1.1 Flashcards
(15 cards)
General purpose computer
Is a computer that is designed to be able to carry out many different tasks
What hardware do general
purpose computers consist of
CPU
hard disk
monitor
Keyboard
mouse
CU
It fetches decodes and executes instructions
It issues control signals that control harware
It moves data around the system
ALU
To perform arithmetic and logical operations. The ALU is where calculations are done and where decisions are made
It acts as a gateway between primary memory and secondary storage. Data transferred between them passes through the ALU
Register
Are small amounts of high speed memory contained within the CPU.
Registers process small amounts of data that are needed during processing data, such as:
The address of the next instruction to be executed
The current instruction being decoded
The results of calculations
Cache
is a small amount of high speed RAM built directly within the processor. It is used to temporarily hold data and instructions that the processor is likely to reuse.
Advantages of cache hold data that is likely to be reused.
Allows for faster processing as the processor does not have to wait for the data and instructions to be fetched from ram
Clock
The CPU contains a clock which is used to coordinate all of the computer’s components. The clock sends out a regular electrical pulse which synchronizes all the components
What are the frequency of the pulses of the clock known as
clock speed
Bus
A bus is a high speed internal connection. Buses are used to send control signals and data between the processor and other components
Address bus
Carries memory addresses from the processor to other components such as primary memory and input/output devices.
Data bus
carries the actual data between the processor and other components.
Data bus
Carries actual data between the processor and other components.
Control bus
carries signals from the processor to other components. The control bus also carries the clock pulses
