Computer architecture

Computer

A general purpose computer follows the same basic model. Data is input, processed and then either output or sent to secondary storage.

CPU

Central Processing Unit; the brain of the computer. Where data and instructions are processed.

Motherboard

A circuit board containing connectors into which the parts of a computer can be slotted.

Primary Memory

Computer memory that is accessed directly by the CPU. This includes RAM and ROM.

RAM

Random Access Memory. A temporary place to store data and instructions that are lost when the computer turns off (Volatile).

ROM

Read Only Memory. A permanent place to store data and instructions to start up (boot up) a computer that is not lost when the computer turns off (Non-volatile).

Secondary Storage

Storage that is remote to the CPU and permanently holds data, even when the PC is turned off, such as a hard drive.

HDD

Hard disk drive.

GPU

Graphics Processing Unit. A computer processor which is specialized to accelerate the creation of images to output to a display.

Power Supply

Supplies the computer with electricity

Input

Any piece of computer hardware used to provide data to a computer system. For example a keyboard.

Output

Any piece of computer hardware used to communicate the results of data that has been processed. For example a monitor.

Embedded System

A computer system that is built into another device.