IT – Chapter 3

COMPUTER HARDWARE instructions and performs the arithmetic and logic

operations required for the processing of data. Then, it
TOPIC OUTLINE sends the processed data or result to the memory.
1 Central Processing Unit (CPU)  acts as an administrator and is responsible for
2 Memory Unit supervising operations of other parts of the computer
3 Instruction Format  fabricated as a single Integrated Circuit (IC) chip,
4 Instruction Set a.k.a. microprocessor. The microprocessor is plugged
5 Instruction Cycle into the motherboard of the computer (Motherboard is a
6 Microprocessor circuit board that has electronic circuit etched on it and
7 Interconnecting the Units of a Computer connects the microprocessor with the other hardware
components).
8 Performance of a Computer
 without the CPU, the computer will be useless; will
9 Inside a Computer Cabinet
never work
INTRODUCTION
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
1 ARITHMETIC LOGIC UNIT (ALU)
COMPUTER HARDWARE
 performs the arithmetic and logic operations
1 COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
on the data that is made available to it
 structure and behavior of the computer
TWO UNITS
 includes the specifications of the components
1 ARITHMETIC UNIT
Specifications of the Components e.g., instruction
 performs arithmetic operations on the
format, instruction set and techniques for
data that is made available to it—addition,
addressing memory, and how they connect to the
subtraction, multiplication and division
other components.
2 LOGIC UNIT
2 COMPUTER ORGANIZATION
 responsible for performing logic
 organizational structure
operations
 deals with how the hardware components
 performs comparisons of numbers,
operate and the way they are connected to form
letters, and special characters
the compute
 Logic operations include testing for
3 COMPUTER DESIGN
greater than, less than or equal to
 hardware to be used and the interconnection of
condition
parts. Different kinds of computer, such as a PC
 performs arithmetic and logic operations, and
or a mainframe
uses registers to hold the data that is being
computer may have different organization;
processed
however, basic organization of the
computer remains the same. REGISTERS
 temporary storage area to hold the data;
sudden shut down of computer without saving the
THREE MAIN COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER
documents will lost.
1 INPUT/OUTPUT (I/O) UNIT
e.g., Google docs automatically saves real-time
 user interacts with the computer via the I/O
but should be connected to internet.
unit
 if it exceeded the storage, the computer will
PURPOSE: to provide data and instructions as
encounter hanging, lagging, freezing
input to the computer and to present relevant
WAYS: saving file temporarily, clear cache
information as output from the computer
 assists what the CPU processes
2 CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU) WORK: holds what it processes at a time, either
 controls the operations of the computer and 32-bit or 64-bit
processes the received input to generate the  high-speed storage areas within the CPU, but
relevant output have the least storage capacity
3 MEMORY UNIT  not referenced by their address, but are directly
 stores the instructions and the data during the accessed and manipulated by the CPU during
input activity, to make instructions readily instruction execution
available to CPU during processing  store data, instructions, addresses and
 also stores the processed output intermediate results of processing
 the CPU’s working memory
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT  The data and instructions that require
processing must be brought in the registers of
 the processor CPU before they can be processed.
 the brain / spinal cord of computer e.g., two numbers are to be added, both numbers
 has a set of registers which are temporary storage are brought in the registers, added and the result
areas for holding data, and instructions. is also placed in a register.
 uses the registers to store the data, instructions during REGISTERS
processing 1 ACCUMULATOR (ACC)
 executes the stored program instructions, i.e.,  stores the result of arithmetic and
instructions and data are stored in memory before logic operations
execution. For processing, CPU gets data and
2 INSTRUCTION REGISTER (IR)
instructions from the memory. It interprets the program
 contains the current instruction most

