Chapter 4

System Unit Components

Discovering
Computers 2012
Your Interactive Guide
to the Digital World
Objectives Overview

Differentiate among Describe the control

various styles of Identify chips, adapter unit and arithmetic
system units on cards, and other logic unit components
desktop computers, components of a of a processor, and
notebook computers, motherboard explain the four steps
and mobile devices in a machine cycle

Identify characteristics
of various personal
Define a bit and Explain how program
computer processors
describe how a series instructions transfer in
on the market today,
of bits represents data and out of memory
and describe the ways
processors are cooled

See Page 209 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 2

for Detailed Objectives
Objectives Overview

Differentiate between a
Describe the purpose and
port and a connector, and
types of expansion slots
explain the differences
Differentiate among the and adapter cards, and
among a USB port, FireWire
various types of memory differentiate among slots
port, Bluetooth port, SCSI
for various removable flash
port, eSATA port, IrDA port,
memory devices
serial port, and MIDI port

Explain the purpose of a Understand how to clean a

Describe the types of
power supply and describe system unit on a computer
buses in a computer
how it keeps cool or mobile device

See Page 209 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 3

for Detailed Objectives
The System Unit

The system
unit is a case
that contains
electronic
components of
the computer
used to
process data

Page 210 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 4

Figure 4-1
The System Unit

The inside of the system unit on a

desktop personal computer includes:
Drive bay(s)

Power supply

Sound card

Video card

Processor

Memory
Page 211 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 5
Figure 4-2
The System Unit

The motherboard is the main circuit

board of the system unit
A computer chip contains integrated
circuits

Page 212 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 6

Figure 4-3
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
Multi-
logic unit (ALU) Dual- Quad-
core core core
process process process
or or or
Page 213 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 7
Processor

Page 213 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 8

Figure 4-4
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

Page 214 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 9

Processor

For every instruction, a processor

repeats a set of four basic operations,
which comprise a machine cycle

Page 215 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 10

Figure 4-5
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 2012: Chapter 4 11

Figure 4-6
Processor

The processor contains

registers, that temporarily hold
data and instructions
The system clock controls
the timing of all computer
operations
The pace of the system clock is
called the clock speed, and is
measured in gigahertz (GHz)
Page 216 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 12
Processor

The leading
manufacturers of
personal computer
processor chips are
Intel and AMD

Pages 216 217 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 13

Figure 4-7
Processor

Determine how you plan to use a new

computer before selecting a processor

Page 218 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 14

Figure 4-8
Processor

A processor chip
generates heat
that could cause
the chip to burn up
Require additional
cooling
Heat sinks
Liquid cooling
technology

Pages 219 - 220 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 15

Figures 4-9 4-10
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 2012: Chapter 4 16

Figure 4-11
See How the CPU Works

Lets watch video

Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 17

Data Representation

Analog signals are continuous and

vary in strength and quality

Digital signals are in one of two

states: on or off
Most computers are digital
The binary system uses two unique digits
(0 and 1)
Bits and bytes
Page 221 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 18
Data Representation

A computer circuit represents Eight bits grouped together

the 0 or the 1 electronically as a unit are called a byte. A
by the presence or absence of byte represents a single
an electrical charge character in the computer

Page 221 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 19

Figures 4-12 4-13
Data Representation

ASCII (American
Standard Code for
Information
Interchange) is the
most widely used
coding scheme to
represent data

Page 221 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 20

Figure 4-14
Data Representation

Page 222 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 21

Figure 4-15
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
The operating Data being
system
Storesand
three basic categoriesprocessed
Application of items:and
other system programs the resulting
software information

Page 223 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 22

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 2012: Chapter 4 23

Figure 4-17
Memory

The system unit contains two types of

memory:
Volatile Nonvolatile
memory memory
Loses its contents Does not lose
when power is contents when
turned off power is removed

Examples include
Example includes
ROM, flash
RAM
memory, and CMOS

Pages 223 - 224 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 24

Memory

Page 224 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 25

Figure 4-18
Memory

Three basic types of RAM chips exist:

Dynamic RAM Static RAM Magnetoresistiv
(DRAM) (SRAM) e RAM (MRAM)

