HOW THE COMPUTER WORKS

E G C O 1 0 3 I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y I N T H E D A I LY L I F E

K A N AT P O O L S A W A S D
D E PA R T M E N T O F C O M P U T E R E N G I N E E R I N G
MAHIDOL UNIVERSITY
U N D E R S TA N D I N G Y O U R C O M P U T E R

• Computer is a data processing device.

• Performs four major functions:
• Input: Gathers data, allows users to input data.
• Process: Manipulates, calculates, or organizes data
into information.
• Output: Displays data and information for user.
• Storage: Saves data and information for later use.
W H AT M A K E S A C O M P U T E R , A C O M P U T E R

* https://code.org and https://www.khanacademy.org

HOW THE COMPUTER WORKS ?

* https://code.org and https://www.khanacademy.org

B I N A R Y & I N F O R M AT I O N

* https://code.org and https://www.khanacademy.org

BITS AND BYTES
• The language of computers
• Bit (BInary digiT): 0 or 1
• Byte = 8 bits
• See ‘b’ = bit, ‘B’ = Byte
• Each letter, number, or character is a unique
combination of 8 bits of 0s and 1s
TEXT VIA BINARY NUMBERS
HOW IMAGES ARE STORED ON A COMPUTER ?
HOW IMAGES ARE STORED ON A COMPUTER ?
B I N A R Y R E P R E S E N TAT I O N O F S O U N D ( 1 )

* https://www.teachwithict.com/binary-representation-of-sound.html
B I N A R Y R E P R E S E N TAT I O N O F S O U N D ( 2 )

* https://www.teachwithict.com/binary-representation-of-sound.html
HOW MUCH IS A BYTE
Name Abbreviation Number of Bytes

Byte B 1 byte

Kilobyte KB 1,024 bytes (210)

Megabyte MB 1,048,576 bytes (220 bytes)

Gigabyte GB 1,073,741,824 bytes (230 bytes)

Terabyte TB 1,099,511,627,776 bytes (240 bytes)

Petabyte PB 1,125,899,906,842,62 bytes (250 bytes)

Exabyte EB 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes (260 bytes)

Zettabyte ZB 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424 bytes (270 bytes)

CIRCUITS & LOGIC

* https://code.org and https://www.khanacademy.org

GEORGE BOOLE & BOOLEAN ALGEBRA

• Boolean algebra was introduced by

George Boole in his first book The
Mathematical Analysis of Logic
(1847), and set forth more fully in
his An Investigation of the Laws of
Thought (1854).
V A L U E S & B A S I C O P E R AT I O N S
• In Boolean algebra they denote
the truth values false and true.
• The basic operations of
Boolean algebra are as follows:
• AND (Conjunction)
• OR (Disjunction)
• NOT (Negation)
• Alternatively the values of x ∧ y,
x ∨ y, and ¬x can be expressed
by tabulating their values with
truth tables as follows:
B O O L E A N A L G E B R A & L O G I C G AT E

AND

OR

NOT
L O G I C G AT E & T R A N S I S T E R

• Logic gate can be

constructed using RTL
Resistor-Transistor
switches connected
together.
BINARY (HALF) ADDER CIRCUIT
FULL ADDER CIRCUIT
C P U , M E M O R Y, I N P U T & O U T P U T

* https://code.org and https://www.khanacademy.org

COMPUTER BOX (1)

Desktop Laptop

* https://www.geeks xitusa.com/all-blog-post/whats-inside-my-computer/
fi
COMPUTER BOX (2)
MAINBOARD (1)
• Mainboard or Motherboard is the central part of a
computer.
• Everything connects to the mother board.
• Famous brands: Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, ASRock and etc.
MAINBOARD (2)

* Asus Prime Z590M Plus (https://www.asus.com)

MAINBOARD (3)
F O R M FA C T O R
• The form factor is the specification of a motherboard –
the dimensions, power supply type, location of mounting
holes, number of ports on the back panel, etc.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_form_factor
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)

• Central Processing Unit (CPU)

• Does the most of processing for a computer
• Also called a processor or a microprocessor
• Quad-Core, Octa-Core
• Pack 4/8 CPUs in one chip (Like having 4/8 computers)
• Often made by Intel or AMD
• AMD is backing out from desktop and notebook
• ARM is majority for mobile device (Phone, Pad). Now
coming into desktop and notebook market.
HOW CPU WORKS ?
TYPICAL CPU COMPONENTS
M U LT I - C O R E C P U
THE TICK-TOCK MODEL THROUGH THE YEARS

• iPhone Tick-Tock
• iPhone 5 = Tick
• iPhone 5s = Tock
• iPhone 6 = Tick
• iPhone 6s = Tock
INTEL - ALPHA SUFFIX

• K = Unlocked • HQ = High Performance Graphic, Quad-

• U = Ultra-low Power Core
• T = Power-optimised Lifestyle • HK = High Performance Graphics, Unlocked
• G = Includes Graphics • Y = Extremely Low Power
• H = High Performance Graphics • S = Performance-optimized Lifestyle
AMD - ALPHA SUFFIX
ARM VS X86
Apple M1
(SoC)
CLOCK SPEED
• A computer’s system clock resides on the mother board.
• It sends out a signal to all other computer components in
sync.
• Every action in the computer is timed by these clock
cycles and takes a certain number of cycle to perform.
THE SYSTEM CLOCK AND THE MACHINE CYCLE

The bus system for a Pentium III processor.