LJL 1
IT – Chapter 3
events during processing etc.
recently fetched  holds the CPU’s Instruction Set: list of all
3 PROGRAM COUNTER (PC) operations that the CPU can perform
 contains the address of next FUNCTION: considered synonymous with that of
instruction to be processed a conductor of an orchestra. The conductor in an
4 Memory Address Register (MAR) orchestra does not perform any work by itself but
 contains the address of next location manages the orchestra and ensures that the
in the memory to be accessed members of orchestra work in proper
5 Memory Buffer Register (MBR)  coordination.
temporarily stores data from memory or
the data to be sent to memory MEMORY UNIT
6 Data Register (DR)
 stores the operands and any other data MEMORY UNIT
1 CACHE MEMORY
 The data and instructions that are required
during the processing of data are brought from the
secondary storage devices and stored in the RAM.
For processing, it is required that the data and
instructions are accessed from the RAM and
stored in the registers. The time taken to move the
data between RAM and CPU registers is large.
This affects the speed of processing of computer,
and results in decreasing the performance of
CPU.
 very high-speed memory placed in between
CPU Registers RAM and CPU: increases the speed of processing
 storage buffer that stores the data that is used
 The number of registers and the size of each more often, temporarily, and makes them
(number of bits) register in a CPU helps to available to CPU at a fast rate. During processing,
determine the power and the speed of a CPU. first checks cache for the required data. If data is
 The overall number of registers can vary from not found in cache, then it looks in the RAM for
about ten to many hundreds depending on the data.
type and complexity of the processor.  To access the cache memory, CPU does not
 The size of register, word size, indicates the have to use the motherboard’s system bus for data
amount of data with which the computer can transfer. (The data transfer speed slows to the
work at any given time. The bigger the size, the motherboard’s capability, when data is passed
more quickly it can process data. The size of a through system bus. CPU can process data at a
register may be 8, 16, 32 or 64 bits. much faster rate by avoiding the system bus.)
e.g., a 32–bit CPU is one in which each register is
32 bits wide and its CPU can manipulate 32 bits
of data at a time. Nowadays, PCs have 32–bit or
64–bit registers. 32-bit processor and 64-bit
processor are the terms used to refer to the size of
the registers. Other factors remaining the same, a
64-bit processor can process the data twice as fast
as one with 32-bit processor.
NOTE Illustration of cache Memory
We buy computers based on its purposes.
2 CONTROL UNIT (CU)  built into the processor, and may also be
 does not do any actual processing of data; located next to it on a separate chip between the
organizes the processing of data and instructions CPU and RAM. Cache built into the CPU is faster
 acts as a supervisor, and controls and than separate cache, running at the speed of the
coordinates the activity of the other units of microprocessor itself. However, separate cache is
computer roughly twice as fast as RAM.
 coordinates the input and output devices of a  The CPU has a built-in Level 1 (L1) cache and
computer. It directs the computer to carry out Level 2 (L2) cache. Some CPUs have a separate
stored program instructions by communicating cache chip on the motherboard: Level 3 (L3)
with the ALU and the registers. CU uses the cache. Nowadays, high-end processor comes with
instructions in the Instruction Register (IR) to built-in L3 cache, like in Intel core i7. The L1, L2
decide which circuit needs to be activated. It also and L3 cache store the most recently run
instructs the ALU to perform the arithmetic or instructions, the next ones and the possible ones,
logic operations. When a program is run, the respectively. Typically, CPUs have cache size
Program Counter (PC) register keeps track of the varying from 256KB (L1), 6 MB (L2), to 12MB
program instruction to be executed next.  tells (L3) cache.
when to fetch the data and instructions, what to  very expensive, so it is smaller in size.
do, where to store the results, the sequencing of Generally, computers have cache memory of sizes

