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Computer Hardware. Evaluating your system components. System Topics. To buy or upgrade? Evaluating your system: CPU RAM Storage devices Video output Sound systems Computer ports System reliability. To Buy or To Upgrade?. Things to consider: Moore’s Law – Double every 18 months
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Computer Hardware Evaluating your system components.
System Topics • To buy or upgrade? • Evaluating your system: • CPU • RAM • Storage devices • Video output • Sound systems • Computer ports • System reliability
To Buy or To Upgrade? • Things to consider: • Moore’s Law – Double every 18 months • Cost of upgrading vs. buying • Time installing software and files • Needs and wants
Assessing Your Hardware: Evaluating Your System • Assess the computer’s subsystems • The subsystems include: • CPU • RAM • Storage devices • Video • Audio • Ports
Evaluating the CPU • How does the CPU work? • Control unit – Coordinates activity of components • Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) – Performs calculations • Machine cycle: 4 steps • Fetch - Gets data from RAM • Decode – Information it can read • Execute – Executes instruction • Store – Stores result to RAM • Speed: Cycles per second • Mhz – Megahertz 1 million • Ghz – Gigahertz 1 billion
Upgrading the CPU • Expensive – Usually the most expensive part • Easy to install • Motherboard compatibility • Heat sink and Fan
Evaluating RAM • Random access memory (RAM): • Temporary storage (memory) • Volatile • Memory modules: • SIMM - Single in-line memory module, used in pairs • DIMM – Dual in-line memory module, one at a time • RIMM – Rambus in-line memory module • Types of RAM: • SRAM – Static, refreshment not needed • DRAM – Dynamic, refreshment needed • SDRAM – Synchronous DRAM, synchronizes with CPU
Adding RAM • Increase system performance • Things to consider: • Type of RAM module • Amount of RAM: • Maximum limit • Number of slots • Operating system • Applications running at the same time
Evaluating Storage • Types of storage devices: • Hard drive • Floppy drive • Zip disk drive • CD/DVD • Flash memory
Storing Data • Magnetic media: • Metal platters: • Hard disks • Plastic film: • Floppy disks • Zip disks • Tracks – Circles • Sectors - Wedges • File Allocation Table – Catalog to keep track of file locations Track Sector
Storing Data • Optical media: • CD ROM • CD-R • CD-RW • DVD ROM • DVD-R • DVD-RW • Laser • Pit – 1 micron diameter = 0 • Land - Raised area = 1
The Hard Disk Drive • Storage capacity up to 500 GB • Access time is measured in milliseconds • Data transfer rate is measured in megabits or megabytes per second • Spindle speed is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm) Read/write head Platters Access arms
Portable Storage • Gives us the ability to move data from one computer to another • 4 Types of portable storage devices: • Floppy disk: • Capacity 1.44 MB • Zip disk: • Capacity 100 MB to 750 MB • CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW: • Capacity 700 MB to 9.4 GB • Flash drive: • Capacity 32 MB to 1 GB
Upgrading Storage • Hard drive options: • Replace current drive with a larger capacity drive • Install an additional hard drive • Other options: • Zip drive • Replace CD ROM with CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW • Flash card reader • Flash memory drive
Evaluating Video • Two components: • Video card (adapter) • Monitor
Video Cards • Process binary data into images • Contain memory known as video RAM (VRAM) • Control the number of colors a monitor can display (bit depth) • VGA – Video Graphics Array • 4 bits • 16 colors • True color (SVGA) Super Video Graphics Array • 24 bits (32-bit is the same as a 24 bit color with a 8-bit alpha channel). • 16 million colors
Monitors • Things to consider: • Types: • CRT or LCD • Size: • 15, 17, 19, or 21 inch • Can be widescreen • Resolution: • Increasing resolution allows more to be displayed • Dot pitch: • .31mm or less • Refresh rate: • 75 Hz or higher
Evaluating Audio • Speakers: • Amplified • Not amplified • Sub-woofer • Sound card: • Process digital data into sounds • 3D sound cards • Surround sound • Dolby Digital 5.1
Evaluating Ports • Ports are used to connect peripheral devices to the computer • Things to consider: • Devices you want to use • Ports needed for the devices
LPT 1 Port PS/2 Connectors PS/2 Port Ethernet jack USB Connector Ethernet Port USB Port FireWire Connector FireWire Port Printer Cable Connector Serial Connector COM 1 Port Types of Ports • Serial • Parallel • Universal serial bus • FireWire • Ethernet • IrDA • Bluetooth Transfers eight bits of data simultaneously; 12Mbps Transfer rate of 100 Mbps; connects computers to networks Transfer rate of 4 Mbps; Uses infrared light waves Transfer speed up to 480Mbps; Hot swapping Transfer rate of 1 Mbps; radio waves send data over short distances Transfers data one bit at a time; 56Kbps Transfer rate of 400 Mbps; Digital cameras
Adding Ports • Expansion cards: • New port standards • Expansion hubs: • Enables several devices to be connected to a port
Evaluating System Reliability • Performance: • Slow • Freezes • Crashes • Upkeep and maintenance: • System tools • Control panel • Update software and hardware drivers
Upkeep and Maintenance • System tools: • Disk defragmenter • Disk cleanup • Unnecessary files • Control panel: • Add/remove programs • Display • System • Device manager
Update Software and Hardware Drivers • Software: • Automatic updates • Patches • Hardware: • Download updated drivers
The Final Decision • How closely does your system come to meeting your needs? • How much would it cost to upgrade your system? • How much would it cost to purchase a new system?
