L1 Hardware & Components Flashcards
Computer hardware
What’s inside the system unit?
RAM
Hard disk drive
Optical drive
Power supply
Fans
CPU
Expansion cards
Motherboard
What is a CPU?
Central Processing Unit
The brain of the computer where all processing happens. Measured in Hertz (Hz) - the speed at which electrical signals pass through the processor.
CPUs consist of billions of tiny electrical components called transistors. These components are extremely small (tens of nanometers, a nanometer is a one billionth of a meter)
What is Moore’s Law for CPU?
Transistors on a chip grows 2x every 1.5 years
Time to compute tasks decreases by ½ every 1.5 years (in 3 years CPUs will be 4 times faster)
Why is Moore’s Law not infallible?
Size limit - a limit to how small you can make the transistor, there are barriers we cannot breach with current technology.
Heat generation - problem with packing too many transistors in such close proximity and more transistors mean more processing and more processing means the chip becomes hotter. Excessive heat will reduce the performance of the chip.
Electrical interference - billions of transistors in a tiny space and if they place together in close confined space, then can cause electrical interference.
Other approaches that need to be followed to address the issue of performance keeping up with higher performance chips.
- Using multiple processors and it’s common now more than computers have multiple cores or multiple CPUs.
Multiple processing units mean they can do the data processing in parallel, speed up the data processing
- Have different types of processors on a single chip. They put all the processing factors into a single chip, not only has the CPU but also has other parts like GPU(graphics processing unit)
System on chip(Soc)
What are expansion cards?
Additional circuit board that provides extra functionality, examples: sound card, graphic card, network card
What are graphics cards?
Used to perform graphic processing and run the computer’s monitors. Well-suited for gamers who want to improve the graphics rendering speed quality of the computer. Consist of:
- GPU (either part of CPU or separate graphics card)
- Video memory
- Heatsink and fan
- Ports
What is primary memory?
Used to store data for quick access by CPU
RAM(random access memory) - a temporary memory bank where your computer stores data it needs to retrieve quickly
- RAM is volatile memory
- More RAM improves a computer’s speed by providing more quick access memory
- Many types of RAM; common type is DDR3 SDRAM
What is secondary memory?
Used to store files for repeated access over time. Also known as non-volatile storage; the storage medium retains its contents without needing a supply of electricity
Many forms of secondary storage:
- Hard disk drive (HDD)
- Solid state drive (SSD)
- CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray
- USB drives, external HDDs
What are HDDs? and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
HDD(hard disk drive) - stores data on spinning magnetic disks. Data is read and written by moving heads
Advantages:
- Cheap storage medium
- Widely used and supported
- Can have very large capacity drives
- Long operating life
Disadvantages:
- Noisy operation
- Can consume more power than SSDs
- Fragile, needs to be handled carefully
What is RAID?
Redundant Array of Independent Disks - used to manage hard disk drives in a storage array. A way of storing the same data in different places on multiple hard disks or solid-state drives (SSDs) to protect data in the case of a drive failure. There are different RAID levels, however, and not all have the goal of providing redundancy.
What are SSDs? and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
SSD(solid state drive) - stores data on flash memory, the same technology used by USB drives
Advantages:
- Silent operation
- Higher read/write speeds when compared to HDDs
- Low power usage
- More durable
- Use less space
Disadvantages:
- Costlier than HDDs
- Can wear out faster than HDDs
What is bus? (data highway or databus)
A communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers.
What is a motherboard?
it connects all the internal components together to allow them to communicate with each other, can also connect devices(external components) using a cable and a port
