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Central Processing Unit

The CPU is the central processing unit or "brains" of the computer that performs computations. It consists of millions of individual switches constructed as transistors that are either on or off. Modern CPUs have multiple cores to allow parallel computing across tasks. The motherboard holds the CPU and other components like RAM and expansion slots. Hard disk drives are used for permanent storage and come in types like PATA, SATA, SCSI, and solid state drives, with SATA being the most common modern interface that uses serial signaling for faster throughput compared to older PATA parallel interfaces.

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Chandan Kumar
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52 views4 pages

Central Processing Unit

The CPU is the central processing unit or "brains" of the computer that performs computations. It consists of millions of individual switches constructed as transistors that are either on or off. Modern CPUs have multiple cores to allow parallel computing across tasks. The motherboard holds the CPU and other components like RAM and expansion slots. Hard disk drives are used for permanent storage and come in types like PATA, SATA, SCSI, and solid state drives, with SATA being the most common modern interface that uses serial signaling for faster throughput compared to older PATA parallel interfaces.

Uploaded by

Chandan Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Central Processing Unit

CPU

The brains

 Central Processing Unit: The “brains” of the computer, which performs the primary
computations

 Some computations may be offloaded to other parts of the computer, but the CPU
remains the central area of computation

 Each modern CPU consists of hundreds of millions of individual switches, each


switch physically constructed as a transistor, with only two states: on or off

 Recent CPU’s in mainstream PC’s are multiple-core, which means two or more CPU
units on the same chip

 Multiple core computers are most efficient when the software is able to support
parallel computing, dividing tasks up to run separately on each core

Motherboard
 Motherboard: The circuit board that contains many of the electrical components of a
computer and provides the electrical connections to these components and the
peripheral units

Figure: A motherboard I

 The motherboard contains the socket the holds the CPU as well as the GPU, RAM,
expansion slots and external communication interfaces such as USB connectors, and
the connection to the power supply

HARD DISK DRIVE

1. WD (Western Digital Company) & HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies)
2. Seagate
3. Toshiba
4. Sony
5. Transcend
6. ADATA
7. Buffalo Inc.
8. ioSafe

Computers rely on hard disk drives (HDDs) to store data permanently. They are
storage devices used to save and retrieve digital information that will be required for
future reference.
Hard drives are non-volatile, meaning that they retain data even when they do not
have power. The information stored remains safe and intact unless the hard drive is
destroyed or interfered with.
The information is stored or retrieved in a random access manner as opposed to
sequential access. This implies that blocks of data can be accessed at any time they
are required without going through other data blocks.

Hard Drive Types


Currently, we can group hard drives into four types:
1. Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA)
Parallel ATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment or PATA) is a
standard for connecting hard drives into computer systems. As its name
implies, PATA is based on parallel signaling technology, unlike serial
ATA (SATA) devices that use serial signalingtechnology. Parallel ATA dates
back to the 1980s. Integrated Drive Electronics ( IDE ) drives operate
according to this standard.
2. Serial ATA (SATA)
Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a standard
for connecting and transferring data from hard disk drives (HDDs) to computer
systems. As its name implies, SATA is based on serial signaling technology,
unlike Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) hard drives that use
parallel signaling.

Technical differences between SATA and PATA

The SATA transport layer differs from PATA drives, in which data bits are delivered
simultaneously across a 40-pin-wide ribbon cable. As its name suggests, a Serial ATA
drive transfers data in serial fashion. Data is moved one bit at a time between a SATA
drive and its host, using a seven-pin data cable and 15-pin power cable. The SATA
cable results in a higher signaling rate, which corresponds to faster throughput of data.

SATA cables can be considerably longer than PATA ribbon cables, allowing a system
designer more latitude in the physical layout of a system. Because there are
fewer conductors, the risk of crosstalk and electromagnetic interference is lower. The
signal voltage is much lower as well: 250 millivolts for SATA vs. 5 volts for PATA.

3. Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)

SCSI is a once-popular type of connection for storage and other devices in a PC. The
term refers to the cables and ports used to connect certain types of hard drives, optical
drives, scanners, and other peripheral devices to a computer.

The SCSI standard is no longer common among consumer hardware devices, but
you'll still find SCSI in some business and enterprise server environments. More
recent versions of SCSI include USB Attached SCSI (UAS) and Serial Attached SCSI
(SAS).

4. Solid State Drives (SSD)

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