Hardware: The CPU & Storage
Primary storage
"memory," "main memory," "RAM"; this type of memory is temporary and volatile.
Multicore processors
(2, 4, 6, 8) have more than one, processor "core" on a, single silicon chip, which, allows computers to run faster. Special processors are made for portable devices.
CD-RW
(compact disk-rewritable)is an erasable optical disk that can both record and erase data over and over again.
Gigabyte (GB)
1 billion (1,073,741,824) bytes
Megabyte (MB)
1 million (1,048,576) bytes
Petabyte (PB)
1 quadrillion bytes
Exabyte (EB)
1 quintillion bytes
Terabyte (TB)
1 trillion (1,009,511,627,776) bytes
Kilobyte (KB)
1,000 (1,024) bytes
graphics processing unit -GPU-
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized processor used to manipulate three-dimensional (3-D) computer graphics.
circuit
A is a closed path followed or capable of being followed by an electric current.
transistor
A is a tiny electronic switch that can be turned "on" or "off" millions of times per second.
Semiconductor
A material whose electrical properties are intermediate between a good conductor and a nonconductor of electricity
port
A port is a connecting socket or jack on the outside of the computer unit or device into which are plugged different kinds of cables that connect peripheral devices.
Silicon
A semiconductor made of clay and sand
Chip
A tiny piece of silicon that contains millions of microminiature integrated electronic circuits.
bus
All are linked by a kind of electronic "roadway" called a bus.
Nonremovable hard disk
Also known as a fixed disk; is housed in the microcomputer system unit and is used to store nearly all programs and most data files. Usually consists of several metallic or glass platters, from 1 to 5.25 inches (most commonly 3.5 inches) in diameter, stacked on a spindle, with data stored on both sides. Read/write heads, one for each side of each platter, are mounted on an access arm that moves back and forth to the right location on the platter.
Expansion bus
Buses that connect the CPU with expansion slots on the motherboard and thus via ports with peripheral devices.
Memory Chips: CMOS
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor: Powered by a battery, Contains time, date, calendar, boot password
Bluetooth
Connects devices that use short-range radio waves that transmit up to 30 feet.
Graphics
Connects digital monitors and multimedia digital devices, such as TVs and DVD players.
DVD-R
DVD-recordable) is used for recording only once
Binary System
Data is represented in a computer by binary code, the basic data-representation method for computers uses just two numbers: 0 and 1, representing the off/on states of electricity or light pulses.
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
Does away with the need to install cards in expansion slots. USB devices can connect one to another outside the system unit, and then the USB bus connects to the PCI bus on the motherboard.
PCI Express
Doubles the speed of the original PCI bus . PCIe is the latest standard for expansion cards available on mainstream personal computers.
system clock
Every microprocessor contains a system clock, which controls how fast all the operations within a computer take place (the chip's processing speed).
eSATA
External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment; allows the attachment of an eSATA hard disk, which has fast data transmission speeds.
Parallel port
For transmitting data quickly over short distances: Transmits 8 bytes simultaneously Connects printers, external disks, tape backups
External hard disk
Freestanding disk drive (portable); usually connected via USB.
Chipset
Groups of interconnected chips on the motherboard that control information flow between the microprocessor and other system components connected to the motherboard.
Smartphones
Handheld system units.
HDMI
High-Definition Multimedia Interface; carries both video and audio signals and is used for connecting HDTVs, DVD players, and game consoles to computers, laptops, and other devices.
PCI
High-speed bus that has been widely used to connect PC graphics cards, sound cards, modems, and high-speed network cards.
Expansion Cards
If a computer uses closed architecture, no expansion cards can be added; if the computer uses open architecture, expansion cards can be inserted in expansion slots inside the computer, connected to the motherboard.
machine cycle
In the machine cycle, the CPU (1) fetches an instruction, (2) decodes the instruction, (3) executes the instruction, and (4) stores the result.
solid state
Integrated circuits are solid state (no moving parts).
FireWire
Intended for multiple devices working with lots of data and requiring fast transmission speeds, such as DVD drives, digital video cameras, and gaming consoles.
Motherboard
Main system board of the computer (also systemboard).
Microprocessor
Miniaturized circuitry of a computer processor.
Laptops
Monitor is attached to the system unit, like a clamshell
MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface; used to connect electronic musical instruments to a sound card that converts the signals to digital instructions that can be saved or manipulated.
Memory Chips: Flash
Nonvolatile memory that can be erased and reprogrammed more than once: Doesn't require a battery, Used in newer PCs for BIOS instructions
Processing Speeds
Older CPU processing speeds are in megahertz. 1 MHz = 1 million cycles per second. Current CPU processing speeds are in gigahertz. 1 GHz = 1 billion cycles per second. The faster a CPU runs, the more power it consumes, and the more heat it generates.
cloud, storage
Online, or cloud, storage is also available, but we still use secondary storage hardware.
Bay
Opening in the computer cabinet used for the installation of electrical equipment.
Surge Protector
Protects the computer from being damaged by power spikes. Plug your computer into one.
Memory Chips: RAM
Random Access Memory chips are volatile and hold: Software instructions, Data before & after the CPU processes it
Memory Chips: ROM
Read Only Memory: Cannot be written on or erased without special equipment, Are loaded at factory with, fixed (permanent) start-up instructions (BIOS), that tell the computer how to load the operating system
Binary coding schemes assign a unique binary code to each character: Unicode
Requires 16 bits per character Handles 65,536 characters—used for Chinese and Japanese
Binary coding schemes assign a unique binary code to each character: ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
Requires 7 or 8 bits per character, depending on the version, 8-bit Extended ASCII provides 256 characters, Commonly used for microcomputers.
