8/25/2010

Definition

1
1. A Comp
Computerter is an electronic de
device
ice
that processes data, converting it
into information that is useful to
people.
2. A computer
p is an electronic device,,
which executes software programs

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

Parts of Computer System Hardware

y The hardware are the parts of computer itself
including the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and
y Hardware
Hard are related microchips and keyboards, monitors,
case and drives (floppy, hard, CD, DVD, optical,
y Software
tape, etc...).
y User y Other extra parts called peripheral components

y Data or devices include mouse, printers, modems,

scanners, digital cameras and cards (sound,
colour,
l video)
id ) etc...
y Together they are often referred to as a personal
computer or PC.

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

1
 8/25/2010

Common computer hardware

Contd…..
Contd…..
The Monitor is the display screen, similar to a
television screen.
The Printer is a device which produces a hard
copy of documents stored in electronic form
form.
The Keyboard is what you type on, similar to a
typewriter. The Scanner is a device that captures pictures so
that they can be seen and used on the computer,
The Mouse is the small hand held device that similar to a colour photocopier.
attaches to the computer. It may have two or three
A Hard Disk is a device that holds all the
buttons. The mouse is used to move the cursor information that is stored on a computer. Unlike a
( i t ) on the
(pointer) th computer
t screen. floppy disk the hard disk cannot be removed from
The Computer, tower, or case contains all the the computer but stores much more information.
parts that make the computer work. It can be
A CD-ROM is very similar to a stereo’s CD player. It
identified by the fact that it does not seem to do
not only plays music but can also retrieve
anything. It also has slots to put computer disks in.
information stored on CD's.
Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

Software Input Devices

y Software is a general term for the various kinds of programs
used to operate computers and related devices. (The term
hardware describes the physical aspects of computers and
y Input Devices :
related devices.) ◦ Keyboard
User ◦ Mouse
A person who uses computers for work or entertainment or
y
communication or business.
◦ Light Pens
y Types of Users are:- ◦ Touch Screens
Computer Scientist, Computer Programmer, Software ◦ Game Controllers
Engineer System Administrator
Engineer,
◦ Bar Code Readers
Data ◦ Scanners
y Data consists of individual facts or bits of information, which
by themselves may not make much sense to a person.

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

2
 8/25/2010

Output Devices Output Devices

y Monitors y Printer
◦ There are basically two types of Monitor
used with PCs
◦ A printer, is a computer peripheral that
x CRT(Cathode ray tube)
accepts text and graphic output from a
computer and transfers the information to
x Flat-Panel Monitors e.g. LCD(liquid crystal
paper, usually to standard size sheets of
Display),
p y) TFT(Thin-film
( Transistor))
paper or transparencies.
transparencies

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

The four printer qualities of most

interest to most users are: Types of Printer
y Color: Color is important for users who need to y Ink-jets printers:
print pages for presentations or maps and other
pages where color is part of the information
information. ◦ Ink-jets
Ink jets printer spray ionized tiny drops
y Resolution: Printer resolution (the sharpness of of ink onto a page to create an image.
text and images on paper) is usually measured in ◦ A standard ink-jet printer has a resolution
dots per inch ( dpi ). Most inexpensive printers
provide sufficient resolution for most purposes at of 300 dots per inch.
600 dpi. y Laser printers :
y Speed: If you do much printing, the speed of the
printer becomes important
important. Inexpensive printers ◦ It operate
p by
y shiningg a laser beam to
print only about 3 to 6 sheets per minute. produce an image on a drum. The drum is
y Memory: Most printers come with a small then rolled through a pool, or toner, and
amount of memory (for example, one megabyte ) the electrically charged portions of the
that can be expanded by the user. drum pick up ink.
Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

3
 8/25/2010

y Impact (Dot-matrix) printers use a set of
closely spaced pins and a ribbon to print
letters or other characters on a page.
y They can run at a speed anywhere between
50 and 500 CPS (Characters Per Second)
Second).
y The number of pins, which can vary between
9 to 24, determines the quality of the print
job.
y Dot matrix printers are commonly used for
printing invoices, purchase orders, shipping
forms, labels, and other multi-part forms
Introduction to Computers Systems
y Plotters are large-scale printers that are very
accurate at reproducing line drawings. They
are commonly used for technical drawings
such as engineering drawings or architectural
blueprints.
y Network printer is a printer that provides
output capabilities to all network users.
y Multifunction printers combine top-quality
color ink-jet or laser printing with plain-paper
and PC faxing, color copying and color
scanning
i , ttelephoning-
l h i allll iin one convenient,
i t
space-saving machine.
y Label Printers are the smartest way to print
labels one at a time.
Introduction to Computers Systems

Output Devices Component Inside the System

y Speaker - A speaker gives you sound
output
p from your
y computer.
p Some
speakers are built into the computer y MEMORY
and some are separate.
y MOTHERBOARD
y Headphones - Headphones give y SMPS
sound output from the Computer.
y DATA BUS
They are similar to speakers, except
that only one person can hear the y CPU
output at a time.

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

4
 8/25/2010

RAM(Random Access Memory)

Memory
y RAM (random access memory) is the place in
a computer where the operating system,
application programs
programs, and data in current use
Read/ Write Read Only are kept so that they can be quickly reached
by the computer's processor.

SRAM DRAM ROM PROM EPROM y RAM is much faster to read from and write to
than the other kinds of storage in a computer,
the hard disk,, floppy
ppy disk,, and CD-ROM.

