Chapter IV

The Components of the System Unit

The System Unit

System unit is a case that

contains electronic
components of the computer
used to process data.
Sometimes called the
chassis

The System Unit

System unit is a case that

contains
electronic
components of the computer
used to process data.

Sometimes called the

chassis
include
the
processor,
memory, adapter cards, drive
bays, and the power supply

The Motherboard

The
motherboard,
sometimes called a system
board is the main circuit
board of the system unit
slots for adapter cards, the
processor chip, and memory

Processor

The processor, also called

the central processing unit
(CPU), interprets and carries
out the basic instructions that
operate a computer
performs overall computing
power and manages most of
a computers operations

 On a personal computer all

functions of the processor
usually are on a single chip
microprocessor to refer to a
personal computer processor
chip

 Two common multi-core

(contains the circuitry
necessary to execute
instructions) processors are
dual-core and quad-core
Processors contain a control
unit and an arithmetic logic
unit (ALU)
work together to perform

The Arithmetic Logic Unit

The arithmetic logic unit

(ALU), another component of
the processor performs
arithmetic, comparison, and
other operations
addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division
comparison

The Control Unit

The control unit is the

component of the processor that
directs and coordinates most of
the operations in the computer
traffic cop it interprets each
instruction issued by a program
and then initiates the appropriate
action to carry out the instruction

Machine Cycle

For every instruction, a

processor repeats a set of four
basic operations, which
comprise a machine cycle:
(1) fetching
(2) decoding,
(3) executing, and, if necessary,
(4) storing

Fetching is the process of

obtaining a program instruction
or data item from memory.

Fetching is the process of

obtaining a program
instruction or data item from
memory.
The term decoding refers to
the process of translating the
instruction into signals the
computer can execute.

Fetching is the process of

obtaining a program instruction
or data item from memory.
The term decoding refers to the
process of translating the
instruction into signals the
computer can execute.
Executing is the process of
carrying out the commands

Fetching is the process of

obtaining a program instruction or
data item from memory.
The term decoding refers to the
process of translating the
instruction into signals the
computer can execute.
Executing is the process of
carrying out the commands.
Storing means writing the result
to the memory

The System Clock

The processor relies on a

small quartz crystal circuit
called the system clock to
control the timing of all
computer operations
Just as your heart beats at a
regular rate to keep your body
functioning

The pace of the system clock

The pace of the system

clock, called the clock
speed, is measured by the
number of ticks per second
Giga stands for billion
and a hertz is one cycle
per second

 one gigahertz (GHz) equals

one billion ticks of the system
clock per second
A computer that operates at 3
GHz has 3 billion (giga) clock
cycles in one second (hertz)
The faster the clock speed, the
more instructions the processor
can execute per second

Data Representation
Most

computers are digital and

recognize only two discrete
states: on and of
To represent this two states,
computers use the binary
system.

bit is the smallest unit of data a

computer can process
Eight bits are formed together to
form a byte

MEMORY

Consists of electronic components that store

instructions waiting to be executed by the
processor, data needed by those instructions, and
the result of processing the data.

ROM(READ ONLY MEMORY)

-

PRONOUNCED AS RAHM
THESE ARE MEMORY CHIPS STORING PERMANENT DATA AND
INSTRUCTIONS.
ROM CHIPS CANNOT BE MODIFIED
NONVOLATILE MEANS CONTENTS ARE NOT LOST WHEN POWER IS
OFF.
FIRMWARE CONTAINS PERMANENT WRITTEN DATA,
INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION.

FLASH MEMORY
- TYPE OF NONVOLATILE MEMORY THAT CAN BE EARSED
ELECTRONICALLY AND REWRITTEN.
- STORE DATA AND PROGRAMS ON MANY MOBILE
COMPUTERS AND DEVICES SUCH AS SMART PHONE, PMP,
PRINTERS,CAMERAS AND ETC.
- THESE CONTAIN FLASH MEMORY ON A REMOVABLE DEVICE
INSTEAD OF CHIP.

CMOS
- PRONOUNCED AS SEE-moss
- PROVIDES HIGH SPEED AND CONSUMES LITTLE POWER.
- USES BATTERY POWER TO RETAIN INFORMARTION EVEN
WHEN THE POWER IS OFF.

ACCESS TIME
- AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES THE PROCESSOR TO READ
DATA, INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION FROM MEMORY.
- ACCESSING DATA IN MEMORY CAN BE MORE THAN 200,000
TIMES FASTER THAN ACCESSING DATA ON A HARD DISK
BECAUSE OF THE MECHANICAL MOTION OF THE HARD
DISK.

Basic Categories:
Operating system
Application programs
Data

BYTE - the basic storage unit in memory.

ADDRESSABLE MEMORY
unique number that identifies the location of
byte in the memory.

TYPES OF MEMORY:
1.VOLATILE
EX:
RAM
2.NONVOLATILE
EX:
ROM
FLASH MEMORY
CMOS

RAM(RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY)

- CALLED THE MAIN MEMORY.
- CONSISTS OF MEMORY CHIPS THAT CAN BE READ
FROM AND WRITTEN TO BY THE PROCESSOR AND
OTHER DEVICES.
- PROCESSOR INTERPRETS AND EXECUTES A
PROGRAMS INSTRUCTION WHILE THE PROGRAM IS
IN RAM.

DYNAMIC RAM
- PRONOUNCED AS DEE-ram
- CHIPS MUST BE RE-ENERGIZED CONSTANTLY OR THEY
LOSE THEIR CONTENTS.