CPU Topics • Computer switches • Inside the CPU • Cache memory • Computer buses • Creating faster CPUs
ON OFF Digital Data: Switches and Bits • Electronic switches: • Vacuum tubes • Transistors • Integrated circuits • Binary number system: • Representing numbers • Representing letters and symbols • ASCII • Unicode
Electronic Switches • Non-mechanical devices in computers that open and close circuits • Types of electronic switches: • Vacuum tubes • Transistors: • Semiconductors • Integrated circuits
OFF ON Switches Representing Data • The on/off state of a switch represents one bit of data • Bit (binary digit): • On = 1 • Off = 0 OR = 1 bit 0 1
The CPU: Processing Digital Information • CPU components • Types of CPUs • What the CPU does: • Machine cycle: • System clock • Cache memory
The CPU • Also known as a microprocessor or processor • Executes instructions • Components include: • Control unit • Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) • Registers – memory storage • Cache memory
The CPU’s Machine Cycle • Also known as the processing cycle (4 cycles) • Fetch: • The Control Unit searches cache memory and then RAM for program instructions • Instructions are moved to the Control Unit • Decode: • The Control Unit reads and prepares the program instructions • The instructions are sent to the ALU • Execute: • The ALU performs the calculations • Store: • The results are stored in the registers (storage in the CPU)
The System Clock • Located on the motherboard • Controls the CPU’s processing cycles • Clock cycle: • Pulse or tick • Oscillating crystal • Clock speed: • Number of pulses per second • Measured in hertz (Hz) • Useful for measuring CPUs in the same family
Cache Memory • Small amount of memory located on the CPU chip or near it: used before RAM • Level 1 is on the CPU and is first • Level 2 is on or near the CPU and is second • Stores recent or frequently used instructions and data • Used for quick access by the CPU
Buses: The CPU’s Data Highway • Bus: • Electrical pathway used to move data between components • Local bus: • Connects the CPU with the memory • Expansion bus: • Connects the CPU with peripheral devices 01100010 01001000 01110011 00100111
Bus Performance • Bus clock speed: • Rate of speed data moves from one location to another • Measured in Mhz (millions of clock cycles per second) • Bus width: • The number of bits of data moved on a bus at any one time • Measured in bits: • 16 bits • 32 bits • 64 bits
Types of Expansion Buses • ISA and EISA: • Found on older computers • Connects mouse, modem, and sound card • PCI: • Faster than ISA and EISA • Found on modern computers • Connects network, modem, and sound card • AGP: • Used for three-dimensional graphics • Connects the graphics card and memory • PCI-Express • Based on PCI but gets better clock speeds • Replace PCI and AGP
Making Computers Faster • Pipelining: • The CPU processes more than one instruction at a time. P4 = 20 pipelines Non-pipelined CPU Instruction 1 Fetch Decode Execute Store Instruction 2 Fetch Decode Execute Store Pipelined CPU Instruction 1 Fetch Decode Execute Store Instruction 2 Fetch Decode Execute Store Instruction 3 Fetch Decode Execute Store Instruction 4 Fetch Decode Execute Store
Making Computers Faster • Dual processing: • Two CPUs on the same system • Each processor shares the workload • Parallel processing: • Network of computers • Each computer works on a portion of the problem simultaneously • SETI http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ Dual processors
Lab Assignment • Build two PCs from Dell