Section 1 - Components Of A Computer System Flashcards
What’s meant by hardware ?
Physical components that make up a computer
What’s meant by software ?
Programs or applications that a computer systems run.
What’s an embedded system ?
Computer Systems built into other devices.
Give an example of embedded system ?
Dishwasher , microwave and tv
Give a benefit of using am embedded system :
It’s dedicated to a single task therefore are easier to design , produce and more efficient .
What’s does CPU stand for ?
Central processing unit
What’s does the CPU do ?
It’s function is to process all the data and instructions that make a system work using the fetch-decode-execute cycle .
What factor affect CPU performance ?
Clock speed ,Number of cores, cache size
What’s the control unit main task ?
To execute program instructions by following the fetch-decode-execute cycle
What does the control unit control?
It controls the flow of data inside the CPU and outside the CPU.
Describe the function of the Arithmetic Logic unit(ALU).
Performs calculation and logical decision .
Explain how cache is used by the CPU.
It stores regularly used data so that the CPU can access it quickly .
True or false? The cache is faster than the registers .
FALSE.
The cache is faster than RAM but slower than the registers .
Explain the purpose of CPU registers.
Is to temporarily hold tiny buts of data needed by the CPU.
Name all four CPU registers:
- *PROGRAM COUNTER
- *MEMORY ADDRESS REGISTER (MAR)
- *MEMORY DATA REGISTER (MDR)
- *ACCUMULATOR
What’s the function the of the ACCUMULATOR?
To stores intermediate results of the calculation in the ALU.
What’s the function of the MDR ?
Holds the actual data or instructions.
What’s the function of the MAR?
Holds any memory address about to be used by the CPU.
What’s the function of the PROGRAM COUNTER?
Holds the memory address of the instructions for each cycle .
What will happen will happen of the PROGRAM COUNTER is not incrementing with each cycle?
The same instruction will relate as no new instructions will be loaded to be execute .
What happen in the fetch stage of the fetch-decode-execute cycle?
Memory address is copied from the PROGRAM COUNTER to the MAR .
- *the instructions in the in the MAR is copied to the MDR.
- *The PROGRAM COUNTER will point to the address of the next instructions ready for the next cycle.
What’s happen in the decode stage of the fetch-decode-execute cycle?
The instructions in the MDR is decided by the control unit .
What happen in the execute stage of the fetch-decode-execute cycle.
The instructions is performed.
What’s meant by volatile memory ?
Is a temporary memory as it requires power to retain data ( RAM).
What’s meant by non volatile memory?
Is a permanent memory that doesn’t require power to retain data (ROM)
What’s( random access memory) RAM ?
It’s a high speed volatile memory. Which is the main memory in a computer. Can be read and written to.
What’s the purpose of RAM ?
To hold data files and programs while they are in use .
What’s the benefit of installing more RAM on a computer ?
For efficiency so data doesn’t have to be moved into virtual memory .
What’s virtual MEMORY?
It’s a storage of memory within a secondary storage (such as hard-drive ). When the RAM is full ,data that hasn’t been used recently is moved into virtual memory.
Physically ,what’s the ROM ?
A small,factory made chip built into the motherboard.
What does ROM contain?
All the instructions a computer needs to properly boot up , these instructions are called the BIOS .
What does the BIOS stand for ?
Basic input output system
What’s clock speed ?
The number of instructions a single processor can carry out per second .
What’s clock speed measured in ?
Hertz (Hz)
What’s overclocking ?
Forces computers to run at a higher clock speed than the factory set rate .
What happen if overclocking is not executed properly ?
It can make the CPU over heat , causing crashes or permanent damage .
Why does a CPU with a large cache capacity have an increased performance?
A larger CPU cache gives the CPU faster access to more data it needs to process .
What will happen if the CPU has more Cores?
More instructions it can carry out at once ,so the faster it can process a batch of data.
What’s does GPU stand for ?
Graphics processing unit
What’s is a GPU?
A specialised circuit for handling graphics and image processing .