STATIC RAM
- PRONOUNCED AS ESS-ram
- CHIPS ARE FASTER AND MORE RELIABLE.
- THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE RE-ENERGIZED

MAGNETORESISTIVE RAM
- PRONOUNCED AS EM- ram
- STORES DATA USING MAGNETIC CHARGES INSTEAD OF
ELECTRICAL CHARGES.
- GREATER STORAGE CAPACITY, LESS POWER, HAS FASTER
ACCESS TIME THAN E-ram.

RAM CHIPS
- RESIDE ON A MEMORY MODULE

A SMALL CIRCUIT BOARDS

MEMORY SLOTS
- IN THE MOTHER BOARD HOLDS
MEMORY MODULE.

CACHE
- PRONOUNCE AS CASH.
TYPES:
- MEMORY CACHE
- DISK CACHE

MEMORY CACHE
- SPEED THE PROCESSES OF THE COMPUTER BECAUSE IT
STORES FREQUENTLY USED INSTRUCTIONS AND DATA.
TYPES OF MEMORY CACHE:
L1
BUILT DIRECTLY IN THE PROCESSOR CHIP.
- HAS VERY SMALL CAPACITY
8KB 128KB
L2
SLIGHTLY SLOWER THAN L1.
- HAS A MUCH LARGER CAPACITY.
64KB 16MB
ADVANCE TRANSFER CACHE
- TYPE OF L2 CACHE BUILT DIRECTLY ON THE PROCESSOR
CHIP.
- PROCESSORS THAT USE ATC PERFORM AT MUCH FASTER
RATES.

EXPANSION SLOTS AND

ADAPTER CARDS

Terminologies:
Expansion Slot - a socket on the

motherboard that can hold an adapter card

Adapter Card or sometimes called as
expansion card, is a circuit board that
enhances functions of a component of the
system unit and/or provides connections to
peripherals
Peripheral - a device that connects to the
system unit and is controlled by the processor
in the computer

An expansion slot is a socket on the

motherboard that is used to insert an expansion
card (or circuit board), which provides additional
features to a computer such as video, sound,
advanced graphics, Ethernet or memory.
The expansion card has an edge connector that
fits precisely into the expansion slot as well as a
row of contacts that is designed to establish an
electrical connection between the motherboard
and the electronics on the card. Depending on
the form factor of the case and motherboard, a
computer system generally can have anywhere
from one to seven expansion slots.

Expansion cards contain edge

connectors that are used to create an
electronic link between motherboard
and card, thus enabling these two to
communicate.

Removable Flash Memory

Memory cards

removable flash memory device, usually no

bigger than 1.5" in height or width.
USB flash drives
PC Cards/ExpressCard Modules
The ExpressCard module is a new
technology that slots into a computer system to
allow the addition of hardware capabilities.
Hardware capabilities such as extra memory
and wired and wireless communication tools
and security devices can be added by inserting
these modules into the system.

Ports and Connectors

Port is the point at which a peripheral

attaches to or communicates with a

system unit so that the peripheral can
send data to or receive information from
the computer.
Connector joins a cable to a port. A
connector at one end of a cable attaches
to a port on the system unit, and a
connector at the other end of the cable
attaches to a port on the peripheral.

USB Ports
A USB port, short for universal serial bus
port, can connect up to 127 diferent
peripherals together with a single
connector. Devices that connect to a USB
port include the following: mouse, printer,
digital camera, scanner, speakers, portable
media player, optical disc drive, smart
phone, PDA, game console, and removable
hard disk. Personal computers typically
have six to eight USB ports on the front
and/or back of the system unit

FireWire Ports
Previously called an IEEE 1394 port
FireWire port is similar to a USB port

in that it can connect multiple types of

devices that require faster data
transmission speeds, such as digital
video cameras, digital VCRs, color
printers, scanners, digital cameras, and
DVD drives, to a single connector.
A FireWire port allows you to connect up
to 63 devices together.

Other Ports
Bluetooth port

uses radio waves to transmit data between two

devices.
SCSI Port
A special high-speed parallel port, called a
SCSI port, allows you to attach SCSI (pronounced
skuzzy) peripherals such as disk drives and printers.
eSATA Port
external SATA port, allows you to connect a
high-speed external SATA (Serial Advanced
Technology Attachment) hard disk to a computer

 IrDA Port

transmit data via infrared light

waves.
MIDI Port
Short for Musical Instrument Digital
Interface,MIDI (pronounced MID-dee).
A special type of port that connects
the system unit to a musical
instrument, such as an electronic
keyboard.

Port Replicators and Docking

Stations
Port replicator is an external device that

provides connections to peripherals through

ports built into the device. The mobile user
accesses peripherals by connecting the port
replicator to a USB port or a special port on
the mobile computer.
A docking station, which is an external
device that attaches to a mobile computer or
device, contains a power connection and
provides connections to peripherals; it usually
also includes slots for memory cards, optical
disc drives, and other devices

BUSES
It

is a set of parallel electrical tracks

connecting components within a
computer
is a communication system that
transfers data between components
inside acomputer, or between
computers

Consists of two parts:

the

Data bus
Address bus

bus width determines the

number of bits that a computer can
transmit at one time

Basic types of Buses

System

bus/Front side bus

Connects the processor to the main

memory
Backside

bus

Connects processor to cache

Expansion

bus

Allows processor to communicate with

peripherals

Bays
It

is an opening inside the system

unit where you can install additional
equipment
Internal bays are concealed inside
the system unit

 External

bays allows users to access

a bay outside the system unit

drive bay is a rectangular opening

that typically holds disk drives
Other bays have card readers and
widely used ports

Power Supply
This

is the component of the system

unit that converts the wall outlet AC
power into DC power

Keeping Your Computer or

Mobile Device Clean
Cleaning your computer or mobile
device once
or twice a year, can help extend its
life!