LJL 2
IT – Chapter 3
256 KB to 2 MB. STORAGE DEVICES EXAMPLES
 Hard disk drive
DELETING CACHE MEMORY: All saves data  floppy drive
will be gone; can able to hold information that  optical disk drives
you usually use for future  The data and instructions that are currently not
WHY DELETE? To refresh the performance of being used by CPU, but may be required later for
computer processing, are stored in secondary memory.
2 PRIMARY MEMORY  has a high storage capacity than the primary
 main memory of the computer memory
 used to store data and instructions during  cheaper than the primary memory
execution of the instructions  takes longer time to access the data and
 semiconductor memory instructions stored in secondary memory than in
TWO KINDS primary memory
1 RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM) TYPES OF STORAGE DEVICES
 volatile  Magnetic tape drives
 stores data when the computer is on.  disk drives
The information stored in RAM gets  optical disk drives
erased when the computer is turned off;
provides temporary storage for data and Letter A: 10110110
instructions Every character has its combination
 stores data and instructions during the e.g., files: 100kb, 250mb, 1GB = number of bytes in the
execution of instructions. The file
data and instructions that require The more characters, numerical, alphanumerical, colors,
processing are brought into the RAM the more weight the file will gain.
from the storage devices like hard disk. 1 byte can store 256 different combination of bits that
CPU accesses the data and the instructions can be used to represent the 256 different symbols. The
from RAM, as it can access it at a fast different combination of bits fall in the range of
speed than the storage devices connected 0000000011111111, it can combine to form a word.
to the input and output unit. Word: group of 2,4, or 8 bytes
1 bit = either 0 or 1
1 byte = 8 bits
1 kb = 1,024 bytes
1 mb = 1,024 kilobytes
1GB = 1,024 x 1,024
Interaction of CPU with memory
Mostly memory is logically organized in a linear array
 The input data that is entered using the for processing.
input unit is stored in RAM, to be made WHY? To allocate the addresses of the file
available during the processing of data. The memory is always characterized on the basic two
Similarly, the output data generated after key factors
processing is stored in RAM before being 1. THE CAPACITY: amount of information that
sent to the output device. Any the memory can store
intermediate results generated during the 2. ACCESS TIME: the interval between read and
processing of program are stored in RAM. write
 provides a limited storage capacity due The lesser access time, the faster the speed of the
to its high cost memory.
2 READ ONLY MEMORY (ROM) In the memory hierarchy, the fastest is the registers
 non-volatile memory, but is a read only (because they’re inside/close to the CPU)  cache
memory. memory (fast but limited information that it can
 The storage is permanent in nature, and hold temporarily)  main / primary memory (in
is used for storing standard processing the middle line, faster than magnetic and optical
programs that permanently reside in the disks, magnetic tapes)  magnetic disk, optical
computer; comes programmed by the disk, magnetic tape (lower part)
manufacturer SECONDARY MEMORY PURPOSE: store data
SECONDARY MEMORY only; to save file externally
 non-volatile
 used for permanent storage of data and INSTRUCTION FORMAT
instructions; the information can be stored for a
long time (years), and is generally permanent in COMPUTER PROGRAM
nature unless erased by the user.
 A program or data that has to be executed is  set of instructions that describe the steps to be
brought into the RAM from the secondary performed for carrying out a computational task
memory.
provides back-up storage for data and The program and the data, on which the program
instructions operates, are stored in main memory, waiting to be

LJL 3
IT – Chapter 3
processed by the processor. This is also called the stored
program concept.  Microarchitecture is the processor design technique
INSTRUCTION used for implementing the Instruction Set. Computers
having different microarchitecture can have a common
 designed to perform a task and is an elementary Instruction Set. Pentium and Athlon CPU chips
operation that the processor can accomplish implement the x86 instruction set, but have different
 divided into groups called fields internal designs.
The remainder of the instruction fields differs from one
computer type to other. INSTRUCTION STYLE
COMMON FIELDS OF INSTRUCTION
1 OPERATION CODE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY OF A COMPUTER
 represents action that the processor must PROCESSOR: to execute a sequential set of instructions
execute that constitute a program. CPU executes each instruction
 tells the processor what basic operations to in a series of steps, called instruction cycle.
perform
2 OPERAND CODE
 defines the parameters of the action and
depends on the operation
 specifies the locations of the data or the
operand on which the operation is to be
performed. It can be data or a memory address.

Instruction format

Instruction format for ADD command

The number of bits in an instruction varies according to

the type of data (could be between 8 and 32 bits).

