The System Unit
The system unit is a case that contains electronic components of the computer used to process data
The inside of the system unit on a desktop personal computer includes:
Drive bay
Power supply
Sound card
Video card Processor
Memory
The motherboard is the main circuit board of the system unit
- A computer chip contains integrated circuits
The processor, also called the central processing unit (CPU), interprets and carries out the basic
instructions that operate a computer
- Contain a control unit and an arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
- Eg: Multi-core processor, Dual-core processor, Quad-core processor
- The control unit is the component of the processor that directs and coordinates most of the
operations in the computer
- The arithmetic logic unit (ALU) performs arithmetic, comparison, and other operations
- For every instruction, a processor repeats a set of four basic operations, which comprise a
machine cycle:
- Most current personal computers support pipelining
Processor begins fetching a second instruction before it completes the machine cycle
for the first instruction
- The processor contains registers
- Registers: temporarily hold data and instructions
- System clock: controls the timing of all computer operations
- Clock speed: Pace of system clock; unit (GHz)
- A processor chip generates heat that could cause the chip to burn up
- Require additional cooling
– Heat sinks
– Liquid cooling technology
- Parallel processing uses multiple processors simultaneously to execute a single program or
task
– Massively parallel processing involves hundreds or thousands of processors
Data Representation
Analog signals are continuous and vary in strength and quality
Digital signals are un on of two states: on or off ---most computers
Binary system: 0,1 /// bits and bytes
A computer circuit represents the 0 or the 1 electronically by the presence or absence of an
electrical charge
Eight bits grouped together as a unit are called a byte. A byte represents a single character in the
computer
Memory
Memory consists of electronic components that store instructions waiting to be executed by the
processor, data needed by those instructions, and the results of processing the data
Stores three basic categories of items:
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Memory
Each location in memory has an address
Memory size is measured in kilobytes (KB or K), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), or terabytes (TB)
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Figure 4-17
Memory
The system unit contains two types of memory:
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Memory
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Figure 4-18
Memory
Three basic types of RAM chips exist:
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Figure 4-19
Memory
RAM chips usually reside on a memory module and are inserted into memory slots
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Figure 4-20
Memory
The amount of RAM necessary in a computer often depends on the types of software you plan to use
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Figure 4-21
Memory
Memory cache speeds the processes of the computer because it stores frequently used instructions
and data
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Figure 4-22
Memory
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Memory
Flash memory can be erased electronically and rewritten
– CMOS technology provides high speeds and consumes little power
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Figure 4-23
Memory
Access time is the amount of time it takes the processor to read from memory
– Measured in nanoseconds
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Figures 4-24 – 4-25
Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards
An expansion slot is a socket on the motherboard that can hold an adapter card
An adapter card enhances functions of a component of the system unit and/or provides connections
to peripherals
– Sound card and video card
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Figure 4-26
Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards
With Plug and Play, the computer automatically can configure adapter cards and other peripherals
as you install them
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Figure 4-27
Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards
Removable flash memory includes:
– Memory cards, USB flash drives, and PC Cards/ExpressCard modules
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Figure 4-28
Ports and Connectors
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Ports and Connectors
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Figure 4-29
Ports and Connectors
On a notebook computer, the ports are on the back, front, and/or sides
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Figure 4-30
Ports and Connectors
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Figure 4-31
Ports and Connectors
A USB port can connect up to 127 different peripherals together with a single connector
– You can attach multiple peripherals using a single USB port with a USB hub
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Figure 4-32
Ports and Connectors
Other types of ports include:
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Ports and Connectors
A Bluetooth wireless port adapter converts a USB port into a Bluetooth port
A smart phone might communicate with a notebook computer using an IrDA port
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Figures 4-33 – 4-34
Ports and Connectors
A port replicator is an external device that provides connections to peripherals through ports built
into the device
A docking station is an external device that attaches to a mobile computer or device
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Figure 4-35
Buses
A bus allows the various devices both inside and attached to the system unit to communicate with
each other
– Data bus
– Address bus
Word size is the number of bits the processor can interpret and execute at a given time
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Figure 4-36
Buses
Expansion slots connect to expansion buses
Common types of expansion buses include:
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Bays
A bay is an opening inside the system unit in which you can install additional equipment
– A drive bay typically holds disk drives
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Figure 4-37
Power Supply
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Putting It All Together
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Figure 4-38
Putting It All Together
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Figure 4-38
Keeping Your Computer
or Mobile Device Clean
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Video: The Leopard with a Time Machine
Summary
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