Week 2 Inside the Computer

1
 What You Will Learn . . .

✓ Understand how computers represent data

✓ Understand the measurements used to describe data
storage capacity
✓ List the components inside the system unit
✓ How a CPU processes data

2
 What You Will Learn . . .

✓ The types and purpose of memory in a computer

system
✓ The characteristics of hard disks
✓ The various optical storage media available for
personal computers
✓ The physical connectors on the exterior of the system
unit

3
 A Bit of Computer History

• ENIAC in 1946

5,000 operations per sec.

1,000 sq. feet
I/O: cards, lights,
switches

4
 (cont’)

• First commercial computer: UNIVAC I in 1951

1,905 operations/sec.
943 cubic feet
I/O: magnetic tapes, printer
Cost: US$750,000

5
 (cont’)
• IBM Personal Computer XT in 1981

6
 The Birth of Apple
• Apple I in 1976
CPU: 6502 at 1MHz
RAM: 4KB Standard, expandable to 8KB
or 48KB
Graphics: 40x20 characters
Cost: US$666.66

from [Link] 7
 Apple ][

✓ Introduced in 1977

CPU: 6502 at 1MHz, 8-bit

RAM: start from 4KB
ROM: 12KB
Cost: US$1,298.00

8
 Macintosh – the Birth of GUI
(Graphical User Interface)
✓ Introduced in 1984

CPU: Motorola MC68000 at 8MHz, 16 bits

ROM: 64KB RAM: 128KB max.
3.5” 400KB floppy drive
Weight: 16 lbs.
Cost: US$2,495.00

Apple Macintosh commercial aired during 1984 Superbowl

Apple Macintosh commercial aired during 1984 Superbowl

9
 Describing Hardware Performance
 Hardware performance refers to the amount of data a
computer can store and how fast it can process the
data
System Case Intel® Core i7
Socket 478 500 GB Processor
ATX 7200 RPM
Motherboard Hard Drive

4GB DDR
SDRAM Memory
Module
Question 1 11
 Types of System Units

Desktop

Tablet PC

Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA)
Notebook/laptop

12
 Inside the System Unit
 Motherboard (mainboard) – Large
printed circuit board with thousands of
electrical circuits
 Power supply – Transforms
alternating current (AC) from wall
outlets to direct current (DC) needed
by the computer
 Cooling fan – Keeps the system unit
cool
 Internal Speaker – Used for beeps
when errors are encountered
 Drive bays – Housing for the
computer’s hard drive, floppy drive,
and CD-ROM / DVD-ROM drives

13
14
 The Motherboard
✓ The motherboard provides the
centralized connection point
for the computer’s components
➢ Most components are
integrated circuits (chips)
▪ Chips carry electrical current
and contain electronic
switches or transistors

15
 The Central Processing Unit:
The Microprocessor

CPU

CPU socket
✓ Central processing unit (CPU) – A microprocessor that
interprets and carries out instructions given by software. It
controls the computer’s components

16
 Components of the CPU
 Control unit – Coordinates and controls all parts of
the computer system
 Arithmetic-logic unit – Performs arithmetic or
logical operations
 Registers – Temporarily store the most frequently
used instructions and data

17
 Moore’s Law
In 1965, Gordon Moore said “The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on
an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years.”

18
 The Control Unit
 The control unit manages four basic operations (fetch,
decode, execute, and write-back)
➢ The four-step process is known as the machine cycle or
processing cycle
➢ The processing cycle consists of two phases:
▪ Instruction Cycle
– Fetch – Gets the next program instruction from the computer’s
memory
– Decode – Figures out what the program is telling the computer to
do
▪ Execution Cycle
– Execute – Performs the requested action
– Write-back (Store) – Writes (stores) the results to a register or to
memory

19
 The Arithmetic-Logic Unit

✓ The arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) performs basic

arithmetic and logic operations
➢ Adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides
➢ Compares alphanumeric data