INSTRUCTION SET

 instruction set architecture is a part of the computer

architecture. It relates to programming, instructions, FOUR STEPS
registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, etc. 1 FETCHING
 the set of all the basic operations that a processor can  The processor fetches the instruction from the
accomplish memory. The fetched instruction is placed in the
Instruction Register.
 Program Counter holds the address of next
instruction to be fetched and is incremented after
each fetch.
2 DECODING
Examples of some instructions  The instruction that is fetched is broken down
into parts or decoded. The instruction is translated
 The instructions in the instruction set are the language into commands so that they correspond to those
that a processor understands. All programs have to in the CPU’s instruction set. The instruction set
communicate with the processor using these instructions. architecture of the CPU defines the way in which
 An instruction in the instruction set involves a series an instruction is decoded.
of logical operations (may be thousands) that are 3 EXECUTING
performed to complete each task.  The decoded instruction or the command is
 embedded in the processor (hardwired), which executed. CPU performs the operation implied by
determines the machine language for the processor. All the program instruction.
programs written in a high-level language are compiled e.g., if it is an ADD instruction, addition is
and translated into machine code before execution, which performed
is understood by the processor for which the program has 4 STORING
been coded.  CPU writes back the results of execution, to
Two processors are different if they have different the computer’s memory.
instruction sets. A program run on one computer may not
run on another computer having a different processor. Some categories of instructions:
Two processors are compatible if the same machine level
 Memory access or transfer of data between
program can run on both the processors. Therefore, the
registers
system software is developed within the processor’s
instruction set.

LJL 4
IT – Chapter 3
executed in just one clock cycle, which
 Arithmetic operations like addition and speeds up the program execution when
subtraction compared to CISC processors.
 Logic operations such as AND, OR and NOT  RISC processors can handle multiple
 Control the sequence, conditional connections, instructions simultaneously by
etc. processing them in parallel.
 Apple Mac G3 and PowerPC are based
A CPU performance is measured by the number of on RISC.
instructions it executes in a second, i.e., MIPS (million Processors like Athlon XP and Pentium IV use a
instructions per second), or BIPS (billion instructions per hybrid of both technologies
second).
Automation is when the instructions are more simplified
MICROPROCESSOR or less complicated; it should improve the process time.

A processor’s instruction set is a determining factor in its PIPELINING

architecture.
 improves instruction execution speed by putting the
The x86 instruction set of the original Intel 8086 execution steps into parallel. A CPU can receive a single
processor is of the CISC type. The PCs are based on the instruction, begin executing it, and receive
x86 instruction set. another instruction before it has completed the first. This
allows for more instructions to be performed, about, one
CLASSIFICATIONS OF MICROPROCESSORS instruction per clock cycle.
1 COMPLEX INSTRUCTION SET COMPUTER
(CISC) PARALLEL PROCESSING
 CISC architecture hardwires the processor
with complex instructions, which are difficult to  the simultaneous execution of instructions from the
create otherwise using basic instructions. same program on different processors. A program is
 combines the different instructions into one divided into multiple processes that are handled in
single CPU parallel in order to reduce execution time.
 has a large instruction set that includes
simple and fast instructions for INTERCONNECTING THE UNITS OF A
performing basic tasks, as well as COMPUTER
complex instructions that correspond to
statements in the high level language. CPU sends data, instructions, and information to the
 An increased number of instructions components inside the computer as well as to the
(200 to 300) results in a much more peripherals and devices attached to it. Bus is a set of
complex processor, requiring millions electronic signal pathways that allows information and
of transistors. signals to travel between components inside or outside of
Instructions are of variable lengths, a computer.
using 8, 16 or 32 bits for storage. This The different components of computer, i.e., CPU, I/O
results in the processor’s time being unit, and memory unit are connected with each other by a
spent in calculating where each bus. The data, instructions, and the signals are carried
instruction begins and ends. between the different components via a bus.
With large number of application
software programs being written for the The features and functionality of a bus:
processor, a new processor has to be
backwards compatible to the older  A bus is a set of wires used for interconnection,
version of processors. where each wire can carry one bit of data.
AMD and Cyrix are based on CISC.  A bus width is defined by the number of wires in
2 REDUCED INSTRUCTION SET COMPUTER the bus.
(RISC)
 has simple, single-cycle instructions, which TWO TYPES OF COMPUTER BUS
performs only basic instructions 1 INTERNAL BUS
 RISC architecture does not have hardwired  connects components inside the motherboard
advanced functions. like CPU and system memory.  a.k.a System
 All high-level language support is done in the Bus
software.
 has fewer instructions and requires fewer
transistors, which results in the reduced
manufacturing cost of processor.
 The instruction size is fixed (32 bits). The
processor need not spend time in finding out
Interaction between processor and memory
where each instruction begins and ends.
2 EXTERNAL BUS
 RISC architecture has a reduced production
 connects the different external devices,
cost compared to CISC processors.
peripherals, expansion slots, I/O ports, and drive
 The instructions, simple in nature, are

