Hardware Flashcards
What does the CPU do
Carries out all the processing power in a computer
Define hardware
Describes the physical components of a computer system
What does ALU stand for and what does it do
Arithmetic and logic unit, carries out all of the arithmetic and logical operations
What does the control unit do
Uses electrical signals to control the flow of data within the CPU
What cycle occurs in the CPU
Fetch , decode, execute
What is the boot sequence
The processes containing all the information and instructions to get the computer up and running. It contains the boot loader
What three things does the speed at which a CPU can process data depend on
The CPU clock speed, cache memory and the number of processor cores
What is clock speed measured in
Cycles per second, hertz
What are multi core processors and what their advantages and disadvantages
They use multiple CPUs working together. Adv. is that more data is processed at the same time. The disad. Is that more complicated operating systems are needed to manage them
What is virtual memory
Part of the hard drive used as an extension to ram, when there is not enough ram to hold all the data and programs required. Access to virtual memory is slower than ram.
What is flash memory
A type of rom that can be rewritten, used as a portable medium for storing and transferring data
What is secondary storage
Needed to store data and programs when the power is switched off. Eg. Magnetic hard disk (reliable, high capacity, low cost). Optical disk (good capacity, low cost, tight weight and portable). Flash memory(good capacity but less than hard disk, used in hand held devices, more expensive than hard disk)
