Components of a computer system

Question 1

What is a computer?

Answer 1

A machine that processes data, its purpose is to take in data, process it and then output it.

Question 2

What are computer systems comprised of?

Answer 2

• Hardware

- Software

Question 3

What is hardware?

Answer 3

The physical components of a computer system, like the CPU, motherboard or a printer.

Question 4

What is software?

Answer 4

Is the programs that a computer systems runs, they tend to control a piece of hardware.

Question 5

What are the two types of software?

Answer 5

• Application,

- System.

Question 6

What is the difference between application and system software?

Answer 6

• Application software is software that is made for a very specific task, usually surrounding a single program. For example, web browsers, email clients and games.
• System software is software that supports the computer system and is needed for the device to run. For example, an OS.

Question 7

What is an embedded system?

Answer 7

A combination of hardware and software inside another device. This embedded system cannot be changed by an average person and carries out a very specific function often times. For example, an oven.

Question 8

What are the advantages of a embedded systems?

Answer 8

• Very small,
• Cheap to produce,
• Easier to design and build because it only does a limited number of tasks,
• More reliable, they tend to last longer with little maintenance,
• Uses more ROM which is cheaper than RAM,
• Requires less processing power, it is cheaper and generates less heat.

Question 9

What hardware is used in embedded systems?

Answer 9

• Quite a lot ROM and has little RAM,
• Doesn’t tend to have secondary storage
• ROM and RAM are stored in the same chip so that costs and space is reduced,
• The processor is much weaker.

Question 10

What hardware is mainly involved in a computer?

Answer 10

• Power Supply
• Fan
• CPU
• GPU
• Motherboard
• HDD
• RAM
• ROM
• Optical drive

Question 11

What is the function of the power supply?

Answer 11

To give power to the motherboard and all the hardware components.

Question 12

What is the function of the Fan?

Answer 12

Control the thermals of the PC.

Question 13

What is the function of the CPU?

Answer 13

Controls the processing of data in the PC, carries out the fetch, decode execute cycle.

Question 14

What is the function of the GPU?

Answer 14

Controls the graphics and rendering of images and videos in the computer.

Question 15

What is the function of the Motherboard?

Answer 15

The main circuit board in the computer, it sends data between hardware as it is connected to everything.

Question 16

What is the function of HDD?

Answer 16

This stores most of the computers data.

Question 17

What is the function of RAM?

Answer 17

It is memory for the computer, it stores the applications that are currently being used and the memory is wiped once the PC is shut down (volatile memory)

Question 18

What is the function of ROM?

Answer 18

It is Read only memory, this memory cannot be changed and is in little amount in an average PC. It stores start up instructions for the computer (BasicInputOutputSystem, BIOS).

Question 19

What is the function of the Optical drive?

Answer 19

Controls CDs that enter the computer, allows the reading and writing of these CDs.

Question 20

What characteristics effect the CPUs performance?

Answer 20

• Clock speed,
• Number of cores,
• Cache size and type.

Question 21

What are the 5 main parts of the CPU?

Answer 21

• The control unit,
• The arithmetic logic unit (ALU),
• The cache,
• The clock,
• Buses.

Question 22

What is the function of the control unit (CU)?

Answer 22

• The main controlling unit of the CPU,
• Its main function is to execute instructions by following the fetch execute cycle.
• Also controls the flow of data inside the CPU and outside,
• It also keeps track of memory addresses for the instructions for the cycle.

Question 23

What is the function of the arithmetic logic unit (ALU)?

Answer 23

• Basically does all the calculations,
• It performs logic operations (and, or, not) and binary shifts,
• Registers temporarily hold calculation information for the ALU,
• It receives data from CU and Registers and performs operations on them and outputs it back to the registers.

Question 24

What is the function of the cache?

Answer 24

• A very fast memory in the CPU, it is faster than the RAM but slower than registers,
• It stores regularly used data so that the CPU can access often used instructions so the fetch-execute cycle can happen more efficiently,
• Has a low capacity and is expensive compared to RAM because of its speed.

Question 25

What is the function of buses?

Answer 25

- Collections of wires that are used transmit data between components of the CPU and to other parts of the CPU, - A processor may have different buses for carrying: data, instructions and memory addresses.

Question 26

What is the function of a register?

Answer 26

- It temporarily holds data in the CPU, it is a very fast memory and can read and write way faster than any other form of memory. - There are different registers for storing different data.

Question 27

What is Von Neumann's architecture?

Answer 27

- A system were the CPU runs programs stored in memory, | - It has uses one set of memory for both instructions and data.

Question 28

What is the function of memory in the CPU?

Answer 28

Holds program instructions and the program data for the fetch execute cycle.

Question 29

What is the Fetch, Decode and Execute cycle?

Answer 29

Fetch: - The control unit reads the memory address of the next CPU instructions, - The instruction is copies over to the register in the CPU, - The memory address in the CU then points to the address of the next instruction, ready for the next cycle. Decode: - the instruction that was copied from the memory is decoded by the CU, - The control unit prepares for the next step, e.g. by loading other values into the register. Execute: -The instruction is performed, - This could be anything like: load data from memory, write data into memory, logic operations, change the address in the CU or halt the program.