LJL 5
IT – Chapter 3
connections to the rest of computer Expansion slots are easy to recognize on the
 allows various devices to be attached to the motherboard.
computer  Expansion slots make up a row of long plastic
 allows for the expansion of computer’s connectors at the back of the computer with tiny copper
capabilities ‘finger slots’ in a narrow channel that grab the
 generally slower than the system bus connectors on the expansion cards. The slots are attached
 a.k.a Expansion Bus to tiny copper pathways on the motherboard (the
expansion bus), which allows the device to communicate
A system bus or expansion bus comprise of three kinds with the rest of computer.
of buses — data bus, address bus, and control bus.
FUNCTIONS OF BUSES IN THE EXPANSION
The interaction of CPU with memory and I/O devices BUS
involves all the three buses. 1 DATA BUS
 to transfer data between I/O devices and CPU.
The command to access the memory or the I/O device is The exchange of data between CPU and I/O
carried by the control bus. devices is according to the industry standard data
buses.
The address of I/O device or memory is carried by the MOST COMMONLY USED STANDARD:
address bus. Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA),
which is a 32-bit bus architecture.
The data to be transferred is carried by the data bus. Some of the common bus technologies:
 Peripheral Component Interconnect
SYSTEM BUS (PCI) bus for hard disks, sound cards,
network cards and graphics cards,
FUNCTIONS OF BUSES IN THE SYSTEM BUS Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) bus
1 DATA BUS for 3-D and full motion video,
 transfers data between the CPU and memory. Universal Serial Bus (USB) to connect
The bus width of a data bus affects the speed of and disconnect different devices.
computer. The size of data bus defines the size of 2 ADDRESS BUS
the processor. A processor can be 8, 16, 32 or 64-  carries the addresses of different I/O devices to
bit processor. An 8–bit processor has 8 wire data be accessed like the hard disk, CD ROM, etc,
bus to carry 1 byte of data. In a 16–bit processor, 3 CONTROL BUS
16–wire bus can carry 16 bits of data, i.e., transfer  to carry read/write commands, status of I/O
2 bytes, etc. devices, etc.

EXTERNAL PORTS

The peripheral devices interact with the CPU of the

computer via the bus. The connections to the bus from
the peripheral devices are made via the ports and sockets
provided at the sides of the computer. The different ports
and sockets facilitate the connection of different devices
to the computer. Some of the standard port connections
available on the outer sides of the computer are— port
for mouse, keyboard, monitor, network, modem, and,
audio port, serial port, parallel port and USB port. The
different ports are physically identifiable by their
Interaction between CPU, memory and peripheral devices different shapes, size of contact pins and number of pins.
2 ADDRESS BUS
 connects CPU and RAM with set of wires
similar to data bus. The width of address bus
determines the maximum number of memory
locations the computer can address. Currently,
Pentium Pro, II, III, IV have 36–bit address bus
that can address 236 bytes or 64 GB of memory.
3 CONTROL BUS
 specifies whether data is to be read or written
to the memory, etc.

