Computer Systems Unit 2.1

1. Holly Vince Computer Systems Unit 2.1

2. Hardware Processor- A central Processing unit (CPU) is an electronic circuit that is able to control the different types of computer programs, as a set of instructions. CPU's were custom designed for a large company. There are two main different types of computer processors you have the Socket Processor and the OT processor. The main way of defining the performance of the processor is by pre-processing it, this involves creating a model of the system and running different programs of them to see if the processor is processing the information we would want to find out. Motherboard- the motherboard is the central system of the computer, it gives electrical connections to other components in the system so they are able to communicate with each other. The motherboard has many multi functions such as; sound and graphics cards, internal connectors (memory), external connectors (mouse, Keyboard, USB). The main parts of the motherboard are shown in the diagram

3. Bios- (basic input/output System)- Bios are the first code run by the computer when it is first turned on. Bios provide a small memory of basic inputs and outputs which can then be used to operate and control the peripherals such as the Keyboard andtext display functions. Peripheral cards and hard drives are carried by their own type of Bios these help provide additional functions. Bios have a clock powered by a battery very similar to the ones in a wrist watch this helps the operating system manage this by using time The Power Supply- the power supply also known as the Power Supply Unit (PSU) is the component that provides the other components with power, this is the supply of power the computer/laptop can use up until it needs to be recharged. The different types of power supply you can get for the computers range from a switched-mode supply designed to convert 110-240 V AC power from the mains supply this goes to several outputs, however computers tend to have several different types of switched mode supplies each making one volt component to it’s output, they are all linked together so in a fault they will all shut down together.

4. Fan and Heat Sink- the fan and heat sink work as a pair, the fan helps remove the heat to ensure the processor, motherboards do not over heat causing the computer to crash. The heat sink absorbs and releases heat from other components by using thermal contact this ensures that certain parts of the computer do not overheat causing several different problems at once. Disk Controllers- disk controllers are responsible for controlling a disk drive, there are different controllers for different parts, such as; IDE interface requires an IDE controller and a SCSI interface requires and SCSI controller. On many modern computers the disk controller is built into the motherboard. A controller for a hard disk is called a hard disk controller (HDC) and a controller for a floppy disk is called a floppy disk controller (FDC). Serial ATA or SATA determines how data is transferred to and from mass storage devices such as Hard Disks.  It also specifies the type of cable and what all of the wires do.

5. Ports- these are something which allows communication from internal objects to external objects. It can also mean or refer to either physical or virtual connection points. Visual ports allow you to connect different cables to the computer for example: a USB stick, whereas a virtual port allow software's to share hardware resources without interfering with each other. The main types of ports are: • Ethernets port- An Ethernet switch is a network switch that transmits data at Ethernet standard rates • USB port- universal serial bus, this allows data transmissions to be saved onto the USB as a type of backing store. • Serial Ports- this allows for data to be transferred in from a remote device or transferred out from the hard drive to a remote device, i.e. USB to computer • Parallel ports- (PATA) is an internal computer port attached to the hard drive and other devices • PS/2- this is a standard port used to connect the keyboard and mouse to the computer.

6. Peripherals allow communication from external to internal objects : These include keyboards, mouse's, headphones, cameras, printers ETC, this is because these are external objects which need to be connected to the computer in order for them to work for example with no keyboard you are unable to type anything onto the computer but when a keyboard is connected you are able to type in search engines ETC.

7. Computer expansion cards- these are also known as add-on card, internal card or interface adapter, an expansion card is an electronic board or a card which can be added to the computer, these cards give the computer a new ability for example connecting to another computer. There are many types of expansion cards, such as: • Interface card (ATA/Bluetooth / EIDE/ IDE/ Parallel/ RICS/ SCSI/Serial / USB) • Modem • MPEG decoder- MPEG stands for the Motion Picture Experts Group, people use MPEG to do standard address audio and video formats used online, in television broadcasts, and in DVD media. • Network Card • Sound card- A sound card is an internal computer component that processes audio files in order to provide high-quality play back through speakers. • Video card- A graphics card (also video card) is a piece of hardware installed in a computer that is responsible for putting the images onto the computers monitor. • Video Capture Card- Video capture is a software program that allows the operator to highlight a section of digital video from a source and save that section within the software program

8. Backing Storage- this acts as a secondary storage system for the work that is saved onto he computer, this means the work that is saved onto a backing store so it does not get lost when the computer is switched off, my large companies have backing stores as a huge computer system but many people use simple devices to ensure their work is safe after they switch off the computer, some examples of these are labelled around the edge. Hard disks Floppy disks CD ROMs and tapes

9. Internal and external data transmission- these are physical transfers of data either from an external object such as a USB or an internal object which his file to file, these are transferred around from different types of medias such as copper wires, optical fibres, wireless communication media, and storage media. Buses this is a set of connections that are shared by the components which shows they communicate with each other The idea of these buses is to clear areas so bits of information can get through to keep the computer speed up. There are two types of buses within the computer system: Internal bus- Front side bus (FSB) This allows the processor to communicate with the computers memory External Bus- expansion This allows the motherboard to communicate with other components, that you are going to connect to the computer, for example: USB, serial and parallel ports, PCI connectors and drives

10. Data Transmissions Communication Paths- Buses- Buses are a set of connections that can be shared to many different hardware components, which shows how the connections on the buses help all the different types of hardware communicate with each other. The purpose of these buses is to reduce the amount of ‘pathways’ needed for the many different types of communication between the hardware components, by making them all go over a single data channel, this allows the computer to keep working at an efficient speed. There are two types of buses within the computer system: Internal bus- Front side bus (FSB) This allows the processor to communicate with the computers memory External Bus- expansion This allows the motherboard to communicate with other components, that you are going to connect to the computer, for example: USB, serial and parallel ports, PCI connectors and drives

11. With all of the components that make up and communicate with each other, you have an item known as the chipset, this is a component which directs the data around and between the computers buses. • there are two main chipset components which are able to direct the data between the buses, these are: • The North Bridge: • This is in charge of controlling the many transfers between the processor and the RAM. • The South Bridge: • This south bridge is in control of the communications between the peripheral devices, such as Printers, USB, webcams, keyboards. ETC. North Bridge South Bridge

12. Modem : This device allows data over the phone line it does this by transmitting the digital data through the telephone wires and changing the data into audio signals, it will then Change the audio signal back into a Digital signal so you are able to receive it. The speed of the modem is measured in Bits Per Second or (BPS). The speed of your modem is dependant on the phone line you have and the technology your internet server is on, Now we use broadband, this is an internet which is open 24/7 giving you a quick connection, whereas before with dial up, you had to type in a user name and password and maybe had to wait five minutes.

13. The impact of transmission Media: the whole idea of transmission media is to allow your computer to send and receive messages, the downside to these transmissions is they enable you to send and receive them but if they are able to be understood that is no guarantee. The most common type of media transmission is through copper cables. The wireless transmission uses radio waves or infrared to transfer the data this is able to get to the computer relatively quickly, however through transmission of media can occur some interference, this can be white noise or impulsive noises which is almost like a crackling sound over the transmissions. When you upload and download information it can occur on a separate of different transmission channel. So when you upload information you are not going to lose any download bandwidth. If you transfer data between the Cpu and hard disks it will take a lot longer than if you were to put I onto a USB, however if you use the program SATA you are going to get a much faster transmission. Although dial up is not as common as it use to be, you would get a slower transmission than you would if you were on broadband as broadband is open 24/7 and dial up is reliant on the phone line.

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