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Learn about the hardware components inside a computer, the need for software to make it work, and how the CPU communicates with other devices. Explore topics such as the binary number system, input/output devices, motherboard, storage devices, and communication through bus lines.
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Chapter 1 How Computers Work
You Will Learn… • That a computer requires both hardware and software to work • About the many different hardware components inside and connected to a computer • How the CPU works and how it communicates with other devices
Hardware Needs Softwareto Work • Hardware • Physical components of the computer (monitor, keyboard, memory chips, hard drive) • Software • Set of instructions that directs hardware to accomplish a task
Binary Number System • Technology of storing and reading only two values: on and off • Bits and bytes • Originated in the 1940s by John Atanasoff
PC Hardware Components • Input/output devices: outside computer case • Processing and storage components: inside the case • Elements required by hardware devices to operate: • Method for CPU to communicate with it • Software to instruct and control it • Electricity to power it
Hardware Used forInput and Output • Connects to computer case by ports • Most popular input devices: • Keyboard • Mouse • Most popular output devices: • Monitor • Printer
Hardware Inside the Case • Motherboard (contains CPU, memory, etc.) • Floppy drive, hard drive, and CD-ROM drive (permanent storage) • Power supply with cords supplying electricity to all devices inside the case continued…
Hardware Inside the Case • Circuit boards (used by CPU to communicate with devices inside/outside the case) • Contain microchips, which are most often manufactured using CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) technology • Cables that connect devices to circuit boards and the motherboard • Data cables • Power cables (or power cords)
Peripheral Devices • Communicate with CPU but are not located directly on the motherboard • Some are linked by expansion cards in expansion slots on the motherboard
The Motherboard • Largest, most important circuit board in the computer • Contains the CPU, with which all devices must communicate: • Installed directly on the motherboard • Linked by a cable connected to a port on the motherboard • Indirectly linked by expansion cards • Also called the main board or system board
For processing: CPU Chip set For temporary storage: RAM Cache memory Electrical system: Power supply connections For communication with other devices: Traces Expansion slots System clock Programming and setup data: Flash ROM CMOS setup chip Major Components on All Motherboards
The CPU • Most important chip (the microprocessor) • Performs most of actual data processing
The Chip Set • Controls flow of data and instructions to and from the CPU • Provides careful timing of activities
CPU and Chip Set Manufacturers • IBM-compatible PCs • Intel Corporation • AMD • VIA • SiS • Cyrix • Macintosh (Apple Computer, Inc.) • Motorola Corporation
Temporary (primary storage, or memory) Temporarily holds data and instructions while processing them Faster to access than permanent storage Permanent (secondary storage) Data and instructions must be copied into primary storage (RAM) for processing Storage Devices
Primary Storage Devices • Memory, or RAM, located on motherboard and other circuit boards • Volatile versus nonvolatile (or ROM) memory • Common types of boards that hold memory chips • SIMMs (single inline memory modules) • DIMMs (dual inline memory modules) • RIMMs (memory modules manufactured by Rambus, Inc.)
Secondary Storage Devices • Hard disks • Floppy disks • Zip drives • CD-ROMs • DVDs
Hard Drive • Uses EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics) technology • Motherboard can accommodate up to four IDE devices on one system • IDE provides two connectors on a motherboard for two data cables
Motherboard Components Used for Communication Among Devices • The bus • System of pathways used for communication and the protocol and methods used for transmission • Includes a data bus, address bus, and control bus
System Clock • Synchronizes activity on the motherboard • Sends continuous pulses over the bus that are used by different components to control the pace of activity • Frequency of activity is measured in MHz,or 1 million cycles per second
Bus Lines • Lines of a bus, including data, instruction, and power lines, often extend to the expansion slots • Types of expansion slots • PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) • For high-speed input/output devices) • AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) • For a video card • ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) • Used by older and/or slower devices)
Interface (Expansion) Cards • Enable CPU to connect to external device or to a network