Hardware Flashcards
programs
basic instructions that tell computer what to do. technically stored on durable media like hard drives.
external data bus (EDB)
a row of wires used to transport binary data and that interconnects the parts of computer.
registers
stores data inside the CPU that the CPU works with.
RAM
ransom access memory. computer’s short-term memory.
Address Bus
used to transport memory addresses. connects CPU to MCC. sends location of data but not data itself.
Memory Controller Chip (MCC)
the bridge between the CPU and RAM
How do the CPU, the address bus, the memory controller chip, and the external data bus work together?
The CPU asks, through the address bus, for data that it needs. The MCC looks for the data in RAM and sends it back over through the External Data Bus.
cache
stores data used often or recently for quicker access. located in CPU
What are the 3 different levels of cache and which is the smallest and fastest?
L1, L2, L3. L1 is the smallest and fastest.
clock wire
an internal clock that keeps operations in sync. sending/receiving data sends voltage to it to let CPU know it can begin doing calculations. for every “tick” does 1 cycle of operrations.
clock cycle
voltage sent to clock wire
clock speed
the maximum number of clock cycles a CPU can handle in a set period of time
3.4 gigahertz equals how many clock cycles per what unit of time?
3.4 billion cycles per second
instruction set
a list of instructions the CPU is able to run. programs are complex and broken down into very small, simple instructions found in instruction set, which is hard-coded in CPU. different manufacturers use different sets but all generally perform same function.
what are some examples of different manufacturers instruction sets?
Intel (i.e. Intel Core i7), AMD (i.e. AMD Athlon) Qualeom.
each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
What are the 2 major types of CPU sockets?
land grid array (LGA) and pin grid array (PGA)
Where are the pins located on LGA and PGA sockets?
LGA- on the motherboard PGA- on the processor itself
heat sink
takes heat from CPU and dissipates it through a fan or other medium
What does 32 bit and 64 bit architecture refer to?
The width of the data bus and how it can efficiently handle memory. 32 bit can handle 3 GB of application memory and 62 bit has 16 Terabytes maximum of system memory allocation.
volatile memory
all data cleared once machine powered off
microscopic capacitor
a semiconductor located in chips on RAM. stores each bit as a charge (1) or discharge (0)
memory stick
located on motherboard. where DRAM chips placed.
DRAM
dynamic random access memory. type of RAM chip
SDRAM
synchronous DRAM. synchronized to system’s clock speed which allows data to be processed quicker
DDR
SDRAM synchronous double data rate RAM. faster, uses less power, and has larger capacity than SDRAM versions.
DDR4
latest version of DDR and fastest short-term memory available. faster= programs can be run faster and more programs can run at same time
motherboard
holds everything together and allows components to communicate with each other/ manages data between CPU, RAM, and peripherals.
form factor
the different sizes of motherboards available. size determines amount of stuff that can be put in and amount of space and expansion slots available.
ATX
advanced technology extended. most common form factor. comes in different sizes. desktops usually have full-sized.
ITX
information technology extended. much smaller than ATX. Intel NUC uses 3 variations (mini, nano, pico)
chipset
decides how components talk to each other on the machine and made up of 2 chips: Northbridge and Southbridge.
Northbridge
interconnects RAM and video cards. in some modern computers, directly integrated into CPU.
Southbridge
maintains I/O controllers like hard and USB devices that input and output data
peripherals
the external devices that are connected to the computer like the mouse. keyboard, and monitor
expansion slots
allows functionality of computer to be increased. (i.e. upgrade graphic card by installing on motherboard through expansion slot)
PCI Express
peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe)- standard expansion slot
PCIe bus
looks like slot on motherboard
PCIe base
looks like a smaller circuit board on motherboard
How many bits are there in a byte?
8
How many bytes are there in a kilobyte?
1024
What’s the progression from kilobytes to terabytes?
kilobyte (KB), megabyte (MB), gigabyte (GB), terabyte (TB)
How large is an average file?
