Computer Hardware Flashcards
What do hardware components include?
Input, output, storage and processing devices
What architecture is the basis for all digital computers?
Von Nuemann
What does the CPU do?
It carries out all processing
What are the 2 parts of the CPU?
ALU and CU (arithmetic logical unit and the control unit)
What does the arithmetic logical unit do?
Carries out all of the arithmetic and logical operations
What does the control unit do?
It uses electrical signals control the flow of data
What is the cycle the CPU carries out?
Fetch - decode - execute
What is the boot sequence?
A sequence of processes required to load up the computer the boot loader starts this sequence and is stored in ROM
What happens after the boot sequence?
The operating system takes over
What does the operating system provide?
The programmes for the CPU to process
What does the speed of the CPU depend on?
- clock speed
- cache memory
- number of cores
What is clock speed
The amount of fetch-execute cycles in a second measured in hertz
What is cache memory?
On top of / next to the CPU it is memory which is faster to access as it is closer to the CPU however it is expensive
What are multi processor cores?
Multiple processors
What is the advantage of multi cores?
More fetch-execute cycles can be carried out simultaneously
