UCC 1100

Computer Fundamentals

Computer Structure
 Basic operations of a computer
The computer performs basically five major
operations of functions irrespective of their size and
make:
1. It accepts data or instruction by way of input
2. It stores data
3. It can process data as required by the user
4. It gives results in the form of output
5. It controls all operations inside a computer.

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 Main Parts of a Computer
A computer consists of three main parts:
1. A processor (CPU)
2. A main-memory unit
3. An I/O system

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 Computer Structure

Block diagram of Computer Organisation

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 Processor (CPU)
• Central processing unit: the heart of the computer,
it actually executes instructions.

• It comprise of 3 major components:

• Control Unit
• Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
• Registers

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 Processor (CPU)
• Central processing unit: the heart of the computer, it
actually executes instructions.
• The control unit sends signals that fetch each of these
instructions in turn from the main memory.
• It then decodes and executes them.
• The ALU is involved from time to time where it is
necessary to perform arithmetic calculations or make
logical decisions.
• All programs run in this manner.

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 Control Unit
The control unit is the nerve center that sends and control
signals to other units and senses their states. Thus the control
unit serves as a coordinator of the memory, arithmetic and
logic, and input/output units
The main functions of the control unit are:
1. To interpret these instructions
2. To control/govern all the activities within the computer i.e
inputting data, storing data, processing, and outputting.

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 Control Unit …..

• The control unit can execute only one instruction at a

time, but it can execute instructions so quickly (millions
per second) that it can appear to do many different
things simultaneously.

• In general the control unit is responsible for the

running of programs that are loaded into the main
memory.

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 Arithmetic Logic Unit
• ALU its for calculations; it handles all the arithmetic
and logic operations for the computer.
• In arithmetical operation: it performs the four basic
arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division
• In the logical operations: it performs the comparison
between two pieces of data i.e. Greater Than (>), Less
Than (<), Equal To (=)

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 Registers
• These are temporary storage areas within the
processor that are used to hold instructions and data
currently being processed by the ALU.
• The size of the registers(word size) determines the
amount of data with which the computer can work
at any given time. The bigger the word size, the
more quickly the computer can process a set of
data.
• Today, most PCs have 32-bit registers, meaning the
CPU can process four bytes of data at one time.
Register sizes are rapidly growing to 64 bits.

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 Memory unit
• Memory: is the internal storage area in the computer.
• The main memory holds the data that the processor
needs immediately.
• Therefore memory is both hardware and software. Its
of two types:

Types of memory
• Primary memory
• Secondary memory

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 Primary Storage
Primary storage (main memory) stores data and program
statements for the CPU. It has four basic purposes;
• To store data that have been input until it is transferred to
the ALU for processing.
• To store data and results during intermediate stages of
processing.
• To hold data after processing until they are transferred to
an output/storage device.
• To hold program statements or instructions received from
input devices and from secondary storage.

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 RAM
• Random Access Memory (RAM) is the largest part
of the main memory.
• RAM chips: to improve system performance they
can be added to your computer, increasing the
RAM from, say, 256 Mb to 512 Mb.
• RAM has the following features:
• The data in RAM is read/write so it can be changed
• All data stored in RAM is lost when then computer is
switched off (volatile)
• RAM is sometimes referred to as primary storage.

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 RAM cont’d
• The larger the memory area, the larger the programs that
can be stored and executed.
• In the earlier days, it was common to find personal
computers with 4MB of RAM but as multi media becomes
common in the market, personal computers require high
capacity of RAM i.e 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 4GB, ITB
etc

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 Cache memory
• Moving data between RAM and the CPU’s registers is one
of the most time consuming operations a CPU must
perform.
• Cache memory is similar to RAM, except that it is
extremely fast compared to normal memory and it is
used in a different way.
• When a program is running and the CPU needs to read
data from RAM, the CPU checks first to see whether the
data is in cache memory.
• If the data is not there, the CPU reads it from RAM into
its registers but also keeps a copy of the data in cache
memory.

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 Cache memory
• The next time the CPU needs the same data, it finds it
in the cache memory and saves the time needed to
load that data from RAM.
• Therefore, cache memory speeds up processing by
storing frequently used data or instructions in its high
speed memory.
• Today, many CPUs have as much as 256KB cache
memory built in.

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 Secondary Storage
• Storage refers to the media and methods used to keep
information available for later use.
• Some data will be needed right away(primary storage)
while some won’t be needed for extended periods of
time (secondary storage).
• Examples:
• Floppy
• Hard disk
• CD/DVD
• flash

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 Computer Buses
• A bus is a path between the components of a
computer.
• There are two main buses in a computer:
• The system/internal bus resides on the motherboard
and connects the CPU to other devices that resides on
the motherboard.
• An expansion/external bus connects external devices,
such as keyboard, mouse, modem, printer, etc to the
CPU.
• The system bus has two parts: the data bus and the
address bus.

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 Bus cont’d…
• The Data bus is an electrical path composed of parallel
wires that connects the CPU, memory, and the other
hardware devices on the motherboard.
• The address bus is a set of wires similar to the data bus.
The address bus connects CPU to memory and carries
only memory address

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 Buses

Internal Buses: External Buses:

Connections to various connects external devices to
internal components. the CPU

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 Peripheral Devices
• A peripheral device designates equipment that might
be added to a computer system to enhance its
functionality.
• A peripheral device can be attached, either physically
or in a wireless fashion to a computer system.
• Any device that is ready to communicate to a computer
is said to be online. One that is not ready to
communicate is said to be offline.

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 Peripherals
Peripherals are divided into four categories:
• Input devices
• Output devices
• Storage devices
• Processing devices

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 Peripherals
Peripherals are divided into four categories:
• Input devices
• Output devices
• Storage devices
• Processing devices

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 Ports
• Port: A connector
through which
input/output devices
can be plugged into the
computer.

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 Ports cont’d

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 Universal Serial Bus
• Universal Serial Bus (USB): A general purpose port
that can connect up to 128 devices, and also hot
swappable, meaning that devices can be plugged in
or unplugged without having to shut down or reboot
the system.
• Plug and Play: The ability to install devices into a
computer when the computer itself makes any
necessary internal adjustments.

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 Note
• Processing takes place in the PC's central processing unit
(CPU). The system's memory plays a crucial role in processing
data. Both the CPU and memory are attached to the
system's motherboard, which connects all the computer's
devices together, enabling them to intercommunicate.

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 Factors to consider while buying a
computer
• Computer Case
• CD or DVD media
• Storage space
• The size of RAM
• Speed of processor
• Number of USB ports
• Monitor size
• Warranty……..

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 End of Lesson

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