4.7.1 Fo ComOrgArch (Internal Hardware Components) Flashcards
(29 cards)
What is a Computer
An electronic/digital device that carries out arithmetic and/or logic operations on data
What is the function of the I/O controller
- To sit between the I/O devices and CPU, and act as an interface between the two
- Allowing them to connect, by translating processor instructions in a form the device can understand
- Acts as a time buffer between IO devices and the CPU so that the CPU is not left waiting
What are the features of the IO controller
- Physical interface (HDMI e.g.)
- Standard interface
- Address register
- Command Register
- Data Registers
What is meant by main memory
- Memory that is directly accessible and connected to the CPU, and that stores data and instructions used by the computer.
What are the 2 types of main memory
- RAM (Random Access Memory)
- ROM (Read Only Memory)
What are the feature of RAM
- Volatile
- Stores data that is currently in use
What are the features of ROM
- Non-volatile
- Stores hard coded instructions that the computer uses to booot up (BIOS)
What is meant by volatile memory
Memory which is lost when the computer is turned off
How are data and information passed between components of a computer
- Through the system bus, which is a series of parallel wires
What are the two ways buses can be classified
- System and External
What three buses are the system bus made of
- Address Bus
- Control Bus
- Data Bus
How can external buses be classified
- Series and Parallel
What are the functions of the external buses
- To transfer data and instructions to connected peripheral devices
How much data can one bus wire send at once
- 1 bit
What is a parallel bus
A bus that contains several wires which all run in parallel with each other. This allows for multiple bits of the same unit to be transmitted or received at the same time
What are the features of a parallel bus
- Bi-directional
- Can pass data in one direction at a time making it Half-duplex
What is the disadvantage of Parallel buses
- They can suffer a time skew where not all of the bits passed through the bus arrive preciselyt at the same time even if they were released at the same time
What is a serial bus
Contains several channels that are used to send data in different streams (for different purposes). But for each channel one bit is ent at a time
What are the features of serial buses
- Can pass pass data in both directions at the same time
(Full-Duplex)
What is the data bus and what components does it send data to/from
- Bus that carries data and instructions to and from the different components of the computer system, like:
- The CPU
- The main memory
- I/o Controllers
What are the features of the data bus
- A width that refers to the number of parallel wires in the bus, this determines how much data can be sent or received in one operation
- Bi directional
What is the address bus
- Bus used to transport memory addresses, specifying where data is to be sent to or retrieved from.
What are the features if the address bus
- Unidirectional
- Unique addressing
- A width that refers to the number of bits used to store an addressable unit.
How much data can an addressible unit store
- A word of data
