Module 3 - Unit 1 - Using Computer Hardware

Question 1

What is a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and what does it do?

Answer 1

A device that processes software programmed instructions and directs other components to perform actions.

Question 2

What is a computer system memory? Name one technology that is being used currently.

Answer 2

This is where temporary instructions from a software is stored. Having more system memory allow more programs to run simultaneously as well as working on large files more efficiently. The current technology for system memory in a computer is called Random Access Memory (RAM).

Question 3

What is the purpose of a Front Side Bus? And how does this affect the speed of the computer?

Answer 3

Establish the connection between the system memory and the CPU where temporary stored instructions are ‘piped’ to-and-fro the CPU. The faster the instructions is communicated to the CPU, the better. When the CPU is fast and the memory is slow, the CPU will be under-utilized.

Question 4

What is the purpose of a fixed disk in a computer? Name two main types of fixed disk that is used in a computer currently.

Answer 4

Fixed disk will allow programs and data to be stored on the computer while the computer is turned off. There are currently two commercially used fixed disk: Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and Solid State Drive (SSD). The computer may also use the fixed disk to supplement the system RAM (virtual memory) when there is not enough system RAM.

Question 5

How does a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) operates?

Answer 5

A fixed disk that uses a magnetic disk technology, it wears out overtime as there are moving parts within this disk.

Question 6

How does a Solid State Drive (SSD) operates?

Answer 6

A fixed disk that uses a transistor-base memory called flash memory and is faster and more durable than fixed disk that uses the magnetic disk technology.

Question 7

When does a computer need a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)?

Answer 7

A dedicated processor that processes high resolution images, video, complex 3D and texture effects, as well as video memory. Computers that require to perform graphic intensive activities will need to have this equip.

Question 8

Name two main ways computers can be connected to each other.

Answer 8

Computers will require an interface to connect to each other. When they do, it is called a computer network. There are two main ways computers can be connected: Wired Networks and Wireless Networks.

Question 9

What do you use a Network Interface Card (NIC) for?

Answer 9

A hardware component in the computer that manages the connections to other computers. It is normally installed onto the motherboard (onboard card) although it can also come as a separate–add on–cards.

Question 10

How does a wired network between computers work?

Answer 10

Computers can be connected to each other or to the internet using a wire. This type of connection is referred to as Ethernet. In a larger scale of networks, a ethernet switch will be required to managed all different connections. The ethernet cable is known as RJ-45.

Question 11

How does a wireless network between computers work?

Answer 11

Most mobile computing device comes installed with a wireless radio networking hardware component where it allows the computer to be connected to each other or the internet via radio signals in the air. These hardware components are called Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) adapters.

Question 12

What are the functions of a internet router and where is it most widely used?

Answer 12

Designed for home use and combines the functions of an Internet modem, bridge, router, ethernet switch and Wi-Fi access point.

Question 13

What is technically a motherboard and what role does it play in a computer?

Answer 13

A motherboard is a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) with some built-in processors (the chipset), sockets and slots for upgradable components (CPU, RAM, adapter cards, disk drives), and wires (buses) to connect them together. If a component is not compatible with the motherboard, it cannot be installed. Most motherboard chipsets support graphics, audio, and network adapter functions. These components/functions can be upgraded by switching out for a newer adapters/cards

Question 14

What core components is microprocessor made of? And how its structure functions?

Answer 14

A programmable integrated circuit–a sillicon chip embedded on a ceramic plate. A silicon chip is a wafer or purified silicon doped with a metal oxide, typically copper or aluminum. The doping process creates millions of transistors and signal pathways within an area called the die, which provide the electrical on/off states that are the basis of binary computer systems.

Question 15

Which one component that is widely used in computer that it needs to be equip in order to communicated with other computers?

Answer 15

Computers will require a hardware component called the Network Interface Card (NIC) without which a computer cannot be connected over a network.

Question 16

Name 6 Intel CPU brands and briefly describe its use and features

Answer 16

i) Core - Intel’s flagship desktop and mobile CPUs
ii) Pentium - Used to be a premium brand for computers, but now used in “mid-range” CPU models
iii) Celeron - Intel’s budget brand
iv) Atom - Designed for low-power portable devices
v) Xeon - Used in server or workstation devices

Question 17

Name 2 AMD CPU brands and briefly describe its use and features

Answer 17

i) Ryzen - AMD flagship and high end segment

ii) Epyc - Used in servers

Question 18

What is the common microarchitecture used by mobile phones/tablet?

Answer 18

ARM-based CPUs. ARM stand for Advanced RISC Machine where RISC stands for “Reduced Instructions Set Computing”. \033[42masdf\033[40m

Question 19

Briefly define the processes of how a CPU executes code given a fundamental set of instructions in 3 steps?

Answer 19

1) The Control Unit fetches the next instruction in sequence from system memory to the pipeline.
2) The Control Unit then decodes each instruction and either executes it itself or passess it to the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) or Floating Point Unit (FPU) for execution
3) The results of the executed instruction is written back to a register or a system memory. A register is a temporary storage area available tot he different units within the CPU.