UVEPROM EEPROM y The data in RAM stays there only as long as

your computer is running. When you turn the
computer off, RAM loses its data.

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

SRAM DRAM
y Short for Static Random Access y Main memory consists of DRAM chips
Memory, y, p
pronounced ess-ram. that can be packaged in a variety of ways
on dual
d l inline
i li memory modules
d l
y SRAM is a type of memory that is (DIMMs) for the notebook, desktop PC,
faster and more reliable than common and server markets.
y DRAM Memory Modules
DRAM. ◦ DIP – Dual in-line Package
y The term static is derived from the fact ◦ SIPP – Single in-line Pin Package
th t it doesn’t
that d ’t need
d to
t be
b refreshed
f h d lik
like ◦ SIMM – Single in-line
in line Memory Module
◦ DIMM – Dual in-line Memory Module
dynamic RAM. ◦ RIMM – Rambus in-line Memory Module
y Due to its high cost, SRAM is often ◦ SO-DIMM – Small outline DIMM
used only as a memory cache.
Introduction to Computers Systems

5
 8/25/2010

DRAM Needs refreshing…

Contd….
y Each DRAM chip contains millions of memory locations, or cells, y While DRAM is being refreshed, it cannot
that are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns.
y On the periphery of the array of memory cells are transistors that
be accessed
accessed.
read, amplify, and transfer the data from the memory cells to the y If the processor makes a data request
memory bus.
y Each DRAM row, called a page, consists of several DRAM cells. while the DRAM is being refreshed, the
y Each DRAM cell on a page contains a capacitor capable of storing data will not be available until after the
an electrical charge for a very short time.
y A charged
g cell represents
p a “1” data bit, and an uncharged
g cell refresh is complete.
represents a “0” data bit.
y There are many mechanisms to refresh
y The capacitors discharge over time so they must be recharged, or
refreshed, thousands of times per second to maintain the validity DRAM.
of the data.

y EDO DRAM - Extended Data Output

Types of DRAM Dynamic RAM is up to 25% faster
y FPM RAM than standard DRAM and reduces the
FPM RAM,
RAM which stands for Fast Page need for level-2 cache memory.
y
Mode RAM, Most 486 and Pentium based
systems from 1995 and earlier use FPM
Memory.

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

6
 8/25/2010

y SDRAM , which is short for Synchronous y RAMBUS DRAM is a type of ram of its
DRAM is a type of DRAM that runs in
own, it came out in 1999 and was
synchronization with the memory bus.
developed from traditional DRAM but
y SDRAM is capable of running at 133MHz
which is about three times faster than FPM
its architecture is totally
y new.
RAM and twice as fast as EDO RAM.

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

y DDR RAM, which stands for Double Data y DDR2 RAM, which stands for Double Data
Rate, which is a type of SDRAM and Rate 2 is a newer version of DDR which is
appeared first on the market around 2001. twice as fast as the original DDR RAM.
y DDR memory operating at 333MHz actually y DDR2-RAM has modified signaling which
operates at 166MHz
166MHz. enables
bl higher
hi h speeds d tot be
b achieved
hi d with
ith
y DDR is a 2.5 volt technology that uses 184 more immunity to signal noise and cross-
pins in its DIMMs. talk between signals.

Introduction to Computers Systems Introduction to Computers Systems

7
 8/25/2010

ROM
y PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory): is a ROM in
y Read-only memory (usually known by its which user can write its own function or program.
acronym,y , ROM)) is a class of storage g media
used in computers and other electronic y The information in it can not be altered.
devices.
y It is mainly used to distribute firmware. y The information can be erased and reprogrammed in EPROM
(Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory).
y It is also primary memory in which words are
permanently
p y written duringg fabrication.
y It ca be done in two ways by ultra violet rays or electrically.
y The contents of the word cannot be altered.
y It is non volatile memory.

Introduction to Computers Systems

More about memory… Memory technology contd….

y Why is the processor-memory
y Processor performance, which is often performance gap important?
equated
t d to
t the
th numberb off transistors
t i t in i a y The
Th processor is i forced
f d to
t idle
idl while
hil it
chip, doubles every couple of years. waits for data from system memory.
y Thus, the performance gap prevents
y On the other hand, memory bandwidth many applications from effectively using
doubles roughly every three years. the full computing power of modern
processors.
Therefore, if processor and memory y In an attempt to narrow the performance
performance continue to increase at gap, the industry vigorously pursues the
these rates, the performance gap development of new memory
technologies.
between them will widen.

8
 8/25/2010

Contd… Cache Memory

y Cache memory is very fast memory that the processor can access
y HP works with Joint Electronic Device much more quickly than main memory or RAM.

Engineering Council (JEDEC) memory y Cache memory, is much like other memory, except it can operate
much faster, and much more expensive.
vendors and chipset developers during
y Cache memory attempts to bridge the gap between fast, expensive
memory technology development to memory that can be made in limited quantities, and the large
amounts of RAM needed for modern applications.
ensure that new memory products fulfill
y Byyg
givingg the pprocessor a small amount of fast memoryy to used,, and
customer
t needs
d in
i regards
d to
t reliability,
li bilit then having that memory read in and write to main memory in
"spare" time, the processor can operate at full speed much of the
cost, and backward compatibility. y
time.
Most of the PC CPUs used built in cache memory called as Level-1(L1)
cache.

y You can also find motherboard-resident cache. It is often called Level-

2(L2) cache.