20
 CPUs
Intel
Pentium MMX Pentium IV

Advanced
Micro Devices
Pentium III (AMD)

21
 Input/Output Bus
PCI slots
✓ The input/output bus provides a
pathway so that the
microprocessor can communicate
with input/output devices
✓ An input/output bus contains
expansion slots which hold
expansion cards
➢ PCI (Personal Computer
Interface) slots are receptacles in
which expansion cards are
inserted. They support Plug and
Play (PnP) devices.
E.g. Sound card, graphic card, TV Expansion
tuner card…
Card

22
 Memory System

[Link] 23
 Random Access Memory (RAM)

 RAM is a type of memory that stores

information temporarily
 Program instructions and data are stored in
memory chips for quick access by the CPU.
 RAM is volatile; the memory’s contents are
erased when the power is turned off
24
 Virtual Memory

FULL

 Virtual memory:
➢ Part of the hard disk is reserved as RAM
➢ When RAM modules become full, the CPU accesses the
hard disk to store and retrieve data
✓ Virtual memory is slower than RAM
25
 Cache Memory

 Primary cache (Level 1 or L1) – Located within the CPU

chip, it is the memory that the microprocessor uses to store
frequently used instructions and data
 Secondary cache (Level 2 or L2; Backside Cache) – Located
near the CPU, it is the memory between the CPU and RAM
 Cache memory is faster than RAM

26
 Memory vs. Storage
Hard Drive – storage RAM – memory

✓ Memory is a temporary workplace where the computer

transfers the contents of a file while it is being used
✓ Storage, also known as mass media or auxiliary storage,
refers to the various media on which a computer system can
store data
✓ Storage devices hold programs and data in units called files

27
 Why Is Storage Necessary?

✓ Storage devices:
➢Retain data when the computer is turned off (hard disk)
➢Are needed for output (portable storage)
➢Are cheaper than memory

28
 A Bit of HD History

• Guess how big this HD can store?

IBM System 305: 1st computer with a hard drive in 1956

There were 50 24” platters and could store 5MB!!!
29
 Hard Disk Drive (HDD) (hard disk, hard drive)

Platter Read/Write
head

✓ Hard disks are high-speed, high-capacity storage devices

✓ They contain metal disks called platters
✓ They contain two or more stacked platters with read/write
heads for each side
✓ Hard disks can be divided into partitions to enable computers
to work with more than one operating system
✓ HD is action: [Link]/watch?v=L0nbo1VOF4M
30
 Factors Affecting a Hard Disk’s Performance

✓ Seek time or positioning performance – How quickly the

read/write head positions itself and begins transferring
information. It is measured in milliseconds (ms)
✓ Spindle speed or transfer performance – How quickly the
drive transfers data. It is measured in rotations per minute
(RPM)
➢ E.g., 7200rpm
 Floppy and Zip Disks and Drives

Floppy Disk

Zip Disk

✓ A disk or diskette is a portable storage medium

✓ High-density floppy disks store 1.44 MB of data
✓ Disks work with a disk drive
✓ Zip disks store 100MB to 750 MB of data and are
not downwardly compatible with floppy disks
32
Zip Drive
 CD-ROM Discs and Drives

✓ CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc-

Read Only Memory
✓ CD-ROM drives can not write data
to discs
✓ They are capable of storing 750 MB
of data
✓ They are used for storing operating
systems, large application programs,
and multimedia programs

35
 CD-R and CD-RW Discs and Recorders

CD-R CD-RW
✓ Discs can be read and ✓ Discs can be read and
written to written to
✓ Discs can only be ✓ Discs are erasable
written to “once” ✓ Discs can be written to
✓ CD-R drives are capable many times
of reading and writing ✓ CD-RW drives are
data capable of reading,
writing, and erasing data

36
 DVD-ROM Discs and Drives

✓ DVD stands for Digital Video

Disc
✓ DVD technology is similar to
CD-ROM technology
✓ DVDs are capable of storing up
to 4.7GB of data
✓ The data transfer rate of DVD
drives is comparable to that of
hard disk drives

