deck 1 Flashcards
Programs
Programs are instructions that tell the computer what to do. They are stored in durable media like hard drive and CPU process them.
Instructions are also stored in RAM so the CPU can access it faster.
CPU is taking instructions written in binary and executing them.
Registers
Registers are components inside the CPU that store the data that CPU works with.
EDB
EDB (External Data Bus) is a row of wires that interconnect the parts of our computer. Wire that has voltage is represented with 1, no voltage is 0. –> that’s how bits physically travel around the computer. EDB comes in different sizes (a bit, 16-bit, 32, 64)
MCC
MCC (Memory Controller Chip) finds instructions in RAM, grabs them and sends through EDB.
Address bus
Address bus connects the CPU with the MCC and sends over the location of the data, but not the data itself. MCC looks for the data which is then sent over the EDB.
Clock speed
CPU is connected to the clock wire that keeps its operations in sync. When a voltage is sent to that clock wire CPU does one cycle of operations.
Clock speed of the CPU in GHz is the maximum number of clock cycles in certain period of time. GHz is billions per second. (There are ways to over clock your CPU, though, but it has its cons.)
CPU cashe
CPU cashe is smaller but faster way for getting data for our CPU to process. It has three levels: L1 (the smallest and fastest), L2 and L3.
It speeds up the process by holding a local copy of the most recently accessed data in temporary storage. It is normally stored inside each core of the CPU.
Motherboard
Motherboard is the foundation that holds our computer together. It routes power from the power supply, and it allows the different parts of the computer to communicate with each other.
It lets us expand our computers functionality by adding expansion cards.
Level 2 cache
L2 cache holds less data than L3 cache, but it has faster access speeds. L2 holds a copy of the most recently accessed data that is not currently in use by the CPU. Each CPU core normally has its own L2 cache.
Level 1 cache
L1 cache is the fastest and smallest of the three CPU cache levels. L1 holds the data currently in use by the CPU. Each CPU core usually has its own L1 cache.
Overclocking a CPU’s frequency involves three variables:
The base CPU clock frequency, often measured in GHz.
The core frequency, which is calculated by multiplying the base frequency by the CPU core multipliers.
The core voltage, which needs to be increased in small increments to meet the increasing power demand of the CPU during the overclocking process.
How to overclock a CPU safely
1) Check if overclocking is supported
2) Clean the inside of the computer
3) Ensure an appropriate CPU cooler is installed (critical)
4) Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for overclocking the CPU
Types of
CPU sockets
LGA (Land Grid Array) - there are pins
that stick out of the motherboard
PGA (Pin Grid Array) - the pins are located on the processor itself
Heat sink
Heat sink takes the heat from our CPU and dissipates it through a fan or another medium.
RAM
To run a program, we need to make a copy of it in RAM so our CPU can process it. RAM can hold billions of rows of data and is randomly accessed.
Almost all RAM is volatile, which means that once we power off our machines, the data stored in RAM is cleared.
DRAM
DRAM (dynamic random-access memory) is the most common type of RAM that has chips to store data which have semiconductors.
Each of those semiconductors or microscopic capacitors store a bit, either 1 or 0.
There are also different types of memory sticks that DRAM chips can be put on.
DIMM sticks
DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) is a memory stick where DRAM chips can be put on.
It has different sizes of pins on it.
SDRAM
SDRAM (synchronous dram) is synchronized to the system’s clock speed, allowing quicker processing of data.
Chipset
The chipset is a key component of the motherboard that allows us to manage data between the CPU, RAM, and peripherals.
It is made up of two chips.
One is called the Northbridge that interconnects stuff like RAM and video cards.
(In some modern CPUs, the Northbridge has been directly integrated into the CPU so there isn’t a separate Northbridge chip set.)
The other chip is the Southbridge, which maintains our IO or input-output controllers, like hard drives and USB devices, that input and output data.
Motherboard expansion slots
Expansion slots also give us the ability to
increase the functionality of our computer.
The standard for an expansion bus today is
the PCI Express or Peripheral Component Interconnect express.
A PCIe bus looks like a slot on the motherboard and a PCIe base expansion card looks like a smallest circuit board.
Components of motherboard
Chipset, expansion slots and form factor
Form factor
Sizes of form factors determine the amount of stuff we can put in it and the amount of space we’ll have.
The most common form factor for motherboards is ATX, which stands for Advanced Technology Extended. Intel NUC uses ATX board that comes in three board sizes: mini ITX, nano ITX, and pico ITX.
IT or information technology extended form factor is much smaller form factor.
1 KB
10^3 (1,024 bytes)
HDD
HDD uses a spinning platter and a mechanical arm to read and write information.
The speed that the platter rotate allows you to read and write data faster. This is commonly referred to as RPM or revolution per minute.
HDDs are prone to a lot more damage because there are a lot of moving parts.
