9/21/2011

Chapter 4
System Unit Components Objectives Overview

Differentiate among various Describe the control unit

Identify chips, adapter
styles of system units on and arithmetic logic unit
cards, and other
desktop computers, components of a processor,
components of a
notebook computers, and and explain the four steps in
motherboard
mobile devices a machine cycle

Discovering
Identify characteristics of
various personal computer Define a bit and describe Explain how program

Computers 2012
processors on the market how a series of bits instructions transfer in and
today, and describe the represents data out of memory
ways processors are cooled
Your Interactive Guide
to the Digital World

See Page 209 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 2

for Detailed Objectives

Objectives Overview The System Unit

• The system unit is

Differentiate between a port and a case that
Describe the purpose and types
a connector, and explain the
Differentiate among the various
of expansion slots and adapter
differences among a USB port, contains
cards, and differentiate among
types of memory FireWire port, Bluetooth port,
slots for various removable flash
memory devices
SCSI port, eSATA port, IrDA port, electronic
serial port, and MIDI port
components of
the computer
used to process
Explain the purpose of a power Understand how to clean a
Describe the types of buses in a
computer
supply and describe how it keeps system unit on a computer or data
cool mobile device

See Page 209 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 3 Page 210 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 4
for Detailed Objectives Figure 4-1

1
 9/21/2011

The System Unit The System Unit

• The inside of the system unit on a desktop • The motherboard is the main circuit board of the
personal computer includes: system unit
Drive bay(s) – A computer chip contains integrated circuits
Power supply

Sound card

Video card

Processor

Memory
Page 211 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 5 Page 212 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 6
Figure 4-2 Figure 4-3

Processor Processor

• The processor, also called the central processing

unit (CPU), interprets and carries out the basic
instructions that operate a computer
– Contain a control unit and an arithmetic logic unit
(ALU)

Multi-core Dual-core Quad-core

processor processor processor

Page 213 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 7 Page 213 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 8
Figure 4-4

2
 9/21/2011

Processor Processor

• The control unit is the component of the • For every instruction, a processor repeats a set of
processor that directs and coordinates most of four basic operations, which comprise a machine
the operations in the computer cycle
• The arithmetic logic unit (ALU) performs
arithmetic, comparison, and other operations

Page 214 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 9 Page 215 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 10
Figure 4-5

Processor Processor

• Most current personal

computers support The processor contains registers, that
pipelining temporarily hold data and instructions
– Processor begins
fetching a second
instruction before it
completes the machine
The system clock controls the timing
cycle for the first of all computer operations
instruction
• The pace of the system clock is called the clock
speed, and is measured in gigahertz (GHz)
Pages 215 – 216 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 11 Page 216 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 12
Figure 4-6

3
 9/21/2011

Processor Processor

• The leading • Determine how you plan to use a new computer

manufacturers of before selecting a processor
personal computer
processor chips are Intel
and AMD

Pages 216 – 217 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 13 Page 218 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 14
Figure 4-7 Figure 4-8

Processor Processor

• A processor chip • Parallel processing uses multiple processors

generates heat that simultaneously to execute a single program or task
could cause the chip to – Massively parallel processing involves hundreds or thousands of
burn up processors
• Require additional
cooling
– Heat sinks
– Liquid cooling
technology

Pages 219 - 220 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 15 Page 220 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 16
Figures 4-9 – 4-10 Figure 4-11

4
 9/21/2011

Data Representation Data Representation

A computer circuit represents Eight bits grouped together as a
Analog signals are continuous and vary in the 0 or the 1 electronically by
the presence or absence of an
unit are called a byte. A byte
represents a single character in
strength and quality electrical charge the computer

Digital signals are in one of two states: on

or off
• Most computers are digital
• The binary system uses two unique digits (0 and 1)
• Bits and bytes
Page 221 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 17 Page 221 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 18
Figures 4-12 – 4-13

Data Representation Data Representation

• ASCII (American
Standard Code for
Information
Interchange) is the most
widely used coding
scheme to represent
data

Page 221 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 19 Page 222 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 20
Figure 4-14 Figure 4-15

5
 9/21/2011

Memory Memory

• Memory consists of electronic components that • Each location in memory has an address
store instructions waiting to be executed by the • Memory size is measured in kilobytes (KB or K),
processor, data needed by those instructions, and megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), or terabytes
the results of processing the data (TB)
• Stores three basic categories of items:
Data being
The operating
Application processed and the
system and other
programs resulting
system software
information

Page 223 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 21 Page 223 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 22
Figure 4-17

Memory Memory

• The system unit contains two types of memory:

Volatile memory Nonvolatile memory

Loses its contents when Does not lose contents

power is turned off when power is removed

Examples include ROM,

Example includes RAM flash memory, and
CMOS

Pages 223 - 224 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 23 Page 224 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 24
Figure 4-18

6
 9/21/2011

Memory Memory

• Three basic types of RAM chips exist: • RAM chips usually reside on a memory module
Dynamic RAM Magnetoresistive and are inserted into memory slots
Static RAM (SRAM)
(DRAM) RAM (MRAM)

Page 225 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 25 Page 225 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 26
Figure 4-19 Figure 4-20