37
 DVD-RW and DVD+RW Discs

DVD-R and DVD+R drives have the ability to

read/write data
DVD-RW and DVD+RW drives allow you to write,
erase, and read from a disc many times

38
 Optical Storage

✓ Blu-Ray Disc (BD)

➢140 members: Sony, Samsung, LG, Walt Disney
Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox …etc.
➢25GB/50GB
➢Single layer can hold >2 hrs. of HDTV
➢blue-violet laser (405nm)

39
 Solid State Storage Devices

✓ Solid state storage devices use nonvolatile memory

chips to retain data
✓ They do not have moving parts
✓ They are small, lightweight and portable

41
 Solid State Storage Devices

Secure Digital Mini SD Memory

(SD) Memory

USB Flash Drives Micro SD Memory

Compact
Memory Flash (CF)
Stick Memory

42
 SSD
solid state drive

43
✓ Boot-up time (Windows 7): 22 seconds (SSD), 40
seconds (HDD)
✓ Data read-write speed: 510-550 megabytes per
second (SSD), 50-150 megabytes per second (HDD)
✓ Excel file open speed: 4 seconds (SSD), 14 seconds
(HDD)
 Analog data

✓ The signals, which we send each other to

communicate, are data
✓ Our daily data have many forms: sound, letters,
numbers, and other characters (handwritten or
printed), photos, graphics, film
✓ All this data is in its nature analog, which means that
it varies in type
 Digital data

✓ A digital system is an electronic unit

✓ It can only deal with data, which are associate with
electricity. That is accomplished using electric
switches, which are either off or on.
✓ It can be illustrated with regular household switches.
If the switch is off, it reads numeral “0”. If it is on, it
is read as numeral “1”
 Binary code

• All types of data are stored and processed in the

computer, and a computer does all its job based on
whether electronic circuits are off or on.
• Computer circuit functions in one or two states:
off (represented as 0) or on (represented as 1)
• Using different patterns of off (0) and on (1), many
unique combinations can be obtained.
 Binary Code

• Because 0 or 1 is used, the data are said to be binary

data
• The number system most frequently used is the
decimal system, or Base 10 number system. It is
called Base 10 because it uses ten symbols (0 to 9),
and combinations of them, to represent all possible
numbers
• In the computer a binary system is used, which is a
Base 2 (0 or 1) number system
 ASCII and EBCDIC Code

53
 How Computers
OFF Represent
ON Data
ON OFF
OR = 1 bit
0 1
= 1 Byte
OR 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0

= 1 Byte
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

 Bit (Binary digit) – On or off state of electric current; considered the basic
unit of information; represented by 1s and 0s (binary numbers)
 Byte – Eight bits grouped together to represent a character (an alphabetical
letter, a number, or a punctuation symbol); 256 different combinations

54
 Bytes

8 bits = 1 Byte
1024 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte (KB)
1,048,576 Bytes = 1 Megabyte (MB)
1,073,741,824 Bytes = 1 Gigabyte (GB)
1,099,511,627,776 Bytes = 1 Terabyte (TB)

 Kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, and terabyte are

terms that describe large units of data used in
measuring data storage
➢Example: 8GB USB flash drive

55
 Example

✓ Convert 18,874,368 bits into MB

✓ or 8 = 2,359,296 bytes
✓ or 1024 = 2,304 kilobytes
✓ or 1024 = 2.25 megabytes
 Summary
• The basic unit of information is the bit
• Large units of data are called kilobytes (KB), megabytes
(MB), gigabytes (GB), and terabytes (TB)
• The system unit contains the motherboard, which is a circuit
board that provides receptacles for chips and input/output
buses
• The central processing unit (CPU) contains the control unit
(CU) and the arithmetic-logic unit (ALU). It manages the
four basic operations (fetch, decode, execute, and write-
back).
• The CPU processes data in a four-step cycle called a
machine cycle. The CU manages four basic operations:
fetch, decode, execute, and store.

