Internal Hardware Components

Question 1

Define internal components

Answer 1

The components essential to a computer system

Question 2

What is a motherboard?

Answer 2

The circuit board to which all other components are connected

Question 3

What is the CPU?

Answer 3

The central processing unit is an electronic device used to process instructions

Question 4

What is the main memory?

Answer 4

Memory that can be directly accessed by the CPU

Question 5

What is RAM?

Answer 5

Random Access Memory: Short term storage for currently running programs and currently used data

Question 6

What is ROM?

Answer 6

Long term storage for start-up instructions

Question 7

Define volatile

Answer 7

Data is lost when electrical power is removed

Question 8

Define non-volatile

Answer 8

Data is retained even when electrical power is removed

Question 9

What is virtual memory

Answer 9

A portion of secondary storage used to store the least frequently used instructions and data

Question 10

What are I/O devices?

Answer 10

Input and output devices

Question 11

What are I/O controllers?

Answer 11

The physical interface between an I/O device and the internal components

Question 12

What are some examples of internal hardware?

Answer 12

Processor, memory, I/O controller, buses

Question 13

What is the purpose of main memory?

Answer 13

Store currently used data and currently running programs

Question 14

Why should memory be addressable?

Answer 14

So required data can be accessed without having to access the whole of the memory

Question 15

What is a bus?

Answer 15

A communication system for transferring data

Question 16

What does the control bus do?

Answer 16

Transmits control and status signals

Question 17

What does the address bus do?

Answer 17

Transmits memory addresses

Question 18

What does the data bus do?

Answer 18

Transmits data

Question 19

Which bus is always directed away from the processor?

Answer 19

Address bus

Question 20

Which bus is bi-directional at the processor and RAM, but uni-directional at different I/O controllers?

Answer 20

Data bus

Question 21

Which bus is always bi-directional?

Answer 21

Control bus

Question 22

What is the Von-Neumann architecture?

Answer 22

A computer system design with one shared memory for instructions and data

Question 23

What is the Harvard architecture?

Answer 23

A computer system design with separate memory for instructions and data

Question 24

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Von-Neumann architecture.

Answer 24

+ Flexible as each block of memory can be used for instructions or data. Therefore it allows for situations where there is more data than instructions and vice versa.
- Cannot read data and instructions simultaneously so processing is typically slower

Question 25

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Harvard architecture.

Answer 25

+ Can read data and instructions simultaneously can carry out instructions quicker without having to wait for two sequential read operators to be carried out
- Fixed instruction to data ratio so the system is less effective for general purpose computing

Question 26

What is the use of Von-Neumann architecture?

Answer 26

Most General purpose computing as it is quite flexible

Question 27

What is the use of Harvard architecture?

Answer 27

Digital signal processing (DSP) hardware. This includes recording and playing back audio, processing images in a digital camera