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Reviewer: The System Unit

The document summarizes the main components of a computer system unit. It discusses how the system unit houses and protects internal components like the motherboard, power supply, cooling fan, and drive bays. It then explains that desktop computers separate the system unit, monitor, and keyboard, while portable computers like laptops combine these into a single unit. The document also provides details about the motherboard and central processing unit (CPU), describing their functions and how they work together to process instructions and transmit data.

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Dimaano, Ericka Marie D.
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399 views6 pages

Reviewer: The System Unit

The document summarizes the main components of a computer system unit. It discusses how the system unit houses and protects internal components like the motherboard, power supply, cooling fan, and drive bays. It then explains that desktop computers separate the system unit, monitor, and keyboard, while portable computers like laptops combine these into a single unit. The document also provides details about the motherboard and central processing unit (CPU), describing their functions and how they work together to process instructions and transmit data.

Uploaded by

Dimaano, Ericka Marie D.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reviewer

The System Unit


The computer’s main hardware components are housed together as a system unit inside a casing.
The casing protects the components from physical damage, heat, and moisture. Inside the casing
is a frame for mounting internal components. System units come in different shapes and sizes.
The way internal components are arranged also varies. The form factor defines this physical
arrangement.
 
The monitor, keyboard, and system unit of a desktop computer are separate from each other.
However, certain desktop computers, such as the Apple iMac, combine the monitor and the
system unit in a single plastic case.

               

  
 
In portable computers, such as the laptop or netbook, the monitor and keyboard are combined
with the system unit along with other computer components. Thus, portable computers take up
less space than desktop computers.
 
Handheld devices like the tablet and smartphone also have the hardware and casing in one piece.
These typically have a touchscreen that lets you type and navigate through your files and
applications.
 

Inside the System Unit


The following components comprise the system unit:
The motherboard is where the central processing unit, the chipset, memory slots, and expansion
slots are attached.

 The power supply accepts and moderates electricity for the computer.


 The cooling fan makes sure that the temperature inside the system remains cool. If it is
too hot, the system components will be damaged.
 The speaker produces beeps that warn of computer errors.
 The drive bays are where drives are placed. Internal drive bays are used for hard disks.
External drive bays are used for drives which are accessed by users. Examples are CD-
ROM drives, DVD drives, and Blu-ray drives.

What Is a Motherboard?
A motherboard is a board made of plastic or fiberglass and contains a set of integrated circuits
where an electric current flows through. The electric current that passes through the motherboard
represents data. Data is transmitted within the computer system. The motherboard provides a link
from the CPU to the input and output devices attached to the computer.
 
The motherboard contains memory slots where RAM chips are installed. It also contains
expansion slots. Expansion cards are placed inside these slots to add more capabilities to the
computer. For example, you can insert a video card or a network card into these slots.

  

Central Processing Unit


When you look at the descriptions of computers being sold in computer shops, you would
probably see the words “Intel,”“Pentium,” “Celeron,” and “Athlon,” among others. These are
names of different processors.

 
Computers are often defined by their processors. The central processing unit (CPU) gives us an
idea of the processing power of the computer. It defines what kinds of software can run on the
computer. It also controls the rest of the computer’s components.
 
The processor carries out the instructions that transform data into meaningful information. In a
personal computer, processors are often comprised of one or more
microprocessors. Microprocessors are silicon chips etched with tiny electronic circuits. Data,
which is used to complete an instruction, is sent into these electronic circuits in the form of
electricity. The microprocessor houses the computer’s central processing unit on a single chip.
The terms "microprocessor" and "central processing unit" are often used interchangeably.
 
The CPU has two fundamental sections: the control unit and the arithmetic logic unit.

Control Unit
The control unit manages the computer’s operations. It provides directions for the internal
processor components. It also directs the flow of data in and out of memory. The instructions
within the control unit are expressed in microcode, a set of directions for more complex
operations.
 

Arithmetic and Logic Unit


The arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) performs all arithmetic computations, such as addition,
multiplication, division, and subtraction, and all logical operations. It contains a group of
registers, which are memory locations that hold the data being processed. The results of
operations are stored in a register called the accumulator.

Machine Cycle
When you issue a command to the computer, the CPU fetches your instruction, interprets it, and
then executes it. This process defines the steps in a machine cycle (also called the processing
cycle).
Fetch. The instruction is retrieved from memory.
Decode. The instruction is interpreted.
Execute.  The action requested is performed.
Store. The results are temporarily stored into memory.
 
It is possible to execute an instruction while another instruction is being fetched. It is also
possible that as an instruction is being decoded, yet another is being placed into storage. The
capability of processors to carry out all these tasks at the same time is called pipelining.
 
The four basic operations in a machine cycle are managed by the control unit.

THIRD DAY
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Computer
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