Unit 1 Hardware

Unit 1 Hardware flashcard

Controller

Controller

Coordinates the other parts of the CPU

ALU

Does Arithmetic Calculation and Logical operation

Register

Single fast volatile memory. E.g: the program counter

Internal Memory

Holds frequently used instructions and results of calculations (also called cache memory)

RAM

RAM is used to hold running programs and data for them.

ROM

ROM is permanently store data, e.g: it stores BIOS and starts the PC up.

HDD

HDDs have a spinning platter, have moving read/write heads, cheap per GB, slow compared to SSD, affected by fragmentation

SSD

No moving parts, expensive per GB, very fast compared to HDD, not affected by fragmentation, limited number of read/write cycles

Cloud Storage

If the storage is free then it is cheaper than physical storage like HDD and SSD, might be more expensive if you have to pay it monthly, accessible to any device with internet access, accessible to anywhere in the world, automatically backed up, security issue (easier to hack into)

Clock Speed

The speed at which a processor operates, measured in Hertz (Hz), determines how fast the computer can process instructions

Overclocking

Setting the clock speed of a processor to run faster than its original design, but can lead to increased energy consumption and heat production, potentially damaging the CPU

Under-clocking

Setting the clock speed of a processor lower than its original design to reduce power consumption and heat production, increasing battery life in mobile devices

Motherboard

Where all the components of a PC plug into

Hardware Port

Allows peripherals (mice, keyboards, etc.) to be connected to the motherboard

RISC

RISC ( Reduced Instruction Set Computer)

• Can process a limited number of simple instruction, to carry out more complex instruction the problem needs to broke down into a long list of simple instruction.

• Able to process simple instructiom quicker

• Need less power and produce less heat

CISC

CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer)

• Can process a large number of complex instruction, this allows the processor to understand and carry out complex task with only a few instruction

• CISC is able to process complex instruction, without breaking them into simpler instruction

• Need more power and produce more heat

What is cache memory

Very fast, volatile memory on the CPU, used to store frequently instructions used and result of calculations

What is parallel processing

When a task is split into sub-tasks and two core or more is working on the task same time

Advantages and Disadvantages of parallel processing

Advantages

• Executes multiple sub-tasks simultaneously

• Faster than single core

Disadvantages

• Programs need to be specially written for it

• Some tasks can only be done in a linear manner

What is secondary storage

A non-volatile stoarge, it tends to be quite large but slow compare to RAM

What is the GPU

GPU stand for Graphic Processing Unit, and it is a processor just to make display in the screen

What is a sound card

A small seperate component just to produce high quality sound

What is embeded system

A combination of hardware and software to perform a specific task

What is a optical storage

Storage devices that are read by lasers. E.g: DVD, CD and blueray

What is magnetic storage

Storage devices that store data magnetically. E.g: Hard drive and Tape drive

Describe the 3 types of the buses

1. Address bus. It sends the data’s address that are saved or loaded from the memory. The storage address of data always travels along an address bus.

2. Data bus. The path along which data travelled between serval parts of a computer is called data bus.

3. Control bus. The controller uses the control bus to send control signals to different parts of the computer.

Describe the fetch-decode-excute cycle

1.      The fetch cycle takes the address required from memory, stores it in the instruction register, and moves the program counter on one so that it points at the next instruction.

2.      The control unit checks the instruction in the instruction register.  The instruction is decoded to determine the action that needs to be carried out.

3.      The actual actions that happen during the execution cycle depend on the instruction itself.

OR

The PC holds the Address of the next instruction,This address is moved to the MAR, The instruction is copied to the MDR, then to the CIR where it is decoded and executed, finally the PC is incremented by 1

What is Von Neumann

It is the idea of storing a program’s instructions in the same memory as the data. The idea resulted in computers tobe more easily re-programmed and is the basis for the fetch-decode-execute cycle, fundamental to modern computer processing.

What is flash memory

A long-life and non-volatile memory widely used in embedded system. The data stored in flash memory can be read and change

What are the disadvantages of ROM compare to flash memory

In flash memory data can be changed

Rank the speed of cache memory, ROM, RAM and flash memory

1. Cache memory

2. RAM

3. ROM

4. Flash memory

Storage units