EXPANSION BUS

 The expansion bus connects external devices to the

rest of computer e.g., monitor, keyboard, and printer Interaction of serial and parallel port interfaces with the
connect to ports on the back of computer. These ports are devices
actually a part of the small circuit board or expansion
card that fits into an expansion slot on the motherboard. PERFORMANCE OF A COMPUTER

LJL 6
IT – Chapter 3
wire bus can carry 16 bits of data. The bus speed
There are a number of factors involved that are related to is measured in MHz. Higher the bus speed the
the CPU and have an effect on the overall speed and better it is.
performance of the computer.  Address bus: connects CPU and RAM with a
set of wires similar to data bus. The address bus
width determines the maximum number of
memory locations the computer can address.
Pentium Pro, II, III, IV have 36–bit address bus
that can address 236 bytes or 64 GB of memory.
PCs nowadays have a bus speed varying from
100 MHz to 400 MHz.
5 CACHE MEMORY
 Two of the main factors that affect a cache’s
performance are its size (amount of cache
memory) and level L1, L2, and L3. Larger the
size of cache, the better it is. PCs nowadays have
a L1 cache of 256KB and L2 cache of 1MB.

INSIDE A COMPUTER CABINET

The computer cabinet encloses the components that are

required for the running of the computer. The
components inside a computer cabinet include the power
System properties in Windows XP Professional supply, motherboard, memory chips, expansion slots,
ports and interface, processor, cables, and storage
FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE devices.
PERFORMANCE OF COMPUTER
1 REGISTERS INSIDE A COMPUTER CABINET
 The size of the register (word size) indicates 1 MOTHERBOARD
the amount of data with which the computer can  The computer is built up around a
work at any given time. The bigger the size, the motherboard.
more quickly it can process data. A 32–bit CPU is  the most important component in the PC. It is
one in which each register is 32 bits wide. a large Printed Circuit Board (PCB), having many
2 RAM chips, connectors and other electronics mounted
 store data and instructions during execution of on it.
the instructions. Anything you do on your  the hub, which is used to connect all the
computer requires RAM. When the computer is essential components of a computer. The RAM,
switched on, the operating system, device drivers, hard drive, disk drives, and optical drives are all
the active files and running programs are loaded plugged into interfaces on the motherboard.
into RAM. If RAM is less, then the CPU waits  contains the processor, memory chips,
each time the new information is swapped into interfaces and sockets, etc.
memory from the slower devices. Larger the
RAM size, the better it is. PCs nowadays usually The motherboard may be characterized by the
have 1 GB to 4 GB of RAM. form factor, chipset, and type of
3 SYSTEM CLOCK processor socket used.
 The clock speed of a CPU is defined as the  Form factor: the motherboard’s
frequency with which a processor executes geometry, dimensions, arrangement,
instructions or the data is processed. Higher clock and electrical requirements.
frequencies mean more clock ticks per second. Different standards have been developed to build
The computer’s operating speed is linked to the motherboards, which can be used in different
speed of the system clock. The clock frequency is brands of cases.
measured in millions of cycles per second or ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY EXTENDED
megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz) which is (ATX): the most common design of motherboard
billions of cycles per second. A CPU’s for desktop computers.
performance is measured by the number of  Chipset: a circuit which controls the
instructions it executes in a second, i.e., MIPS or majority of resources (including the bus
BIPS. PCs nowadays come with a clock speed of interface with the processor, cache
more than 1 GHz. In Windows OS, you can select memory, and RAM, expansion cards,
the System Properties dialog box to see the etc.)
processor name and clock frequency. JOB: to coordinate data transfers between the
various components of the computer (including
the processor and memory). As the chipset is
4 BUS integrated into the motherboard, it is important to
 Data bus: for transferring data between CPU choose a motherboard, which includes a recent
and memory. The data bus width affects the chipset, in order to maximize the computer’s
speed of computer. In a 16–bit processor, 16–bit upgradeability.