Question 20

How much system memory can a 32-bit and a 64-bit system address respectively?

Answer 20

A 32-bit system can address up to 4GB of memory whereas a 64 bit system can address up to 256TB of memory.

Question 21

Define the CPU’s clock speed in one sentence

Answer 21

A CPU clock speed is the number of instructions it can process in one second measured in Hertz (Hz).

Question 22

True or False. Both CPU with the same microarchitecture can be compared in terms of varying clock speed.

Answer 22

True. CPU with the same microarchitecture can be compared but not necessarily otherwise.

Question 23

Contrast between Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) and Chip Level Multiprocessing (CMP)

Answer 23

SMP is the approach by having 2 or more physical CPUs connected to each other and provides double the processing resource, making programs run simultaneously depending on which CPU is available. CMP is the approach where two or more processors are combined on the same die, not only is cost efficient but save space on a motherboard.

Question 24

What is a ‘bus’ in computer?

Answer 24

A bus is circuitry that connects the various microprocessors and other components on the motherboard. The circuitry are imprinted on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). A bus transport 4 things:

Question 25

What does a ‘bus’ in a computer transports?

Answer 25

i) Data - the information between components
ii) Address information - where data is located in memory
iii) Timing signal - synchronization of signals produce by components in the bus
iv) Power - electricity to run the components

Question 26

What is the other reference to a system bus?

Answer 26

Front Side Bus or Local bus

Question 27

What is the expansion bus and what does it do?

Answer 27

An expansion bus, also called the Input/Output (I/O) bus, provides connections between the CPU and add-on components.

Question 28

Name 4 examples of expansion buses.

Answer 28

1) Industry Standard Architecture (ISA)
2) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)
3) Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
4) PCI Express (PCIe)

Question 29

Why is system cooling an important aspect of a computer?

Answer 29

Excessive temperatures can cause the components to malfunction and even damage them.

Question 30

What is a heatsink?

Answer 30

It is a passive cooling device where it absorbs heat from the component via air. As more heat flows from the air to the heat sink, the component cools down quicker.

Question 31

What other examples of passive cooling?

Answer 31

i) Thermal paste - where it is added to the component for better transfer of heat.
ii) Heat spreader - flat tube that contains liquid and heat is transferred to the tube

Question 32

How can one increases the effectiveness of passive cooling?

Answer 32

By having a combination of both passive and active cooling. A heat sink combined with a fan can greatly increase air flow hence increasing the dissipation of heat.

Question 33

How does a liquid based cooling work?

Answer 33

Liquid-based cooling refers to a system of pumping water around the chassis. Water is a more effective coolant than air convection and a good pump can run more quietly than numerous fan.

Question 34

What briefly happens during a bootstrapping process?

Answer 34

Bootstrapping process occurs before the operating system software is laoded and is enabled by a low-level operating system called firmware.

Question 35

What kind of device is a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) and what is its purpose?

Answer 35

Firmware. It gets the essential components of the PC running and ensures the design of each manufacturer’s motherboard is PC compatible.

Question 36

What newer firmware does a motherboard use in replacement of BIOS?

Answer 36

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). It provides support for 64-bit CPU operation at boot, a full GUI and mouse operation at boot and better boot security.

Question 37

What type of component provides persistent storage?

Answer 37

A mass storage device such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Drive (SSD), or flash memory. You could also mention optical discs (CD, DVD, Blu-Ray).

Question 38

What computer component is most restrictive in terms of determining upgrade potential for a desktop computer?

Answer 38

The motherboard–it is difficult and expensive to replace.

Question 39

True or false? A plug-in card is always required to support PC sound.

Answer 39

False–sound functions are often provided by the motherboard chipset.

Question 40

What is the main advantage of using a CPU in a 64-bit mode?

Answer 40

Makes more system memory accessible. A 64-bit CPU and OS is also required to run 64-bit applications, but there are not too many of these yet. 64-bit software is more reliable and a bit faster than 32-bit software.

Question 41

What is typical speed for a modern CPU to run at?

Answer 41

Around 2 GHz; budget models might run as low as 1 GHz while the fastest run up to about 3 GHz.

Question 42

You want to purchase a computer with a fast graphics interface. What type of expansion slot should you look for?

Answer 42

PCIE x16–this is a type of PCI Express slot that uses 16 ‘lanes’. Each lane can transfer 250 MBps (or 500 MPps for PCIe 2 and 1 GBps for v3)

Question 43

What type of component provides a passive cooling solution?

Answer 43

A heatsink or heat spreader removes heat from the component by convection with no power required. However, it is usually necessary to cool the heatsink or spreader itself and this is likely to require active cooling (a fan).

Question 44

How would you access the system setup program on a PC?

Answer 44

Historically, by pressing the appropriate key during startup (ESC, DEL, F1, F2, OR F10). Modern PCs often use fast boot modes that require some other means of booting to the firmware setup program.