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Lecture 02 Computer Architecture

Chapter Two of the document covers fundamental concepts of computer architecture, including CPUs, memory, motherboards, power supplies, and input/output devices. It explains different types of computers such as multi-user computers, mainframes, and supercomputers, along with the roles of various components like caches and memory types. The chapter emphasizes the importance of understanding these components for effective computer operation and performance.

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6 views20 pages

Lecture 02 Computer Architecture

Chapter Two of the document covers fundamental concepts of computer architecture, including CPUs, memory, motherboards, power supplies, and input/output devices. It explains different types of computers such as multi-user computers, mainframes, and supercomputers, along with the roles of various components like caches and memory types. The chapter emphasizes the importance of understanding these components for effective computer operation and performance.

Uploaded by

moh.mmed.ah.med.insane
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Chapter Two

Computer Architecture
Lecture 02

Ph.D. Eng.: Adel Khaled


Outlines

• Understanding CPUs.
• Understanding Memory
• Understanding Motherboards
• Understanding Power Supplies
• Input and Output Devices
2-1 Computer Types
Hardware consists of components inside a computer as well as the external devices that interact with
it, such as printers, cables, and monitors
2-1 Computer Types
2-1 Computer Types
2.1.2. Multi-User Computers
Multi-user computers are designed to serve groups of people, from a small office to a huge international
enterprise. Here are some common types of multi-user computers:
➢ Server: A computer dedicated to serving and supporting a network, a group of network users, and/or their
information needs.
➢ Many networks employ servers to provide a centrally accessible storage space for data and share common
devices like printers and scanners.
➢ A small network server may look similar to a desktop PC, but may have a different operating system, such
as Windows Server or Linux.
➢ A large server that manages a wide-ranging network may look similar to a mainframe.
➢ A group of servers located together in a single room or facility is called a server farm, or server cluster.
➢ Large Internet service provider (ISP) companies maintain extensive server farms.
2.1.2. Multi-User Computers
➢ Mainframe: A large and powerful computer capable of

processing and storing large amounts of business data.

➢ For example, a mainframe might collect all the sales data

from hundreds of cash registers in a large department store

and make it available to executives.

➢ The modern mainframe unit itself is a large cabinet, or a

series of cabinets, each about the size of a refrigerator.


2.1.2. Multi-User Computers
• A supercomputer is the largest and most powerful type
of computer available, occupying large rooms and
even entire floors of a building.
• Supercomputers are often employed in fields such as
cryptanalysis (code breaking), molecular modeling,
weather forecasting, and climate mapping.
• Supercomputers typically are used in high-tech
academic, governmental, and scientific research
facilities
2-2. Computer Architecture
2-2.1. central processing unit (CPU)

The CPU contains millions of tiny transistors and pathways that take in
data and instructions, process (calculate) the data according to the
instructions and output the results of the calculations.

A computer may also have smaller processors used in specific subsystems, such as a graphics processor.
Every CPU includes the following components:
2-2. Computer Architecture
2-2.1. central processing unit (CPU)
2-2. Computer Architecture
2-2.1. central processing unit (CPU)

Most modern CPUs have multiple cores, so they can complete multiple tasks simultaneously, as if they
physically were more than one CPU. A core consists of a separate set of the essential processor components
(control unit, ALU, and registers). Most models of the Intel i7 processor have four cores, for example.
All the CPU’s cores are located on the same chip.
2-2.1. central processing unit (CPU)

In theory, the CPU is capable of executing a function with every tick of the system
clock (called a clock cycle).
2-2.1. central processing unit (CPU)

However, in practice, the CPU sometimes is idle ‫ متوقف عن العمل‬because there is a delay between
the request for data to be retrieved from memory and its delivery. A delay caused by waiting for
another component to deliver data is called latency

To help minimize latency, CPUs have caches

➢ A cache is a small amount of very fast memory located near (or within) the CPU.
➢ Data that the CPU has recently used, or is predicted to need soon, is placed in the cache for
temporary holding.
➢ That way, if the CPU calls for the data, it’s more readily available and there is less delay.

❖ The most obvious performance factor for a CPU is its maximum speed, measured in
billions of hertz, or gigahertz (GHz)
2-2.1. central processing unit (CPU)

➢ The word size is the number of bits that the CPU


(or a single core of the CPU, if multi-core) can
accept as input simultaneously.
➢ Most desktop and notebook PCs have 64-bit
CPUs, but some tablets, netbooks, and
smartphones have 32-bit CPUs.
➢ The two largest manufacturers of CPUs are the
companies Intel and Advanced Micro Devices
(AMD).
➢ Their CPUs are roughly equivalent in
performance level, but the internal architectures
of the CPUs are different.
➢ A motherboard will support one or the other, but
not both.
2.2.2. Memory
➢ Computer memory stores data Also like human memory, there is both short-term (temporary)
and long-term (permanent) memory storage.

➢ Some memory is dynamic, in that it stores data only until the computer is turned off.

▪ Dynamic memory (also called volatile memory) must be constantly refreshed.


▪ Static memory (also called non-volatile memory) retains whatever you put in it indefinitely.

➢ Another way to classify memory is whether it can be overwritten with new data or not.

➢ Random Access Memory (RAM) can be rewritten freely;

➢ Read-Only Memory (ROM) cannot (at least not in the same way that RAM can; see the following
Note).

➢ All ROM is static, but RAM can be either dynamic (more common) or static.
Computers use different types of memory in various ways. Here are some of the most common
memory uses:
2.2.3. Motherboards
Both the CPU and the memory plug
into the motherboard. Motherboards
vary in many ways, including the
CPUs and memory they support, the
technology used in their chipset, the
expansion slots they have, and the
external ports they support.

The motherboard’s capabilities are determined


by its chipset. The chipset contains the
controllers that direct the traffic along the
motherboard’s buses, specify which memory
and CPUs the motherboard can accept, and
route data to expansion slots and ports as
needed.
2.2.4. Power Supplies
The power from your wall outlet is alternating current
(AC) and is either 110 volt (v) or 220v, depending on the
country in which you live. Computer components require
direct current (DC) and require much lower voltages. A
power supply has two jobs:

➢ It converts AC to DC power.

➢ It decreases the voltage to the amount required for each


component
2.3. Input and Output Devices

Self Study

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