Optical disc drives
2. Internal Bay- is concealed entirely within the
system unit.
Example: Hard disk drives

POWER SUPPLY

Power Supply: Is the component of the

system unit that converts the wall outlet
AC power into DC power.

Fan- keeps the power supply cool.

AC adapter- external power supply.
- converts the AC power into Dc
power that the peripheral requires.

PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER

AFTER CARE