Hardware #1 Flashcards
1
Q
What is CPU short for?
A
Central Processing Unit
2
Q
What is inside a processor?
A
Transistors
3
Q
Use of a transistor?
(4 things)
A
- Stores zeros and ones
- Microscopic switches that control flow of electricity
- depending if switch on/off
- Transistor contains binary info
1 = current passes thru
0 = current doesn’t pass thru
4
Q
Where are transistors located in CPU?
A
Very thin slice of silicon (single silicon chip)
5
Q
How many transistors are there in a silicon chip?
How much silicon chips are there in a CPU?
A
Thousands
A large number
6
Q
How much do silicon chips cover on the CPU?
Benefit of this?
A
Couple of square centimetres
Able to hold several million transistors, processing hundreds of millions of instructions per second
7
Q
What is CPU architecture?
A
The design of a Microprocessor, an integrated circuit, where components of CPU are combined as a single unit
8
Q
Who was Von Neumann?
What he do?
A
• A guy who proposed idea of storing program instructions
• in same memory as the data
9
Q
What did the idea of stored program lead to?
A
- Computers being able to be easily re-programmed
- The basis of fetch-decode-execute cycle (FDE)
stored program = Von Neumann architecture
10
Q
What are CPUs really used for?
A
Processing data and instructions
11
Q
What are the 4 components of the CPU?
A
- controller
- Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)
- registers
- internal memory
12
Q
What does the controller do?
(CPU)
A
- Sends and receives signals from all parts of computer
- Ensures processes take place at right time in correct order
13
Q
What does arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) do?
(CPU)
A
- Processes and manipulates data
- Performs simple calculation on data temporarily stored in registers
- Can perform comparisons on data
14
Q
What do registers do?
(CPU)
A
- Temporarily store data/control info
- Faster than internal memory
15
Q
What is the internal memory?
(CPU)
A
- Fast access temporary storage
- Data moved here from register if not being actively used
- Data here written to RAM/called back into register
16
Q
What do buses do?
(CPU)
A
- Allow data to be transferred to different parts of computer
17
Q
What are the 3 main buses
(CPU)
A
Address bus
Data bus
Control bus
18
Q
What does address bus do?
(CPU)
A
- When data saved or loaded from memory,
the address where it’s to be stored/loaded from must be sent - Storage address of data always travels along an address bus
19
Q
What is the data bus?
(CPU)
A
- The path where data travels through
20
Q
Use of control bus?
(CPU)
A
- Used by controller to send control signals to diff parts of computer
21
Q
Describe fetch-decode-execute cycle
(3 steps to processing instructions given by currently running program)
(CPU)
A
- Fetch cycle - takes address required from memory
Stored in current instruction register
* Moves program counter on one, to points at next instruction - Control unit authenticates the instruction in current instruction register
* Instruction decoded to determine action needed to be carried out - Actual actions happening during execution cycle depend on the instruction itself
22
Q
What do ppl demand from CPUs?
A
Faster processing speed
23
Q
What is cache memory?
(CPU)
A
- Fast access type of memory
- Depending on size, improves performance of CPU
24
Q
Problem with cache memory in CPU?
A
Expensive, most pc systems have very little cache memory, relying on RAM
25
What unit is used for clock speed?
Hz
Should be self explanatory for this page
26
Why fan used in case?
* Draw cool air into case
* Expel hot air
* Uses heat sink to cool components
27
Why are number of cores good?
(2 things)
(CPU)
* Single core process instructions one after the other
* Dual core process two instructions at same time
long story short, fast processing if multiple cores
28
2 types of processors?
* RISC processor
Reduced Instruction Set Computer
* CISC processor
Complex Instruction Set Computer
29
What do RISC processors do?
Reduced Instruction Set Computer
* Process limited number of simple instructions
* Does complex commands by breaking it down into a longer list of simple instructions
30
3 advantages of RISC processors?
+ Processes simple instructions easily
+ Less circuitry to decode and execute instructions
+ Less power consumption, less heat
31
What do CISC processors do?
Complex Instruction Set Computer
* Process large number of complex instructions
* Can complete complex tasks with few instructions
32
An advantage and 2 disadvantages of CISC processors?
(opposite of RISC)
+ Process complex instructions without breaking it down
- More circuitry to decode and execute instructions
- More power consumption, more heat
33
Define input device
Allow data (text, images, video, sound) to be entered into computer system
34
Define output device
No definition...?
