Sunteți pe pagina 1din 73

How Computers Work

You Will Learn

That a computer requires both hardware and


software to work About the many different hardware components inside and connected to a computer How the CPU works and how it communicates with other devices

Hardware Needs Software to Work

Hardware

Physical components of the computer (monitor, keyboard, memory chips, hard drive) Set of instructions that directs hardware to accomplish a task

Software

Functions of the Microcomputer

Binary Number System

Technology of storing and reading only two


values: on and off Bits and bytes Originated in the 1940s by John Atanasoff

Binary Number System

Binary Number System

PC Hardware Components

Input/output devices: outside computer case Processing and storage components: inside the
case Elements required by hardware devices to operate:

Method for CPU to communicate with it Software to instruct and control it Electricity to power it

Hardware Used for Input and Output

Connects to computer case by ports Most popular input devices:

Keyboard Mouse

Most popular output devices:

Monitor Printer

Ports

Input Devices

Output Devices

Hardware Inside the Case

Motherboard (contains CPU, memory, etc.) Floppy drive, hard drive, and CD-ROM drive
(permanent storage) Power supply with cords supplying electricity to all devices inside the case

continued

Hardware Inside the Case

Circuit boards (used by CPU to communicate with devices inside/outside the case)

Contain microchips, which are most often manufactured using CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) technology

Cables that connect devices to circuit boards and the motherboard


Data cables Power cables (or power cords)

Peripheral Devices

Communicate with CPU but are not located


directly on the motherboard Some are linked by expansion cards in expansion slots on the motherboard

The Motherboard

Largest, most important circuit board in the computer Contains the CPU, with which all devices must communicate:

Installed directly on the motherboard Linked by a cable connected to a port on the motherboard Indirectly linked by expansion cards

Also called the main board or system board

The Motherboard

Ports on a Motherboard

Major Components on All Motherboards



For processing:

CPU Chip set


RAM Cache memory Power supply connections

For communication with other devices:


For temporary storage:

Traces Expansion slots System clock

Electrical system:

Programming and setup data:


Flash ROM CMOS setup chip

The CPU

Most important chip (the microprocessor) Performs most of actual data processing

The Chip Set

Controls flow of data and instructions to and


from the CPU Provides careful timing of activities

The Chip Set

CPU and Chip Set Manufacturers

IBM-compatible PCs

Macintosh (Apple Computer, Inc.)

Intel Corporation AMD VIA SiS Cyrix

Motorola Corporation

Storage Devices

Temporary (primary storage, or memory)

Temporarily holds data and instructions while processing them Faster to access than permanent storage

Permanent (secondary storage)

Data and instructions must be copied into primary storage (RAM) for processing

Primary and Secondary Storage

Primary Storage Devices



Memory, or RAM, located on motherboard and other circuit boards

Volatile versus nonvolatile (or ROM) memory

Common types of boards that hold memory chips


SIMMs (single inline memory modules) DIMMs (dual inline memory modules) RIMMs (memory modules manufactured by Rambus, Inc.)

RAM Chips

Types of RAM Modules

Secondary Storage Devices

Hard disks Floppy disks Zip drives CD-ROMs DVDs

Hard Drive

Uses EIDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics) technology Motherboard can accommodate up to four IDE devices on one system IDE provides two connectors on a motherboard for two data cables

Motherboard with Connectors

A Typical System

Hard Drives Power Supply

Floppy Drive Cable

Floppy Drive Connection

CD-ROM Drive

Motherboard Components Used for Communication Among Devices

The bus

System of pathways used for communication and the protocol and methods used for transmission Includes a data bus, address bus, and control bus

Bus Lines

Data Bus

System Clock

Synchronizes activity on the motherboard Sends continuous pulses over the bus that are
used by different components to control the pace of activity Frequency of activity is measured in MHz, or 1 million cycles per second

System Clock

Bus Lines

Lines of a bus, including data, instruction, and power lines, often extend to the expansion slots Types of expansion slots

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)

For high-speed input/output devices) For a video card

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)

Used by older and/or slower devices)

Bus Lines

Types of Expansion Slots

Interface (Expansion) Cards

Enable CPU to connect to external device or to


a network

Interface (Expansion) Cards

Full View of a Video Card

The Electrical System

Power supply

Most important component of computers electrical system Converts/reduces electricity to voltage the computer can handle Runs a fan directly from electrical output voltage to cool inside of computer case

Electrical System

Electrical System

Instructions and Data Stored on the Motherboard



ROM BIOS

Holds software needed to start up PC and begin loading an OS Most are flash ROM Stores setup (configuration) information

CMOS chip

Setup information can also be set by means of jumpers and DIP (dual inline package) switches

Powered by a battery on motherboard when power is off

ROM BIOS Chip

ROM BIOS Chip

CMOS Chip

Using Jumpers

DIP Switches

How a CPU Works and Communicates with Other Devices

Responsible for most processing Depends on chip set, system clock, and buses
to move data to and from I/O devices, memory, and secondary storage Only two states: on and off

Components of a CPU

Input/output (I/O) unit

Manages data/instructions entering/leaving CPU


Does all comparisons and calculations Manages all activities inside CPU itself

One or more arithmetic logic units (ALU)

Control unit

Components of a CPU

How the CPU Works

Registers hold data and instructions while it


processes them Memory cache holds data and instructions just before they are processed Internal bus runs at different speed than external bus

How the CPU Uses Memory

CPU accesses memory by way of the data bus

How CPU and Devices Use System Bus to Communicate

The Address Bus

The Control Bus



System clock control line

Provides timing for motherboard components


Used by devices to get CPUs attention; assigned at startup How to use address on address bus (read or write operation) How to use address lines (memory addresses or I/O addresses)

Interrupt request (IRQ) lines Read/write control lines I/O control lines

Interrupt Request (IRQ) Lines

I/O Control Lines

Understanding Binary

With computers, everything is binary; every


process is a series of zeros and ones Decimal and hexadecimal notations are two shorthand ways of displaying binary numbers

Understanding Binary

Hexadecimal notation (hex)

ASCII (American Standard Code for


Information Interchange) standard

Shorthand way to display long binary numbers; easier for humans to understand Built on multiples of sixteen

Has assigned an 8-bit code for letters, symbols, and other characters

Chapter Summary

An introduction to the inside of the computer Initial insight into how hardware components
of a computer system work How a CPU works and communicates with other devices Understanding binary

S-ar putea să vă placă și