Discovering
Computers 2010
Living in a Digital World
Objectives Overview
See Page 209 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 2
for Detailed Objectives Chapter 4
Objectives Overview
See Page 209 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 3
for Detailed Objectives Chapter 4
The System Unit
• The system unit is a case that contains electronic
components of the computer used to process data
Page 210 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 4
Figure 4-1 Chapter 4
The System Unit
• The inside of the system unit on a desktop
personal computer includes:
Page 211 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 5
Figure 4-2 Chapter 4
The System Unit
• The motherboard is the main circuit board of the
system unit
– A computer chip contains integrated circuits
Page 212 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 6
Figure 4-3 Chapter 4
Processor
• 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)
Page 213 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 7
Chapter 4
Processor
Page 213 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 8
Figure 4-4 Chapter 4
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
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Page 214 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 9
Chapter 4
Processor
• For every instruction, a processor repeats a set of
four basic operations, which comprise a machine
cycle
Page 215 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 10
Figure 4-5 Chapter 4
Processor
• Most current personal
computers support
pipelining
– Processor begins
fetching a second
instruction before it
completes the machine
cycle for the first
instruction
Pages 215 – 216 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 11
Figure 4-6 Chapter 4
Processor
Page 216 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 12
Chapter 4
Processor
• The leading
manufacturers of
personal computer
processor chips are Intel
and AMD
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Link from left navigation,
then click Multi-Core
Processors below Chapter 4
Pages 216 – 217 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 13
Figure 4-7 Chapter 4
Processor
• Determine how you plan to use a new computer
before selecting a processor
Page 218 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 14
Figure 4-8 Chapter 4
Processor
• A processor chip
generates heat that
could cause the chip to
burn up
• Require additional
cooling
– Heat sinks
– Liquid cooling
technology
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Pages 219 - 220 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 15
Figures 4-9 – 4-10 Chapter 4
Processor
• Parallel processing uses multiple processors
simultaneously to execute a single program or task
– Massively parallel processing involves hundreds or thousands of
processors
Page 220 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 16
Figure 4-11 Chapter 4
Data Representation
Page 221 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 17
Chapter 4
Data Representation
A computer circuit represents Eight bits grouped together as a
the 0 or the 1 electronically by unit are called a byte. A byte
the presence or absence of an represents a single character in
electrical charge the computer
Page 221 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 18
Figures 4-12 – 4-13 Chapter 4
Data Representation
• ASCII (American
Standard Code for
Information
Interchange) is the most
widely used coding
scheme to represent
data
Page 221 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 19
Figure 4-14 Chapter 4
Data Representation
Page 222 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 20
Figure 4-15 Chapter 4
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:
Page 223 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 21
Chapter 4
Memory
• Each location in memory has an address
• Memory size is measured in kilobytes (KB or K),
megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), or terabytes
(TB)
Page 223 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 22
Figure 4-17 Chapter 4
Memory
• The system unit contains two types of memory:
Pages 223 - 224 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 23
Chapter 4
Memory
Page 224 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 24
Figure 4-18 Chapter 4
Memory
• Three basic types of RAM chips exist:
Page 225 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 25
Figure 4-19 Chapter 4
Memory
• RAM chips usually reside on a memory module
and are inserted into memory slots
Page 225 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 26
Figure 4-20 Chapter 4
Memory
• The amount of RAM necessary in a computer
often depends on the types of software you plan
to use
Page 226 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 27
Figure 4-21 Chapter 4
Memory
• Memory cache speeds the processes of the computer
because it stores frequently used instructions and data
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ReadyBoost below Chapter 4
Page 227 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 28
Figure 4-22 Chapter 4
Memory
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Link from left navigation,
then click ROM
below Chapter 4
Page 228 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 29
Chapter 4
Memory
• Flash memory can be erased electronically and
rewritten
– CMOS technology provides high speeds and consumes
little power
Pages 228 – 229 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 30
Figure 4-23 Chapter 4
Memory
• Access time is the amount of time it takes the
processor to read from memory
– Measured in nanoseconds
Page 229 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 31
Figures 4-24 – 4-25 Chapter 4
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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then click Video Cards
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Page 230 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 32
Figure 4-26 Chapter 4
Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards
• With Plug and Play, the computer automatically
can configure adapter cards and other peripherals
as you install them
Pages 230 – 231 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 33
Figure 4-27 Chapter 4
Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards
• Removable flash memory includes:
– Memory cards, USB flash drives, and PC
Cards/ExpressCard modules
Page 231 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 34
Figure 4-28 Chapter 4
Ports and Connectors
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Page 232 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 35
Chapter 4
Ports and Connectors
Page 232 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 36
Figure 4-29 Chapter 4
Ports and Connectors
• On a notebook computer, the ports are on the
back, front, and/or sides
Pages 232 - 233 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 37
Figure 4-30 Chapter 4
Ports and Connectors
Page 233 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 38
Figure 4-31 Chapter 4
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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Page 234 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 39
Figure 4-32 Chapter 4
Ports and Connectors
• Other types of ports include:
Pages 234 - 236 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 40
Chapter 4
Ports and Connectors
A Bluetooth wireless port A smart phone might
adapter converts a USB port into communicate with a notebook
a Bluetooth port computer using an IrDA port
Page 235 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 41
Figures 4-33 – 4-34 Chapter 4
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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Page 236 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 42
Figure 4-35 Chapter 4
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
Page 237 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 43
Figure 4-36 Chapter 4
Buses
• Expansion slots connect to expansion buses
• Common types of expansion buses include:
Click to view Web Link,
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Page 238 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 44
Chapter 4
Bays
• A bay is an opening
inside the system unit in
which you can install
additional equipment
– A drive bay typically
holds disk drives
Page 238 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 45
Figure 4-37 Chapter 4
Power Supply
Page 239 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 46
Chapter 4
Putting It All Together
Page 239 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 47
Figure 4-38 Chapter 4
Putting It All Together
Page 239 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 48
Figure 4-38 Chapter 4
Keeping Your Computer
or Mobile Device Clean
Page 240 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 49
Chapter 4
Video: The Leopard with a Time Machine
CLICK TO START
Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 50
Chapter 4
Summary
Page 241 Discovering Computers 2010: Living in a Digital World 51
Chapter 4
Discovering
Computers 2010
Living in a Digital World
Chapter 4 Complete