But an e.g. is monitor or printer sooo
35
List at least 3 input devices
1) mouse
2) keyboard
3) microphone
36
List at least 3 output devices
( get some from definition of output device )
1) monitor
2) speaker
3) printer
37
List 4 primary storages
RAM
ROM
Flash memory
RAM Cache memory
38
What is RAM (random access memory) used for?
(think of it as internal memory ish)
(primary storage)
* Temporary storage of currently running programs and data
* Consists of large number of store locations
* Identified by a unique address
* Data can be changed in these
Ain't no way they gonna tell us to properly explain this (hopefully)
39
What is ROM (read only memory) used for?
(primary storage)
* Permanent storage of data (no loss when power off)
* Data can't be changed here
40
What is Flash memory used for?
(primary storage)
* Permanent storage of data (no loss when power off)
* Data can be changed
41
What is RAM Cache memory used for?
(primary storage)
* Temporary storage of frequently accessed data & instructions.
* Contains small number of store locations
* Can be accessed very quickly by CPU
* Faster than ram
* Volatile
42
Define volatile
Data lost when power off
43
What is BIOS?
Basic Input/Output System
* Handles input and output operations
* Provides interface between hardware and OS
(dunno if its needed but its here soooo)
44
Which 2 primary storage permanent?
ROM
Flash memory
45
Which 2 primary storage volatile?
Cache memory
RAM
46
Which 3 primary storage's data can be changed?
Cache memory
RAM
Flash memory
47
Order primary storage from fastest to slowest
1) Cache memory ****
2) ROM ***
3) RAM **
4) Flash memory *
48
Define secondary storage
* Backing storage
* Data from memory written here if not being actively used
* Can retrieve later
* Longer than memory (primary storage)
49
General size of videos?
GBs
50
General size of basic web page?
kBs
51
List 4 secondary storages
Flash drive
External hard drive
CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc
Magnetic tape
52
Flash drive used for?
Typical capacity?
(secondary storage)
Move small files from work to home
2gb - 512gb
53
External hard drive used for?
Typical capacity?
(secondary storage)
Backing up a home computer system
320mb - 8tb
54
CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc used for?
Typical capacity?
(secondary storage)
Storing multimedia files (videos/photos ig)
cd = 650mb
dvd = 9gb
blu-ray = 50gb
55
Magnetic tape used for?
Typical capacity?
(secondary storage)
Backing large commercial servers on multiple tapes
200gb - 400gb
56
Durability of secondary storages from highest to lowest
1) flash drive
2) CD/DVD/Blue-ray disc
3) Magnetic tape
4) External hard drive
57
Fastest secondary storage from highest to lowest
1) flash drive
2) External hard drive
3) CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc
4) Magnetic tape
58
3 storage technologies?
Optical
Magnetic
Solid state
59
Info of optical storage media?
(storage technology)
* Uses lasers ig
* The CD thingy
* Think about transistor binary thing in terms of laser
60
Info of magnetic?
(storage technology)
* Used in hard disks and tapes
* Data stored on magnetic medium (disc/tape)
61
Info of solid state?
(storage technology)
* Used in storage media like flash memory sticks
* Has no moving parts compared to magnetic
* The alternate to magnetic and optical
* Used in mobile devices
62
How many bits in a Byte?
8 bits
63
Whats half a byte called?
Nibble
64
How many Bytes in a kB?
1024 Bytes
65
Look at page 17.
Whatever
66
List 5 additional hardware components
Motherboard
GPU (Graphics processing unit)
Integrated GPU
Dedicated GPU
Sound cards
67
Define motherboard
(hardware components)
* Main circuit board of computer
* Where you put all components of computer
68
Define GPU
(hardware components)
* Microprocessor that performs calculations to produce graphic images on screen
* Videos & 3D graphics n stuff
69
Define integrated GPU
(hardware components)
* GPU that uses computer's ram
* Cheaper than dedicated
* less heat, less power consumption
70
Define dedicated GPU
(hardware components)
* Has own video memory
* Better than integrated for visuals
* More power req.
* More heat
71
Define sound cards
(hardware components)
* Allow computer to output sound through speaker
* Or record sound from microphone
* Or manipulate sound stored on disk
(should be fuckin self explanatory)
72
What are embedded systems?
* Combination of software and hardware
* That performs a specific task
* Rather than a general-purpose computer designed to carry out multiple tasks
Think of it as like specialised cells????
73
What's like a simple definition of embedded systems?
Idk man, gl mate lolol
(seems like some kinda CNS or summin)
74
The software called for embedded systems?
Firmware
75
2 examples of embedded systems?
Electronics - Mobile phones, game console
In the home - Washing machine, refrigerator
