COS 101

Computer Hardware
Lecturer: Dr. Ezeasomba, Irene
N.
 Objectives:
By the end of this Lecture, the student should be
able to:
 Explain Computer Hardware
 Distinguish
between External and Internal
Hardware Components
 Describe various computer hardware
 Describe storage devices
 Compare different types of storage devices
 Computer Hardware -
 Computer
Definition
hardware is an umbrella
term that refers to the physical
components of a computer.
 Computer hardware can be classified as
internal or external, which relates to
the placement of the physical part in or
around the device.
 Class Work

 Looking at the basic

components of the computer
system on the next slide.
Classify computer components
you know as either internal or
external component
Register
s
Internal and External Hardware Components

System Unit
 Internal Hardware Components
 Generally,internal hardware is required
for the computer to run.
 They are devices built into
the motherboard or added as an
expansion card or device to the
computer. This means that the
motherboard connects all the other
components.
 They are housed inside the computer
casing
 External Hardware Components (Peripherals)

 External
hardware components are devices
added outside of the computer case.
 External hardware enhances the use or
functionality of the computer (also called
peripherals.)
 Thesehardware components provide input
and output to the computer so users can
communicate with the system.
 We have discussed input/output devices.
Here we will concentrate on internal
hardware components and storage devices.
 The System Unit
 The system unit is the case that holds the
internal hardware components used to make
desktop computers operate.
 They are used to mount items such as the
motherboard, the hard drive, and the optical
drive.
 Most
computer cases come bundled with a
power supply.
 Computer cases for desktop computers also
contain external ports to connect external
hardware to the internal components.
The Inside View of a the System
Unit
The motherboard
 The motherboard is a
circuit board used to
mount several other
essential hardware
components, including
the CPU and main
memory.
 Motherboards link
hardware units and their
functions together to
enable computer
 The Central Processing Unit(Processor)
 The processor is the component that executes
program instructions by fetching an instruction,
executing it, fetching the next instruction,
executing it, and so on until it encounters an
instruction to stop.
 Processors are characterized by their clock speeds.
 Forexample, in the Intel Pentium 200 of 1990’s,
the CPU has a clock speed of 200 megahertz (MHz).
 Note that the speed of electricity generally is
measured in Hertz (Hz) and this means how many
cycles the processor completes in a cycle.
 Processor Clock Speed
 200MHz speed means 200,000,000 cycles per
second. That is 200 million Hertz.
 Today computers however have their clock
speeds measured in GHz (a Gigahertz is a billion
hertz). This is why computer operates with
enormous speed.
 Inteli5 and i7 processors have a clock speed of
between (1.2GHz -3.6GHz) and (1.3GHz-3.5GHz)
respectively with newer generations having
more.
 Two popular processors are Intel and AMD.
 Cache Memory
 One of the most important component of the
Processor is the buffer memory also called cache.
 It is a memory within the processor located very
close to the processor cores.
 In the eighties, computer become faster while
memory access hindered additional performance
increase.
 This led to the development of processor cache.
 Basically a cache is a fast type of memory
 The main purpose of a cache is to ensure that the
processor has immediate and instant access to the
data it needs in the right order.
 The Storage Devices

 Storage devices are hardware components used

for storing, porting, or extracting data files.

 There are two types of storage devices:

