COMPUTER ORGANIZATION &

ASSEMBLY
CS-530
WEEK 1

Mr. Shoaib Nazir / Mr. Shahzad Ali

CS & IT Department, GIMS
 Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 2

Course Objectives
• The objectives of this course are to discuss from simple to
complex architecture of computer.
• What are the computer components? The design and
architecture of these components including RAM, Cache,
ROM, Processor, Registers, Busses, etc..
• Implementation of commands that are relevant to these
components. These commands will help creation of low
level programs using all these components.
• Other assembly command to communication or uses of
buses, registers, RAM etc will be used.
 Learning Outcomes
• Computer Organization goal is to make student understand the
construction of computer, basic requirement of their designs &
architecture, constraints etc.
• It will help student to imagine how computer processes work
and how different components of computer interact with each
other to achieve desired execution of commands.
• The main goal of assembly language is to help student
understand in practical aspects what happens when a higher
level programming instruction is converted into assembly code.
• The cost of programming by interacting with different
components of computers through implementation in assembly
language the theoretical concept discussed in the class.
 Assessment & Evaluation

• Mid Term 12 (Marks) Take Average of All

• Final Term 20 (Marks) Take Average of All
• Practical 20 (Marks) Take Average of All
• 4 Assignments and 4 Quizzes
 Books
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1 T:Fundamentals of Computer Organization & Architecture,
Mostafa Abd-El-Barr & Hesham El-Rewini, 2004
2 T:The x86 PC Assembly Language, Design & Interfacing, 5th
Edition, Muhammad Ali Mazidi, Janice Gillispie Mazidi & Danny
Causy,Prentice Hall, 2010
3 T: Computer System Architecture By Morris Mano, 3rd Edition,
1992
REFERENCES:
4 T:Assembly Language for x86 Processors, 6th Edition, Kip R.
Irvin, 2010
5 T:Computer Organization & Architecture, 9th Edition, William
Stallings. 2012
 Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 6

Lecture Overview
 What is the Architecture of Computer
 Difference between Architecture and
Organization
 Different Style of Organizations
 Components of Computer and Busses
 Describing Functionality of RAM
Digital Computer: Computer Architecture

• Computer Architecture is concerned with the structure and

behavior of the computer as seen by the user.
• It includes the information, formats, the instruction set, and
techniques for addressing memory.
• The architectural design of a computer system is concerned with the
specifications of the various functional modules, such as processors
and memories, and structuring them together into a computer
system.
• Two basic types of computer architecture are:

1. Von Neumann architecture

2. Harvard architecture
Computer Architecture: von Neumann
architecture
• The von Neumann architecture describes a general framework, or
structure, that a computer's hardware, programming, and data should
follow.
• The vast majority of computers in use today operate according to the
von Neumann architecture.
• von Neumann based computer system structure has the following
components:
• ALU: The Arithmetic-Logic unit that performs the computer's
computational and logical functions.
• RAM: Memory; more specifically, the computer's main, or fast,
memory, also known as Random Access Memory(RAM).
Computer Architecture: von Neumann
architecture
Control Unit: This is a component that directs other components of the
computer to perform certain actions, such as directing the fetching of
data or instructions from memory to be processed by the ALU; and
Man-machine interfaces; i.e. input and output devices, such as
keyboard for input and display monitor for output.
•An example of computer architecture base on the von Neumann
architecture is the desktop personal computer.
Computer Architecture: von Neumann
architecture
 Computer Architecture: Harvard architecture

• The Harvard architecture uses physically separate storage and

signal pathways for their instructions and data.

• In a computer with Harvard architecture, the CPU can read both an

instruction and data from memory at the same time, leading to
double the memory bandwidth.

• Microcontroller(single-chip microcomputer)-based computer

systems and DSP(Digital Signal Processor)-based computer
systems are examples of Harvard architecture.
Computer Org & Architecture
Computer architecture refers to those attributes of a system
visible to a programmer or, put another way, those attributes that
have a direct impact on the logical execution of a program.
Computer organization refers to the operational units and their
interconnections that realize the architectural specifications.
Examples of architectural attributes include the instruction set,
the number of bits used to represent various data types (e.g.,
numbers, characters), I/O mechanisms, and techniques for
addressing memory.
Organizational attributes include those hardware details
transparent to the programmer, such as control signals;
interfaces between the computer and peripherals; and the
memory technology used.
Computer Organization
• Computer Organization is the structure of entire
computer system, including CPU, memory, I/O devices,
etc. It is concerned with how the components operate and
how they are connected. (Graphics card model, bus type,
etc.)
Components of Computer
Its major structural components are as follows:
• Control unit: Controls the operation of the CPU and
hence the computer
• Arithmetic and logic unit (ALU): Performs the
computer’s data processing functions
• Registers: Provides storage internal to the CPU
• CPU interconnection: Some mechanism that provides
for communication among the control unit,ALU, and
registers
 Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 15

Components of Computer
• Computer’s functions can be broken down into
three basic tasks:
Input/Output: A user running a word-processing program
types the letter “A” on the keyboard, which results in sending
a code representing the letter “A” to the computer.
– The CPU sends instructions to the graphics cards to
display the letter “A”, which is then sent to the computer
monitor.
Processing: The computer’s central processing unit (CPU)
determines what letter was typed by looking up the keyboard
code in a table.
Storage: there are two main categories of storage
– Short-term storage
– Long-term storage
 Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 16

Input Components
• Common user-controlled devices such as
keyboards, mice, microphones, Web cameras, and
scanners
• External interfaces, such as serial, FireWire, and
USB ports can also be used to get input from
peripheral devices
• Storage devices such as hard disks and CDs/DVDs
 Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 17

Processing Components
• A computer’s main processing component is the CPU
– Executes instructions from computer programs such as word
processors and from the computer’s operating system
– Current CPUs are composed of two or more processors called
cores
• A graphics processing unit (GPU) takes a high-level
graphics instruction and performs the calculation
needed for the instruction to be displayed on the
monitor
• Other devices, such as network interface cards and
disk controller cards, might also include onboard
processors
 Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 18

Output Components
• Most obvious are monitors and printers
• Also includes storage devices, network cards,
and speakers
• External interfaces
– For example, a disk drive connected to a USB port allows
reading files from the disk (input) and writing files to the disk
(output).
 Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 19

Storage Components
• The more storage a computer has, the better
• Most storage components are both input and
output devices
• Most people think of storage as disk drives,
CD/DVD drives, and USB flash drives
• However, there are two main categories of storage
– Short-term storage
– Long-term storage
 Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 20

RAM: Short-Term Storage

• Random Access Memory (RAM) – when power to
the computer is turned off, RAM’s contents are
gone.
• It is also called volatile memory.
• The amount of RAM in a computer is crucial to the
computer’s capability to operate efficiently
• RAM is also referred to as working storage
• If there’s not enough RAM to run a program, the
computer will use the disk drive to supplement
Computer Bus & Its Types
• The Computer bus helps the various parts of the PC
communicate.

Types of Computer Bus

There are a variety of buses found inside the computer.
• Data Bus: The data bus allows data to travel back and
forth between the microprocessor (CPU) and memory
(RAM).
• Address Bus: The address bus carries information about
the location of data in memory.
Computer Bus & Its Types
• Control Bus : The control bus carries the control signals
that make sure everything is flowing smoothly from place
to place.
• Expansion Bus: If your computer has expansion
slots, there's an expansion bus. Messages and
information pass between your computer and the add-in
boards you plug in over the expansion bus.