LJL 7
IT – Chapter 3
 Processor socket: may be a rectangular
connector into which the processor is
mounted vertically (slot), or a square-
shape connector with many small
connectors into which the processor is
directly inserted (socket). The Basic
Input Output System (BIOS) and
Complementary Metal-Oxide
Semiconductor (CMOS) are present on
the motherboard. Battery for CMOS chip
2 PORTS AND INTERFACES
 Motherboard has a certain number of I/O
sockets that are connected to the ports and
interfaces found on the rear side of a computer.
You can connect external devices to the ports and
interfaces, which get connected to the computer’s
motherboard.
SERIAL PORT to connect old
peripherals
ROM BIOS PARALLEL to connect old printers
1 BIOS PORT
 the basic program used as an interface
between the operating system and the
motherboard.
 stored in the ROM and cannot be
rewritten
 When the computer is switched on, it
needs instructions to start. BIOS contain Ports on the rear side of a PC
the instructions for the starting up of the
computer. The BIOS runs when the USB Ports: to connect newer peripherals like
computer is switched on. cameras, scanners, and printers to the computer.
 performs a Power On Self Test (POST) It uses a thin wire to connect to the devices, and
that checks that the hardware is many devices can share that wire simultaneously.
functioning properly and the hardware Firewire: another bus, used today mostly for
devices are present. It checks whether the video cameras and external hard drives.
operating system is present on the hard RJ45 connector (called LAN or Ethernet port):
drive. to connect the computer to a network. It
 invokes the bootstrap loader to load the corresponds to a network card integrated into the
operating system into memory motherboard.
 can be configured using an interface VGA connector: for connecting a monitor. This
named BIOS setup, which can be accessed connector interfaces with the built-in graphics
when the computer is booting up (by card.
pressing the DEL key). Audio plugs (line-in, line-out and microphone):
for connecting sound speakers and the
microphone. This connector interfaces with the
2 CMOS CHIP built-in sound card.
 BIOS ROMs are accompanied by a PS/2 port: to connect mouse and keyboard into
smaller CMOS (CMOS is a type of PC.
memory technology) memory chip. SCSI port: for connecting the hard disk drives
 When the computer is turned off, the and network connectors.
power supply stops providing electricity 3 EXPANSION SLOTS
to the motherboard. When the computer is  located on the motherboard
turned on again, the system still displays  The expansion cards are inserted in the
the correct clock time. This is because the expansion slots. These cards give the computer
CMOS chip saves some system new features or increased performance.
information, such as time, system date and TYPES OF SLOTS
essential system settings. Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) slot: to
 CMOS is kept powered by a button connect modem and input devices.
battery located on the motherboard.  Peripheral Component InterConnect (PCI)
working even when the computer power is slot: to connect audio, video, and graphics. They
switched off. Information of the hardware are much faster than ISA cards.
installed in the computer (such as the Accelerated Graphic Port (AGP) slot: a fast
number of tracks or sectors on each hard port for a graphics card.
drive) is stored in the CMOS chip. Peripheral Component InterConnect (PCI)
Express slot: faster bus architecture than AGP

LJL 8
IT – Chapter 3
and PCI buses.
PC Card: used in laptop computers. It includes  Pentium 2
Wi-Fi card, network card, and external modem.  Pentium 4

Storage devices: Hard disk driveDVD driveFloppy diskCD

Expansion slots
4 RIBBON CABLES
 flat, insulated, and consist of several tiny wires
molded together that carry data to different
components on the motherboard. There is a wire
for each bit of the word or byte and additional
wires to coordinate the activity of moving
information. They also connect the floppy drives,
disk drives, and CD-ROM drives to the
connectors in the motherboard. Nowadays, Serial
Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)
cables have replaced the ribbon cables to connect
the drives to the motherboard.

Ribbon cables inside a PC

5 MEMORY CHIPS
 The RAM consists of chips on a small circuit
board.
The Two types of memory chips
1. Single In-line Memory Module
(SIMM)
2. Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM)
are used in desktop computers.
The CPU can retrieve information from DIMM
chip at 64 bits compared to 32 bits or 16 bits
transfer with SIMM chips. DIMM chips are used
in Pentium 4 onwards to increase the access
speed.
6 STORAGE DEVICES
 The disk drives are present inside the machine.
The common disk drives in a machine:
 hard disk drive
 floppy drive
 CD drive or DVD drive
High-storage devices like hard disk, floppy disk,
and CDs are inserted into the hard disk drive,
floppy drive, and CD drive, respectively. These
storage devices can store large amounts of data,
permanently.
7 PROCESSOR
 a.k.a. CPU
 the main component of the computer. Select a
processor based on factors:
 Speed
 Performance
 Reliability
 Motherboard support.
SOME PROCESSORS
 Pentium Pro

LJL 9