1. Primary storage devices
2. Secondary storage device.
 Primary storage
 Primary storage devices known as internal
memory and main memory
 Itis directly of indirectly connected to the central
processing unit via a memory bus and holds
program instructions, input data and intermediate
results.
 The CPU continuously reads instructions stored
there and executes them as required.
 It is generally smaller in size
 Examples are RAM, ROM and Cache
 The RAM
 RAM means Random Access Memory
 Itis a repository for both programs instructions
and data manipulated by the program during
execution.
 It is seen as the working area of the computer.
 RAM is divided into cells, with each cell having a
unique address.
 RAM is measured by the number of bytes it
contains.
 Example, 128 kilobytes (KB) of RAM contains
128 x 1024 = 131,072 bytes because 1 KB is
equal to 210 =1024 bytes.
 Read Only Memory (ROM)
 ROM means Read Only Memory
 This memory is used as the computer
begins to boot up.
 Small programs called firmware are often
stored in ROM chips (like a BIOS chip)
 These instructions are used by the
computer to perform some of the most
basic operations required to operate
hardware devices.
 ROM memory cannot be easily or quickly
overwritten or modified.
 Secondary Storage Devices
 Secondary storage is a memory that is stored
external to the computer and are not directly
accessible by the CPU.
 Itis mainly used for the permanent and long-
term storage of programs and data
 Computers usually use its input/output channels
to access secondary storage
 Example include Hard Disk, CD, DVD, pen/flash
drive, SSD, etc.
 Hard Drive Disk
 It is the most popular data storage devices
for home and business users.
 Hard disks are portable and affordable
storage devices.
 They are available in different shapes and
sizes with storage capacities ranging from
megabytes to terabytes
 Flash Memory Devices
 Flash Memory is a cheaper and portable
storage device. It is the most commonly used
device to store data because is more reliable
and efficient as compare to other storage
devices.

 It is also known as a USB flash drive that

includes flash memory with an integrated
USB interface.
 We can directly connect these devices to our
computers and laptops and read/write data
into them in a much faster and efficient way.
 Solid State Drives (SSD)
 Solid State Drives came out in the 9os. Solid
state drives uses a type of flash memory that
is faster and takes less space. It uses
semiconductors to store information by
electrical current changes in the circuits.

 it does not contain optical disks inside like

hard disks and don’t need moving parts for
operation a thus work faster, smother and
longer.

 Applications for solid-state drives are

smartphones, Tablet computers, high-end
laptops, two drive desktop solutions, etc.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of SSD
Disadvantages of
Advantages of SSD SSD
 Reliable  higher cost,
 Durable  limited
 Increases better time capacity in the
 Requires less power drive
 Doesn’t make noise  limited
 Generates less heat
 Lightweight chances to
 Has 10x faster read and write write
speed as compared to hard
disks.
 Secured Digital Cards (SD Cards)
 SD Cards are generally used with electronic
devices like phones, digital cameras, etc. to
store larger data.
 It is portable and the size of the SD card is
also small so that it can easily fit into
electronic devices.
 It is available in different sizes like 2GB,
4GB, 8GB, etc.
 To run a memory card on a computer you
require a separate memory card reader.
 CD, DVD and BD
Compact Disks (CD)
An external device which can store and read
data in the form of audio or software data

Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)

DVD can be readable, recordable and
rewritable. Recordings can be done in such DV
devices and then can be attached to the D
system.

Blue-ray Disc (BD)

This blue-ray technology is used to read a disc
from a blue-violet laser in which the information
is stored in greater density with a longer Blue-Ray
Difference between Primary and Secondary Storage

Primary Secondary
Storage Device Storage Device

Size Smaller Larger

Data Retention Temporary Permanent

Location Internal Internal / External

Hard disk,
RAM, Cache Compact Disk
Examples
Memory Drive, USB
storage device
 Summary

In todays lecture, we have:

 Explained Computer Hardware
 Distinguish between External and Internal Hardware
Components
 Described various internal computer hardware
components such as the system unit, the motherboard,
the processor and the primary storage devices – RAM,
ROM and Cache.
 Described some secondary storage devices such as the
hard disk, solid state drives (SSDs), Secured digital
cards (SD cards) and Compact Disks (CD), Digital
Versatile Disc (DVD) and Blue-ray Disc (BD)
 Review Questions
 Explain Computer Hardware
 Differentiate
between External and Internal
Hardware Components giving examples.
 Listand discuss various internal computer
hardware components.
 Describe storage devices
 Compare different types of storage devices
 Differentiate between three main Primary
storage – RAM, ROM and Cache
 Thank You
Remain Blessed
Remember Jesus truly Loves you and
longs for your love too