Chapter 2: Hardware Basics Computers perform 4 basic functions o Receive input o Process information o Produce Output o Store information

n Hardware Components: o Input devices: accept input from the outside world. o Output devices: send information to the outside world o Microprocessor: the computers brain Processor or Central processing unit (CPU) Memory (or Random Access Memory RAM) store programs and data that need to be instantly accessible to the CPU. Storage devices long-term repositories for data. Peripherals: the input, output, and storage devices of the computer system. Digital: its made up of discrete, countable units (digits) so it can be subdivided Bit (binary digit): the smallest unit of information a computer can process. o Can have two values 0 or 1 o Bits as codes: ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) Represents each character as a unique 8-bit code. Limited o Memory and storage devices: store information

Unicode Coding scheme that supports more than 100,000 unique characters Enough for all major world languages

Byte: a collection of 8 bits. o Can represent 256 different messages

 Binary number system: a system that denotes all numbers with combinations of two digits. Byte terms: o Kilobyte (KB, K): about a 1,000 bytes of information (really 1,024) o Megabyte (meg, MB): about 1,000 KB or 1 million bytes o Gigabyte (gig, GB): about 1,000 MB or 1 billion bytes o Terabyte (TB): about 1 million MB or 1 trillion bytes o Petabyte (PB): 1,024 tetrabytes or 1 quadrillion bytes File: an organized collection of information stored in a computer-readable form Megabits (Mb, Mbits) o Way people measure data transfer speed or memory size o 1,000,000 bits CPU (central processing unit) o Processor o Performs the transformation of input into output o Contains the circuitry to perform a variety of simple tasks called instructiosns. o Microprocessor extraordinarily complex collection of electronic circuits o Found on a circuit board motherboard o Important factors of CPU: Compatibility Not every software is compatible with every CPU Backward compatible new processor can interpret instructions from earlier models. AMD advanced micro devices o Compatible with most Intel processors ARM o Cant decipher Intel Pentium instructions and vice versa o Used in smartphones Performance Determined by internal clock

o The timing device that produces electrical pulses to synchronize the computers operations. o Clock speed measured in gigahertz (GHz) o Heat generated increases as the clock speed increases Architecture of processor o Design that determines how individual components of the CPU are put together and work together on the chip. o Word size: the number of bits a CPU can process at one time (32 or 64). Multicore processor: single chip that contains multiple CPUs, or cores, which run simultaneously. o Divides work of larger processes so that work can be done faster Graphics-processing unit (GPU): handle 3-D graphics rendering and other visual calculations. o Frees the main CPU to work on other tasks Benchmark tests: provide solid data in side-by-side comparisons of various machines. Cluster: when the processing resources of multiple servers are grouped together to improve rendering speeds Parallel processing o Symmetric multiprocessing, or just multiprocessing. Functional Units of CPU o 1. Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) Actual execution of an instruction Includes registers (32 or 64 bits)

o 2. Primary Storage memory Stores program instructions o 3. Prefetch unit: Instructs the bus unit to read the instruction stored at a particular memory address.

o 4. Decode Unit: Takes the instruction read by the prefetcher and translates it into a form suitable for the CPUs internal processing. o 5. Writeback: Bus unit writes the results of the instruction back into memory or to some other device. Random Access Memory (RAM): o Place to store the rest of the program and data until the processor is ready for them. o volatile o Most common type of primary storage, or computer memory. o Contain circuits that store program instruction and data temporarily. o Memory locations unique addresses so the computer can tell them apart when it is instructed to save or retrieve information. o Dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs): circuit boards with groups of RAM chips, which are plugged into the motherboard. o Read-only memory (ROM) is nonvolatile because the computer can only read information from it. Used to store start up instructions and other critical information o Other memory Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS): special lowenergy kind of RAM that can store small amounts of data for long periods of time on battery power. Date, time, and calendar in a PC

Flash memory: can be written and erased rapidly and repeatedly Nonvolatile Can keep its contents without a flow of electricity Access time is measured in nanoseconds (ns) o Hard disk is measured in milliseconds (ms)

Internal buses (buses): groups of wires that allow the flow of information between components on the motherboard.

o 32 or 64 wires (32 bit) o bridge between the processor and RAM o bays: open areas in the system box for disk drives and other devices, where buses connect to storage devices. o Connect to expansion slots Expansion cards special purpose circuit boards o Ports: sockets on the outside of the computer chasis