Page 225 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 26

Figure 4-19
Memory

RAM chips usually reside on a memory

module and are inserted into memory
slots

Page 225 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 27

Figure 4-20
Memory

The amount of RAM necessary in a

computer often depends on the types of
software you plan to use

Page 226 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 28

Figure 4-21
Memory

Memory cache speeds the processes of the

computer because it stores frequently used
instructions and data

Page 227 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 29

Figure 4-22
Memory

Read-only memory (ROM) refers to

memory chips storing permanent data
and instructions
Firmware

A PROM (programmable read-only

memory) chip is a blank ROM chip that
can be written to permanently
EEPROM can be erased

Page 228 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 30

Memory

Flash memory can be erased

electronically and rewritten
CMOS technology provides high speeds
and consumes little power

Pages 228 229 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 31

Figure 4-23
Memory

Access time is the amount of time it

takes the processor to read from
memory
Measured in nanoseconds

Page 229 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 32

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

Page 230 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 33

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

Pages 230 231 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 34

Figure 4-27
Expansion Slots and Adapter
Cards
Removable flash memory includes:
Memory cards, USB flash drives, and PC
Cards/ExpressCard modules

Page 231 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 35

Figure 4-28
Ports and Connectors

A port is the point at which a peripheral

attaches to or communicates with a system
unit (sometimes referred to as a jack)

A connector joins a cable to a port

Page 232 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 36

Ports and Connectors

Page 232 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 37

Figure 4-29
Ports and Connectors

On a notebook computer, the ports are

on the back, front, and/or sides

Pages 232 - 233 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 38

Figure 4-30
Ports and Connectors

Page 233 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 39

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

Page 234 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 40

Figure 4-32
Ports and Connectors

Other types of ports include:

Firewir Bluetoo SCSI
e port th port port

eSATA IrDA Serial

port port port

MIDI
port
Pages 234 - 236 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 41
Ports and Connectors
A Bluetooth wireless port A smart phone might
adapter converts a USB communicate with a notebook
port into a Bluetooth port computer using an IrDA port

Page 235 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 42

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

Page 236 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 43

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

Page 237 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 44

Figure 4-36
Buses

Expansion slots connect to expansion

buses
Common types of expansion buses
PCI Accelerate
include:
PCI bus Express d Graphics
bus Port

USB and
PC Card
FireWire
bus
bus

Page 238 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 45

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 2012: Chapter 4 46

Figure 4-37
Power Supply

The power supply converts

the wall outlet AC power into DC
power

Some external peripherals have

an AC adapter, which is an
external power supply
Page 239 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 47
Putting It All Together

Home Small Office/ Mobile

Intel Core i5 or Home Office Intel Core i7
Intel Core 2 i3 or Intel Core i7 or Extreme or
AMD Athlon II or Intel Core i7 Intel Core i7 or
AMD Sempron Extreme or AMD AMD Phenom II or
Phenom II or AMD Turion II
AMD Athlon II
Minimum RAM: 2
GB Minimum RAM: 2
Minimum RAM: 4 GB
GB
Page 239 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 48
Figure 4-38
Putting It All Together

Power Enterprise
Intel Xeon or Intel Core i7 or
Intel Itanium or Intel Core i7
AMD Opteron Extreme or AMD
Minimum RAM: 8 Phenom II or
GB AMD Athlon II

Minimum RAM: 4
GB
Page 239 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 49
Figure 4-38
Keeping Your Computer
or Mobile Device Clean

Clean your computer or mobile device once or

twice a year

Turn off and unplug your computer or mobile

device before cleaning it

Use compressed air to blow away dust

Use an antistatic wipe to clean the exterior of the

case and a cleaning solution and soft cloth to
clean the screen
Page 240 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 50
Summary

Sequence of
How memory
operations that
Components of the stores data,
occur when a
system unit instructions, and
computer executes
information
an instruction

Comparison of
How to clean the
various personal
exterior and
computer
interior of a
processors on the
system unit
market today

Page 241 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 51

Chapter 4
System Unit Components

Discovering
Computers 2012
Your Interactive Guide
to the Digital World
Chapter 4 Complete