Binary coding schemes assign a unique binary code to each character: EBCDIC -Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code-
Requires 8 bits per character Used for IBM mainframes
Firewire
Resembles the USB bus but is used for more specialized purposes, such as to connect audio and video equipment to the motherboard.
Hard Disks
Still the major secondary-storage device for desktop/tower computers.
Microchips
Store and process data in electronic devices
Ethernet
Supports a network standard for linking a wired local area network and connecting it to a DSL or a cable modem for high-speed Internet access.
CPU
The CPU consists of two parts—(1) the control unit and (2) the arithmetic/logic unit (ALU), both of which contain registers, or high-speed storage areas.
central processing unit
The CPU, for central processing unit, is the "brain" of the computer; it follows the instructions of the software (program) to manipulate data into information.
arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)
The arithmetic/logic unit (ALU) performs arithmetic operations and logical operations and controls the speed of those operations.
Frontside bus
The bus that connects the CPU within itself and to main memory.
System Unit
The case that contains the computer's electronic components used to process data.
Machine Language
The computer's "native language" A binary-type programming language (0s and 1s) built into the CPU that is run directly by the computer. Each CPU type has its own machine language; thus each computer's machine language is brand-dependent.
Language Translators
The computer's system software converts higher-level language instructions and data into machine language so that the processor can "understand" what to do.
Microprocessors
The miniaturized circuitry of an entire computer processor ("brain") on a single chip, Contains the central processing unit (CPU), which processes data into information, The development of microchips and processors has enabled the development of small, mobile electronic devices.
Power Supply
This converts AC to DC to run the computer.
PCs
Tower or desktop; monitor is separate.
IrDA
Transfers data via infrared light waves between directly aligned devices, as between a smartphone and a desktop computer.
integrated circuit
Transistors form part of an integrated circuit: all the parts of an electronic circuit embedded on a single silicon chip.
Accelerated Graphics
Transmits data at twice the speed of a PCI bus and is designed to support video and 3-D graphics.
UPS
Uninterruptible Power Supply. Battery-operated device that provides power for a limited time when there is a blackout.
USB port
Universal Serial Bus high-speed hardware standard for interfacing peripheral devices, such as scanners and printers, to computers without a need for special expansion cards or other hardware modifications to the computer. USB is replacing many varieties of serial and parallel ports.
Serial port
Used to transmit data slowly over long distances Sends data sequentially, one bit at a time. Used to connect older keyboards, mouse, monitors, dial-up modems
Tablets
Usually includes a touch-screen interface.
Byte
a group of 8 bits = 1 character, digit, or other value
Virtual Memory
also used to speed up processing. This type of memory is unused hard disk or optical (CD) space that the processor uses to extend the capacity of RAM. The processor goes first to L1 cache, then L2 cache, then RAM, then virtual memory. Each type of memory is slower than its predecessor.
First Computer - U. of P.
approx. 1947-1955
Expansion cards
are circuit boards that provide more memory or that control peripheral devices (for graphics, sound, video, network interface, wireless connection, etc.).
Microchips (Microprocessors)
are made from semiconductors.
DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+RW
are reusable DVDs
Arithmetic operations
are the fundamental math operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
CD-R
compact disk-recordable) is used for recording only once.
Expansion cards: Buses
connect the expansion cards to ports
Bit
each 0 or 1 is a bit
Buses
electrical data "roadways" through which bits are transmitted within the CPU and between the CPU and other components of the motherboard.
Level 2 cache
external cache Holds 64 kb to 16 MB
Secondary storage
hard disks and flash memory units; this type of memory is relatively permanent and nonvolatile.
UNIT 4B: Secondary storage
hardware includes devices that permanently hold data and information as well as programs
CD-ROM
is Compact Disk Read-Only Memory; content is prerecorded
DVD
is a CD-style disk with extremely high capacity
Blu-ray
is an optical-disk format used to record, rewrite, and play back high-definition (HD) video, as well as to store large amounts of data.
Multiprocessing
is processing that occurs using more than one processing unit to increase productivity and performance. This is also known as Parallel Processing.
CDs
optical disk
Level 1 cache
part of the microprocessor Holds 8 to 128 KB. Faster than Level 2 cache
RAID
redundant array of independent disks; for large computer systems
registers
special CPU areas that enhance the computer's performance
Moore's Law
states that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years.
Cache
temporarily stores instructions and data that the processor uses frequently to speed up processing.
ALU
the ALU compares two pieces of data to see whether one is equal to ( = ), greater than (>), greater than or equal to ( >= ), less than (<), less than or equal to ( <= ), or not equal to ( ≠ ) the other.
Level 3 cache
the motherboard Comes on very high-end computers Holds 2 to 8 MB
word size
the number of bits that the processor can process at any one time. The more bits in a word, usually the faster the computer. A 32-bit-word computer will transfer data within each microprocessor chip in 32-bit chunks. A 64-bit-word computer is faster, transferring data in 64-bit chunks at a time. (Most, but not all, 32-bit software will run on a 64-bit system, but 64-bit software will not run on a 32-bit system.)