Memory Memory

• The amount of RAM necessary in a computer • Memory cache speeds the processes of the computer
often depends on the types of software you plan because it stores frequently used instructions and data
to use

Page 226 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 27 Page 227 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 28
Figure 4-21 Figure 4-22

7
 9/21/2011

Memory Memory

• Flash memory can be erased electronically and

Read-only memory (ROM) refers to memory chips rewritten
storing permanent data and instructions
– CMOS technology provides high speeds and consumes
• Firmware
little power

A PROM (programmable read-only memory) chip is

a blank ROM chip that can be written to
permanently
• EEPROM can be erased

Page 228 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 29 Pages 228 – 229 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 30
Figure 4-23

Memory Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards

• Access time is the amount of time it takes the • An expansion slot is a

socket on the motherboard
processor to read from memory that can hold an adapter
– Measured in nanoseconds card
• An adapter card enhances
functions of a component of
the system unit and/or
provides connections to
peripherals
– Sound card and video card

Page 229 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 31 Page 230 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 32
Figures 4-24 – 4-25 Figure 4-26

8
 9/21/2011

Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards

• With Plug and Play, the computer automatically • Removable flash memory includes:
can configure adapter cards and other peripherals – Memory cards, USB flash drives, and PC
as you install them Cards/ExpressCard modules

Pages 230 – 231 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 33 Page 231 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 34
Figure 4-27 Figure 4-28

Ports and Connectors Ports and Connectors

A port is the point at which a peripheral attaches to or

communicates with a system unit (sometimes referred
to as a jack)

A connector joins a cable to a port

Page 232 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 35 Page 232 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 36
Figure 4-29

9
 9/21/2011

Ports and Connectors Ports and Connectors

• On a notebook computer, the ports are on the

back, front, and/or sides

Pages 232 - 233 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 37 Page 233 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 38
Figure 4-30 Figure 4-31

Ports and Connectors Ports and Connectors

• A USB port can connect up to 127 different • Other types of ports include:
peripherals together with a single connector
Firewire Bluetooth
– You can attach multiple peripherals using a single USB SCSI port
port port
port with a USB hub
eSATA
IrDA port Serial port
port

MIDI port

Page 234 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 39 Pages 234 - 236 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 40
Figure 4-32

10
 9/21/2011

Ports and Connectors Ports and Connectors

A Bluetooth wireless port A smart phone might • A port replicator is an
adapter converts a USB port into communicate with a notebook external device that
a Bluetooth port computer using an IrDA port provides connections to
peripherals through ports
built into the device
• A docking station is an
external device that
attaches to a mobile
computer or device

Page 235 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 41 Page 236 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 42
Figures 4-33 – 4-34 Figure 4-35

Buses Buses

• A bus allows the various • Expansion slots connect to expansion buses

devices both inside and
attached to the system • Common types of expansion buses include:
unit to communicate with
each other PCI Express Accelerated
– Data bus PCI bus
bus Graphics Port
– Address bus
• Word size is the number
of bits the processor can
interpret and execute at a USB and
PC Card bus
given time FireWire bus

Page 237 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 43 Page 238 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 44
Figure 4-36

11
 9/21/2011

Bays Power Supply

• A bay is an opening
inside the system unit in
which you can install
The power supply converts the wall
additional equipment outlet AC power into DC power
– A drive bay typically
holds disk drives
Some external peripherals have an AC
adapter, which is an external power
supply
Page 238 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 45 Page 239 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 46
Figure 4-37

Putting It All Together Putting It All Together

Home Small Office/ Mobile Power Enterprise

Intel Core i5 or Home Office Intel Core i7 Extreme or Intel Xeon or Intel Core i7 or
Intel Core 2 i3 or Intel Core i7 or Intel Core i7 or Intel Itanium or Intel Core i7 Extreme
AMD Athlon II or Intel Core i7 Extreme or AMD Phenom II or
AMD Sempron AMD Phenom II or AMD Turion II AMD Opteron or AMD Phenom II or
AMD Athlon II Minimum RAM: 8 GB AMD Athlon II

Minimum RAM: 2 GB Minimum RAM: 2 GB

Minimum RAM: 4 GB Minimum RAM: 4 GB

Page 239 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 47 Page 239 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 48
Figure 4-38 Figure 4-38

12
 9/21/2011

Keeping Your Computer

or Mobile Device Clean
Video: The Leopard with a Time Machine

Clean your computer or mobile device once or twice a year

Turn off and unplug your computer or mobile device before

cleaning it

Use compressed air to blow away dust

Use an antistatic wipe to clean the exterior of the case and a

cleaning solution and soft cloth to clean the screen
CLICK TO START
Page 240 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 49 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 50

Chapter 4
Summary System Unit Components

Sequence of operations
How memory stores
Components of the that occur when a
data, instructions, and
system unit computer executes an
information
instruction

Comparison of various
personal computer
How to clean the Discovering
Computers 2012
exterior and interior of
processors on the
a system unit
market today
Your Interactive Guide
to the Digital World

Page 241 Discovering Computers 2012: Chapter 4 51

Chapter 4 Complete

13