Section 3.3 Guided Notes

ARM

Advanced RISC Machine

Power Supply

Another responsibility of the motherboard is to make sure all the components get the right amount of electricity. This electricity comes to the computer through a power supply unit. Power supplies take AC power from the wall outlet and convert it into DC power. They typically have a variety of cables and plugs that attach to the motherboard near each powered component.

An important part of the motherboard is a chip that contains the ___.

BIOS

BIOS

Basic Input/Output System

What is the most important part of any modern computer system?

CPU

CPU

Central Processing Unit

After receiving raw input data from the user, the CPU applies the data to a list of instructions called a ___.

Computer program

GPU

Graphics Processing Unit

One of the problems of high speed computing is that it can produce a lot of ___.

Heat

Many computers today handle graphics processing through the CPU and RAM on the motherboard. This is called __.

Integrated graphics

What does BIOS do when you restart your computer?

Makes sure all the necessary parts are plugged in and working

The CPU and RAM are connected by a large flat component called a ___.

Motherboard

Whose responsibility is it to make sure all of the components get the right amount of electricity?

Motherboard

NIC

Network Interface Controller

Cooling System

One of the problems of high-speed computing is that it can produce a lot of heat. A typical desktop CPU can get hot enough to boil water. This much heat can damage delicate components if it isn't appropriately dealt with. In a typical desktop system, this is done with heat sinks and fans. A heat sink is a piece of metal that absorbs heat in a way that makes it easy to dissipate. Heat travels up the heat sink into thin branches, which maximize its contact with the air. Then, fans throughout the system replace the hot air inside the machine with cool air from the outside.

When you run a program, the computer loads the instructions into its ____.

RAM

RAM

Random Access Unit

RAM is sometimes called ___.

Short term memory

Motherboard

The CPU and RAM are connected by a large flat component called a Motherboard. The Motherboard is like the spine in your body - it connects all the other parts to each other and sends electrical signals between them. An important part of the motherboard is a chip that contains the BIOS, or Basic Input Output System. The BIOS is like your brainstem, which controls basic functions like heart rate and respiration. When you restart a computer, the BIOS makes sure all the necessary parts are plugged in and working properly, then tells the operating system to start loading.

Network Interface Card

Today, most computers need to connect to the Internet. That's the job of the Network Interface Card, or NIC. Some motherboards have a NIC built in, while others need one to be added on. Some NICs are for a wired connection, some are for wireless, and some can do both.

Random Access Memory

The CPU is great at performing calculations, but it can only deal with one line of instructions at a time - it can't keep track of the whole program all at once. Instead, the computer stores this information in RAM, or random-access memory. When you run a program, the computer loads the instructions into its RAM. Then, the processor gets the first line of instructions from the RAM, executes it, and writes the result back into RAM to use later. RAM is extremely fast, but it's also volatile. If you turn off the computer system, RAM will forget everything. For this reason, RAM is sometimes called short-term memory - it's only concerned with whatever the computer is working on right now.

Graphics Processing Unit

The CPU is the main processor in a computer, but computers require additional processing power for creating images and graphics. This is supplied by a graphics processing unit, or GPU. Most computers today handle graphics processing through the CPU and RAM on the motherboard. This is called integrated graphics (or on-board graphics). But computers that are used primarily for gaming, video editing, and 3D modeling and animation need a second GPU that's dedicated to graphics processing. The best dedicated graphics cards (sometimes called video cards) are expensive because they also include their own specialized RAM and cooling fan.

Central Processing Unit

The most important part of any modern computer system is the central processing unit, or CPU. Just like the brain controls the body, the CPU controls the other parts of the computer by getting information from them, then telling them what to do. After receiving raw input data from the user, the CPU applies the data to a list of instructions, called a computer program. Then, the CPU follows, or executes, each line of the computer program in order, turning the data from the user into information. This is called processing.