3 MB
What are the 4 main layers of a computer?
hardware, operating system, software, users
hardware
the physical components of a computer
operating system
allows the hardware to communicate with the system
software
how humans interact with computers
user
interacts with computer. can operate, maintain, and program.
UTF8
most prevalent encoding standard today. has ASCII and allows for variable number of bytes so can store a character in more than 1 byte
binary
computers use electricity via transistors allowing electrical signals to pass through. electrical volatage= 1, no voltage= 0
logic gates
allow transistors to do more complex tasks like where ti send electrical signals depending on logical conditions
hard disk drive (HDD)
uses a spinning platter and a mechanical arm to read and write info. speed plater rotates measure in RPMs (revolutions per minute). prone to more damage because have lots of moving parts but more affordable so can buy more GB f storage.
solid state drive (SSD)
have no moving parts. info stored on microchips. data travels a lot faster, have a slimmer form factor, and data loss a lot less risky.
interfaces
the way hard drives connect to the system
SATA
most popular hard drive interface that uses one cable for data transfers. hot swappable.
NVM express (NVMe)
a type of interface where drive is added as an expansion slot instead of using cable to connect hard drive to computer. no cable= increased throughput of data and increased efficiency. Able to keep up with super fast SSDs.
DC
direct current. electricity flows in one direction. what computers use.
AC
alternating current. electricity changes direction constantly. what comes out of power outlet in wall.
voltage
“pressure” of electricity.
high voltage outlet + low voltage appliance= fried
low volt “ + high volt “= slow charge that can deteriorate performance and case long-term damage
amperage (amp)
measurement of amount of electricity “pulled”
wattage
amount of volts and amps a device needs
if power supply has too low watts, won’t power device
too many watts, will NOT overpower device
most basic desktops can be powered w/ 500 watt power supply
power supply
converts AC to DC. most have fans, cables to power into motherboard, and power cable.
SoC
system on a chip. in very small devices. contain CPU, RAM and sometimes storage on a single chip.
charge cycle
one full charge and discharge of the battery.
What’s the 1st step of troubleshooting battery life and device charge?
make sure charger, battery, and device all designed to work together.
peripherals
anything connected to computer externally that adds functionality.
Mb/s
megaBIT per second
remember 1 byte= 8 bits
How fast does a USB 2.0 transfer data and what color is its port?
480 Mb/s
black
How fast does a USB 3.0 transfer data and what color is its port?
5 Gb/s
blue
How fast does a USB 3.1 transfer data and what color is its port?
10 Gb/s
teal
DVI cables
only output video, not audio
HDMI
output video and audio
display port
outputs video and audio
USB type C
outputs video and audio, transfers data, and powers device. becoming universal standard for display and data transfer
backwards compatible
older hardware works with newer. USB devices are this, but if you connect a USB 2.0 device into a USB 3.0 port, won’t get 3.0 transfer speeds.
BIOS (basic output services)
software that helps initialize hardware and loads essential drivers to get OS up and running
ROM chip (read-only memory)
non-volatile memory stored in CPU. where BIOS stored.
services/drivers
programs that tell CPU how to run devices they’re connected to
UEFI (unified extensible firmware interface)
performs same functions as BIOS but more modern and with better compatibility and support for newer hardware. most devices come w/ it built in. will eventually replace BIOS.
POST (power on self test)
BIOS runs after computer powered on to check what devices are connected to computer and to ensure it’s all working correctly. happens before BIOS initializes hardware and loads essential drivers, so if there’s a problem, can’t display on screen. beeps used instead. check motherboard manual to find out what each code means.
CMOS battery
a special chip on the motherboard that stores basic data about booting computer like the date, time, and how you want to start it up. setting can be changed by booting into CMOS or BIOS setting menu.
reimaging of a computer
refers to a disk image which is a copy of an operating system. process involves wiping and reinstalling OS. typically performed using a program that’s stored on an external device. to access program, need to use BIOS to tell computer to boot from external device.
Where are BIOS setting stored?
in the CMOS chip
standoffs
used to raise and attach motherboard to case. sometimes built into the case.
thermal paste
used to better connect CPU and heat sink.
graphics card
needed to upload video to monitor