57
 Summary (continued)

• Registers, cache memory, RAM and virtual memory

are used to store program instruction and data
temporarily
• Permanent storage (hard disk) retains data when the
computer is turned off
• A hard disk’s performance is measured by its
positioning performance and transfer rate

58
Input/Output

59
 What You Will Learn About
✓ The purpose of special keys and the most frequently
used pointing devices
✓ The characteristics of a monitor’s quality and the various
types of monitors
✓ The two major types of printers

60
 Input
✓ Input is any data entered into the computer’s
memory

61
Input Devices: Giving Commands

Keyboard Mouse

Mouse

Pen Tablet
62
Types of Keyboards
Enhanced / Extended Keyboard Wireless
Ergonomic Keyboard Ergonomic Keyboard

✓ Enhanced or Extended keyboard – Typically 101 keys

laid out in the QWERTY fashion; connected to the
computer by a cable
✓ Cordless keyboard – e.g., bluetooth wireless keyboard
✓ Ergonomic keyboard – Designed to help prevent
Repetitive Strain Injury, or RSI
63
 The Mouse

✓ The mouse is the most widely used pointing device

✓ A mouse is palm sized
✓ As the mouse is moved, its movements are mirrored by the on-
screen pointer

64
 Types of Mice
Wheel Cordless
Mouse Mouse

✓ Wheel mouse – Contains a rotating wheel used to scroll

vertically within a text document; connects to PS/2 port or
USB port
✓ Cordless mouse – Uses infrared signals/RF/Bluetooth to
connect to the computer.

65
 Other Types of Pointing Devices

Touch
Trackball Screen

Pointing Joystick
Stick

Tablet
Touch Pad Tablet
Pen

66
 Audio Input: Speech Recognition
✓ Speech recognition is a type of input in which the
computer recognizes words spoken into a microphone

67
 Alternative Input Devices

Scanners

Flatbed Barcode reader

68
 QR Code

✓ A QR Code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-

dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode
readers and camera phones.
✓ The information encoded can be text, URL or other
data.

QR Code encoded with the

URL [Link]
Question 15 69
 Monitors

CRT LCD

✓ A monitor is a peripheral device which displays

computer output on a screen
✓ Screen output is referred to as soft copy
✓ Types of monitors:
➢ Cathode-ray tube (CRT)
➢ Liquid Crystal Display (LCD or flat-panel)
70
 Monitor Specifications

✓ Screen size – The diagonal measurement of the screen surface

in inches (15, 17, 19, 21)
✓ Resolution – The sharpness of the image determined by the
number of horizontal and vertical dots (pixels) that the screen
can display (800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1600 x 1200)

71
 Printers

✓A printer is a peripheral
device that produces a
physical copy or hard
copy of the computer’s
output

72
 Types of Printers
Inkjet Laser

✓ Inkjet printer makes ✓ Laser printer works like a

characters by inserting dots copier
of ink onto paper ✓ Quality determined by dots
✓ Letter-quality printouts per inch (dpi) produced
✓ Cost of printer is inexpensive ✓ Expensive initial costs but
but ink is costly cheaper to operate per page

73
 Plotter

✓ A plotter is a printer that uses a pen that moves over a

large revolving sheet of paper
✓ It is used in engineering, drafting, map making, and
seismology

74
 Summary
• Input is the software, data, and information that is
entered into the computer’s memory
• Input devices such as the keyboard, mouse, and
trackball enable the user to enter data
• A pointing device enables the user to control
movements of an on-screen pointer
• Speech recognition software enables the user to
enter data into a computer by speaking into a
microphone
• Monitors enable the user to view the computer’s
processed data; the output is known as soft copy

75
 Summary (continued)
• The two types of monitors are the CRT and the
LCD
• A monitor’s quality is measured by screen size and
resolution
• Printers produce permanent versions (hard copies)
of the computer’s output
• The two basic types of printers are the inkjet and
laser

76