The Computer System's Architecture Flashcards
what is a user interface? what is a Graphical user interface?
- The access point and boundary between the user and computer
> I.e. The means by which a user can control a software application or hardware device - GUI: The program uses a visual components for the software i.e. the icon for your mouse, apps with icons like the google symbol ect.
what is an operating system?
- The software that controls all the hardware
> Acts as an interface between user and hardware and between applications and hardware
most important part of a computer system
Name 3 user inputs for a remote
- Numeric pad
- Volume and channel buttons
- Power button
(A user interface is basically anything that alows the user to interact with the system)
what is Von Neumann Architecture? what are the 3 feautres for a Von Neumann-based Computer?
- A computer architecture designed by a mathematician John Von Neumann, which form the core for nearly every computer system
(Basically the structure for a computer i.e. the arrangement of hardware and internals and that)
3 Features:
- Uses one primary storage unit for both instructions and data
- Both memory and instructions are stored as binary digits
- Executes one instruction after another though the fetch-decode-execute cycle
Name 3 advantages and disadvantages of Von Neumann’s architecture in mmm p
Advantages:
- Simplifies micro-controller chip design because only one memory needs to be accessed
- Greater flexibility in software development
- In Micro-controllers, the most important thing is the contents of RAM; in Von Neumann’s architecture RAM can be used for both data storage and instruction storage
Disadvantages:
- Only one bus connecting memory and processor
> This means that processing times can be longer because only one instuction or data can be fetched at a time (Von Neumann bottleneck)
what is the motherboard?
- Printed Circuit Board that links the CPU to the rest of the hardware
what is a bus?
- A series of parallel connections for data transmission from one component to another
what is the CPU’s purpose and how does it do this? what processors do phones use?
- To Process data (in other words in the main processor)
- Does this though searching and sorting, calculationg and selecting data
(Processes most of the data on your computer e.g. playing games, searching internet etc…)
- Phones use ARM processors
what are the benefits of multicore over single cored processors?
- Allows quicker, and more efficent functioning because operations can be performed multiple tiems faster
(e. g. think of it as someone helping you stacking shelves - it would be quicker than if you did it alone, given then had the correct instructions)
what are the 4 components in a CPU?
- Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): All arithmetic and logic operations on data - e.g. addition, subtraction, AND, OR, NOT etc..
- Control unit (CU): Fetches, decodes and executes instuctions - Controls the flow of data within the system
- Internal Buses: Connections between components
- Internal Clock: Syncronises the timings of operations in the computer - with signals from ‘0’ to ‘1’ measuredi n hertz
what are the 4 things that effect the CPU performance?
- Number of cores: More cores means more power to be able to perform multiple task at the same time
- Clock Speed: (MHz or GHZ) The faster the clock speed, the faster instructions can be executed per second (there are limits)
- Cache (A type of ram built directly into the CPU): Size and type effects performance
- Instruction sets: some are more efficient than others
why is too much clock speed not necessarily good? (two) why is more cores not necessarily faster than less? (two)
- an instruction might not be process quick enough before the next instruction
- the processor can overheat
- Some tasks cannot be split up (so extra cores wont help)
- Each processor has to communicate with the other, which can take up extra speed
