Computer Architecture A computer is a complex device containing many sub-systems. Each sub-system is a piece of computer hardware (or part of a piece of computer hardware.) How these pieces interact is called the "Computer Architecture". The hard of a computer includes: CPU - the ?brain? of the computer Motherboard - The spine of the computer Power Supply - the ?stomach? of the computer BUS - "trucks" data around the computer Clock - tells the CPU to start the next instruction Network Card - the ?cell phone? of the computer Monitor - the ?face? of the computer Fans - computers can cook food, they are so hot. We must cool them down. Memory: Layers: Registers (1 clock cycle) Primary Cache: ~1 nano-second cache primary Secondary Cache: 10 nano-seconds fast RAM: 70 nanoseconds or less fast disk: 10 milliseconds (10,000,000 nanoseconds) CD/DVD: 160 milliseconds (160,000,000 nanoseconds) Memory Acronyms you should know: ROM - Read Only Memory ROM is memory that is "hard coded" from the manufacturer and never changes, such as the instruction to "boot" up your computer. RAM - Random Access Memory Ram is the core memory you buy for any machine. It is often sold (today) in .5, 1, and 2 GIG boards. IO Devices Graphics Card / Monitor Keyboard Disk Drive Tape Backup CD ROM Thought question: What is the most important Component of a Computer?
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:53:02 +0000
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