PERFORMANCE

* https://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html
32-BIT VS. 64-BIT
32-bit processors 64-bit processors
Addressable space of 4 GB Addressable space of 16 TB

64-bit applications won’t work. Most 32-bit applications will work.

Not recommend for multitasking Ideal for multitasking

Requires 32-bit operating system. Both 32-bit & 64-bit OS will work.
THREAD/CORE
• More core = more work can be done at the same time.
• More thread = more work can be done at the same time
(but with slight limitation)

Multithreading in one core

CACHE MEMORY
E X PA N S I O N S L O T S
• Expand functionality of the computer.
• Graphic Card -> Better graphic or more display
• Sound Card -> Better sound
• Network Card -> More/Faster network connections
• Controller Card -> Control Robot and etc.
• Many type
• ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIe (PCI-E)
• Current trend = PCIe (PCI Express)
PCI EXPRESS (PCI-E)
• A single PCI Express lane can handle 200 MB of traf c in
each direction per second.
• A x16 can handle 6.4 GB of data per second in each direction.
PCIx4

PCIx16

PCIx1

PCIx16

Legacy

From top to bottom: PCI Express ×4 | PCI Express ×16 | PCI Express ×1 | PCI Express ×16 | Legacy PCI (32-bit)

fi
PCI EXPRESS LINKS AND LANES
MEMORY (1)
• Short term memory to help working
• Must be supported by motherboard and CPU
• Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random-
Access Memory (DDR SDRAM) is a class of memory
integrated circuits used in computers.
• Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module (SODIMM)
is a type of computer memory. SODIMM is often used
in systems that have limited space, such as notebooks,
small footprint PCs (such as those with a Mini-ITX
motherboard)
• More is better. (current good spot is 8 GB)
MEMORY (2)
MEMORY (3)

* https://www.rambus.com/blogs/get-ready-for-ddr5-dimm-chipsets/
HARD DRIVE / HARD DISK
• Permanent Storage for your computer
• Talk more next time. (Data In and Data Out)
• Two types of Hard Disk
• Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Expensive
• Durable
• Fast
• Spinning Disk
• Cheap
• Not so durable
• Slower
HARD DRIVE / HARD DISK
• IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) or PATA (Parallel-ATA)
• Older + Slower
• SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
• SAS (Serial + SCSI)
• SATA (Serial ATA)
• SATA1, SATA2, SATA3
• Faster than above.
• M.2 (NVMe Protocol) B+M Key
• AHCI (SATA) vs. NVMe (PCIe)
• M Key, B Key

M Key
NETWORK
• Detail later. (Week 5)
• For now, wired cables are 3 speeds
• 10 Mb/s, 100 Mb/s and 1000 Mb/s
• No big difference with network card brand.
GRAPHICS CARD
• Additional card can be add
to improve display quality.

• Nvidia and ATi are main

players
• They make chips then
other companies use their
chips to make a graphic
card.
CPU & GPU
NPU (NEURAL PROCESSING UNIT)
• NPU stands for Neural Processing Unit, and it’s
specifically designed to perform AI-related tasks.
• When I say AI-related tasks, it means that NPU can
process neural networks, machine learning tasks, and
AI workloads.
CPU & GPU & NPU

* Microsoft Corp.
PORTS & CONNECTORS
USB (UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS)
• USB 1 – 12 Mb/s or 1.5 Mb/s
• USB 2 (High Speed USB) – 480 Mb/s
• USB 3 (Super Speed USB) – 5 Gb/s
T H U N D E R B O LT A N D U S B - C
V G A ( V I D E O G R A P H I C S A R R AY )
• First introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in
1987.
• Most common monitor connection.
• Analog Signal (Easy to get noise)
• Display only.
D V I ( D I G I TA L V I S U A L I N T E R F A C E )
• Common among new monitors.
• Digital Signal (Only some supports Analog)
• Display only
H D M I ( H I G H - D E F I N I T I O N M U LT I M E D I A
I N T E R FA C E )

• Found on all new TV

• Display and Sound
• New version includes network data
P O W E R S U P P LY / U P S
• Need enough power (watt) to run
• Check here …
• http://powersupplycalculator.net
• UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)
• Form Factor - Tower or Rack-Mount
• Power Factor (PF)
• Watt = VA x PF
F A N S , H E AT S I N K S , A N D O T H E R
COOLING COMPONENTS
W A N T FA S T E R C O M P U T E R
• Better Hard Disk
• SSD / Faster
• Better RAM
• More / Faster
• Better Graphic Card
• Only when you play 3D game or video rendering.
• Better CPU
• If you have money to spare. Not so important
 ASSIGNMENT 1
• ให้นักศึกษาแต่ละกลุ่มลองหาข้อมูลของคอมพิ วเตอรข์องคุณว่ามี
คุณสมบัติเ นอย่างไรบ้าง โดยอย่างน้อยต้องมีข้อมูลดังต่อไป
• CPU
• Memory
• Hard Disk
• Video Card
• Operating System
• Ports
• หาข้อมูลดังกล่าวมา 2 เค อง และลองเปรียบเทียบกันว่าถา้นํา ง
2 เค องใช้ในการตัดต่อวิดีโอ เค องใดจะทํางานได้มีประสิทธิภาพ
มากกว่ากัน และเพราะอะไร
รื่
รื่
รื่
นี้
ป็
ทั้