T1 Gr11 Hardware Flashcards
PURPOSE AND ROLE OF THE MOTHERBOARD
● provides physical structure for other hardware.
● connects the hardware.
● provides power to the hardware.
● sends signals between the hardware.
CPU
Central Processing Unit (CPU) is responsible for processing general instructions.
BIOS chip (Basic Input/Output System),
is the first set of instructions that run every
time a computer is started up. The BIOS is stored on your computer’s ROM (or read-only
memory) and is responsible for making sure your computer starts up correctly.
RAM
The RAM (or random-access memory) is the short-term memory of the computer which can
store and retrieve active programs and data at very high speeds. Your
VRAM
Video Random Access Memory is the memory used to store image data that the computer
displays. It acts as a buffer between the CPU and the video card.
ROM (Read-only
memory)
The ROM (or read-only memory) stores the motherboard’s operating software, called the BIOS.
CPU socket:
Called the ZIF socket, connects the CPU to the motherboard.
PCI/PCIe slot:
Pherial Component Interconnect
Allows plugging additional hardware like a GPU, sound card, ethernet card or Wi-Fi card into the computer.
DIMM slot:
Used to connect the computer’s RAM to the motherboard.
Power connector:
Main power connection that connects the motherboard to the power supply
SATA port:
Serial AT attachment port:
Used to connect internal storage devices e.g. hard drives
GPU/PCIe x16 slot:
Used for the computer’s graphics card since it receives and sends the most data.
Modular design Benefits:
Can remove or replace these components with new components
Easier to upgrade
Easier to replace broken parts
Allows for creation of computers with different components, different speeds and different abilities.
Point to point connections
Direct and dedicated, not shared between multiple components
Internal bus:
Send data and instructions to parts within the motherboard.
Links parts of the computer to the CPU and the main memory.
External bus (expansion bus):
Interface for peripheral devices e.g. HDD, Flash drives connect to CPU.
Unique shape preventing plugging device in a wrong port
A Control bus
Used by the CPU to send signals to different parts of the system to keep the actions of the different parts coordinated.
An Address bus
Provides the physical address of the location in cache or main memory that data is to be read from or written to.
CACHING
Refers to the use of a faster medium to prevent a slower medium from slowing down the performance of a computer.
A Data bus
Provides the path to transfe data and instructions among the different components of the computer.
CPU cache:
Difference in speed between CPU and RAM too large.
RAM cannot provide information the CPU needs fast enough.
CPU waste time waiting for data from the RAM.
To prevent this: CPUs have a small, high-speed cache built into the CPU.
Can now temporarily store a small amount of the data it needs to use next, increasing speed.
Web cache:
Small area on a computer’s hard drive, images and pages from www are stored.
Allows quick loading of images from pc. (rather than over slow internet connection)
Faster loading next time opening webpage faster.
Disk cache:
Small amount of RAM built into a hard disk drive.
Stores data being sent or received by the hard disk plates for a short period of time.
RAM works faster than the storage, increasing speed.
Compiler
Translates whole program to machine language
Tests for and produces a list of errors that must first be
corrected
Then generates an executable file
Interpreter
Translates and executes one line of code at a time
Popular Expansion Cards
Ethernet Card (Wired Network)
Wi-Fi Card (Wirless Network)
Sound Card (More sound Abilities)
TV Capture card (CApture videos)
Storage controller (Add and transfer fatser)
Temporary storage includes:
● RAM:
● Cache memory:
● Disk cache memory:
Permanent storage includes:
Magnetic:
SSD (Solid State Drives):
Flash drives
Optical storage media:
