Ministry of Secondary Education Republic of Cameroon

Progressive Comprehensive High School Peace – Work – Fatherland

GTHS - Fundong School year 2015 / 2016
Department of Computer Science

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE COMPUTER

Class: Comp. SC. And ICT (A/L). By: DZEUGANG PLACIDE

The specification is a list of the key components that make up the computer. It is provided
by retailers to help buyers decide which PC, and which combination of features, they need.
When buying a PC, it is important to start by deciding what it is you want the PC to do.

Learning objectives

After studying this chapter, student should be able to:

 Define specification and give some important features that are to be

considered while talking about specifications of a computer.

 Compare two computers according to their characteristics

 Give some factor to consider while buying a computer

 Check the specification of a computer

1 CONTENTS

I. PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPUTER ............................................................................................................ 2

II. UNDERSTANDING SPECIFICATION .............................................................................................................. 2
III. PROCESSOR INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................ 3
IV. MEMORY INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................. 4
V. DATA BUS WIDTH, ADDRESS BUS WIDTH AND WORD SIZE ................................................................. 5
VI. HARD DISK INFORMATION ......................................................................................................................... 6
VII. OTHER INFORMATION .................................................................................................................................. 8
VIII. HOW TO CHECK THE CARACTERISTICS OF THE COMPUTER......................................................... 10

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I. PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPUTER

When we measure performance we usually mean how fast the computer carries out
instructions. Overall, the performance of a computer is dependent on how well it
works together as a whole. The measure we use is MIPS, millions of instructions per
second.

MIPS is affected by the clock speed of the processor, The speed of the buses and The
speed of memory access.

Computer Performance is affected by, Processor Speed, Data Bus Width, Amount of
Cache, Faster Interfaces and Amount of memory

II. UNDERSTANDING SPECIFICATION

When reviewing a computer specification, the most important components to take
account of are the processor, the amount of RAM and the size of the hard drive as
these are central to the overall capability of the system. it is advisable to purchase a
suitable specification computer to meet the system requirements for these programs.

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III. PROCESSOR INFORMATION

The processor is the “brain” of the computer. It is responsible of all the work done in
the computer. The two main features of CPUs that you need to be aware of are its
speed and its type.

III.1 Type of processor

The type of processor is one of the factor people base themselves on when buying a
computer. The two most popular companies that currently produce CPUs are Intel
and AMD. Intel processors are little more expensive than AMD's due to the small
difference in performance. In general for instance, a general saying let’s thing an
Intel processor is faster than an AMD processor of the same clock speed.

III.2 Speed of processor

The speed of the CPU is also known as the clock speed of the CPU. The clock speed
of the CPU is the frequency of which the processor executes instructions or the
frequency by which data is processed by the CPU. It is measured in millions of
cycles per second or megahertz (MHz) or in GHz (GigaHertz). 200 MHz (megahertz)
means the clock ticks 200,000,000 times a second, that’s the computer can execute
about 200,000,000 per second

The real value of the clock speed is relative and can vary according to the type of the
processor or other factors. For instance, a 3.0 GHz Celeron processor is slower than
a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4, primarily because the Celeron has a smaller L2 cache and uses
a slower host-bus speed. Similarly, when the Pentium 4 was introduced at 1.3 GHz,
its performance was actually lower than that of the 1 GHz Pentium III processor that
it was intended to replace.

Clock speed is useless for comparing AMD and Intel processors. AMD processors
run at much lower clock speeds than Intel processors, but do about 50% more work
per clock tick. Broadly speaking, an AMD Athlon 64 running at 2.0 GHz has about
the same overall performance as an Intel Pentium 4 running at 3.0 GHz.

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IV. MEMORY INFORMATION

The main working memory in a computer is called random access memory or RAM.
The RAM is a computer memory that store all the programs that is actually working
on the computer. Two information are necessary for the memory that have an
impact on the performance of the computer: The capacity and the type of memory

IV.1 The size of the RAM (Random Access Memory)

The RAM is referred to as the active part of the computer. This is because the RAM
has the capability of storing data that the computer is currently using, because of the
fact that it is fast to retrieve data stored in the RAM. With the definition above, a
large RAM size will mean a faster computer performance and a smaller RAM size
will result to slower computer performance. Modern PCs memory capacity is
measured in GB (Gigabytes) or in MB (Megabytes).

Memory Units

Bit is the smallest unit of storage in a digital computer, consisting of binary digit

1 byte = 1 character = 8 bits

1 Kilobyte (KB) = 1024 Bytes = 210 bytes
1 Megabyte (MB) = 1024 Kilobytes = 220 bytes
1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1024 Megabytes = 230 bytes
1 Terabyte (TB) = 1024 Gigabytes = 240 bytes

Application exercise

A computer book as 2048 pages and each page contains 4096 characters. How many
disquette of 1.44 MB do we need to store the whole book?

III.2 Type of RAM

Newer variants of SDRAM are DDR (or DDR1), DDR2 and DDR3. Both SDRAM
and DDR RAM are memory integrated circuits used in computers. SDRAM
(synchronous DRAM) is a generic name for various kinds of dynamic random
access memory (DRAM) that are synchronized with the clock speed that the
microprocessor is optimized for. SDRAM usually refers to first generation
synchronous DRAM, which is slower than subsequent generations (DDR) because
only one word of data is transmitted per clock cycle (single data rate).

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DRAM memory chips utilize only the rising edge of the signal to transfer data,
while DDR RAM transfers data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock
signal.

The main difference between SDRAM and DDR memory is the doubled speed: DDR
can transfer data at roughly twice the speed of SDRAM. PC133 SDRAM runs at 133
MHz, while 133 MHz DDR effectively runs at 133 MHz x 2 = 266 Mhz.

Comparison chart

DDR SDRAM

Voltage 2.5 Volts 3.3 Volts

Speed 200 MHz, 266 MHz, 333 MHz, 400 MHz 66 MHz, 100 MHz, 133
MHz

IV.3 RAM Speed

RAM speed determines how fast the chip updates the data that it contains. In
modern PCs it is measured in MHz (MegaHertz) and is usually above 400MHz.

IV.4 Cache memory

A CPU cache is a cache used by the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer to
reduce the average time to access data from the main memory. This memory is
typically integrated directly with the CPU chip or placed on a separate chip that has
a separate bus interconnect with the CPU. The cache is a smaller, faster memory
which stores copies of the data from frequently used main memory locations. Very
fast memory speeding data transfer in shorter fetch cycle. Currently 2Mb Cache
common

V. DATA BUS WIDTH, ADDRESS BUS WIDTH AND WORD

SIZE
Wordsize determines the number of bits that can be stored and processed at a time
by the CPU. Most modern PCs have a wordsize of either 32 bits of 64 bits.

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Width of data bus defines how much data can be carried in one fetch. Referring to
data bus, the two main categories of processors are 32-bit and 64-bit.

32 bit processor means the data bus has a width of 32 bits. The width of the data bus
also defines the size of a bank of memory. So, a processor with a 32-bit data bus
(such as the 486) reads and writes memory 32 bits at a time, whereas processors
with a 64-bit data bus (most current processors) read and write memory 64 bits at a
time.

Note: A computer with a 64-bit processor can have a 64-bit or 32-bit version of an
operating system installed. However, with a 32-bit operating system, the 64-bit
processor would not run at its full capability.

Another big difference between 32-bit processors and 64-bit processors is the
maximum amount of memory (RAM) that is supported. 32-bit computers support a
maximum of 3-4GB of memory, whereas a 64-bit computer can support memory
amounts over 4 GB.

Width of Address bus affects the amount of memory which can be accessed. An n
bits address bus can access 2n bits of memory.

If word size and data bus same size then data transfers carried out in single
operation.

NB: Peripherals work at much slower speeds than the CPU. The following measures
are taken to avoid certain peripherals to slow the performance of the computer

– Buffers and spooling can help.

– Sound cards can have their own processor, RAM and ROM.
– Video cards their own RAM (up to 1Gb)

VI. HARD DISK INFORMATION

The hard drive is the computer’s primary storage area. It stores the applications and
programs that run on the PC, as well as any work created by users. Its capacity and
its types are two factors to be considered.

VI.1 Capacity of the hard disk

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Storage capacity determines how much information can be stored for later use.
More hard disk space means you can store more programs and data. The bigger the
space on the hard disk will result to faster performance of the computer. In modern
PCs it is measured in Gigabytes (GB) but are reaching up to Terabytes (TB).

• A hard drive capacity of at least 80GB is recommended for general purpose PCs.

• A hard drive capacity of 200GB or more is recommended if working with

multimedia applications where large graphics and digital audio/video files are
being created and stored.

VI.2 Type of the hard drive

IDE and SATA are different types of interfaces to connect storage devices like hard
drives to a computer's system bus. SATA stands for Serial Advanced Technology
Attachment and IDE stands for Integrated Drive Electronics. IDE is also
called Parallel ATA or PATA. SATA is the newer standard and SATA drives are
faster than IDE drives. SATA had largely replaced IDE in all new systems.

IDE SATA

Advantages Maximum compatibility Inexpensive, large storage

capacity.

Disadvantages Lacks support for new technology less suited for servers.
such as native command queuing
and hot-plugging hard drives

Speed data transfers at the rate of up to Data transfers at the rate of

133MB/s 150MB/s to 600MB/s.

Jumpers In a computer system, it's possible SATA drives don't use

to have more than one harddrive. jumpers. Each drive
To connect multiple IDE drives, connects directly to the
you need to chain the ribbon motherboard. To set the
cables from one to the next. The primary drive, you can
computer system has no idea access the settings from the
which is the main drive, from computers BIOS (special

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which to load the OS. software that runs when you

start the computer).

VI.3 Speed of the hard drive

The hard disk speed is defined as the rate at which material and content can be read
and written on it. The hard disk speed of different hard disks is not consistent
because they vary by manufacturer, drive type and the use of the hard disk. It
therefore means that the higher the speed of the hard disk the faster the
performance of the computer and vice versa. Hard disk speed is normally expressed
in revolutions per minute (rpm). The rpm is how fast the disk is spinning and varies
from 5400 rpm - 15000 rpm.

VII. OTHER INFORMATION

VII.1 Speed and quality of the CD/DVD

CD R/W drives are standard on PCs and allow the information on a compact disc
(either data or audio) to be read and written to by the PC. It is defined by its speed
(i.e., 48x or 48 speed). DVD drives can read both CDs and DVDs. 48x DVD-
ROM/CD_RW drives are standard on entry level computers. These allow you to
copy to blank CDs. 52x DVD-RWs are standard on higher performance computers.
Educational software is being developed in both DVD and CD formats, but a DVD
can hold over 25 times more data than a CD. Refer to Advice sheet 6 for more
information on DVD’s

VII.2 Installed Operating System

PCs are generally purchased with an operating system pre-installed. It is worth

checking that your existing software will still work with the operating system of any
new systems being purchased. It may be possible to choose a particular operating
system and, if so, this may help standardise new machines with existing school PCs.
At present, Microsoft’s newer OS is Windows 8 but the version 10 of windows will
be release very soon.

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As a general rule, if you have under 4 GB of RAM in your computer, you don’t need
a 64-bit CPU, but if you have 4 GB or more, you do.

VII.3 Size and quality of the graphic card

When it comes to quality of pictures and animations graphic cards are the main
factors. So if a machine processes many graphics and it has a weak graphic card it
will perform slower. This means that the more powerful the graphic card is the
faster the performance of the computer. They hold their own memory (in MB),
which is why they add to a computer’s capability.

• An integrated graphics card with 256MB of memory is recommended for

general purpose PCs.
• Computers running high-end applications generally require a separate 256MB
graphics card.

VII.4 Size of monitor’s screen

The older CRTs have been largely replaced by TFT flat-screens. A 15” TFT has the
same viewing area as the older 17” CRT.

• Average entry-level PCs usually come with a 17” flat-screen and this is
adequate for most general purpose applications.
• Larger 19” flat-screens and 21” are available and may be appropriate if video
editing and advanced graphics work is being carried out.

VII.5 NIC or Modem incorporated

It is recommended that all PCs be purchased with a suitable network interface card
(NIC). A network card allows a computer to be connected to a network. A
10/100/1000 Mbps (Megabits per second) card is the standard network card today.
Few school networks currently operate at speeds higher than 100Mbps.

VII.6 Speakers and Headphones incorporated

Most computers come with either built-in or external speakers.

VII.7 Computer ports

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A computer system need to send and receive information from peripheral devices.
A port is a piece of technology that is used to connect external devices to a
computer.

Parallel: used mainly to connect printers but can also be used to connect certain
scanners and external hard disks.

Serial: Used to connect certain types of mouse, modem and printers.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Used to connect around 127 devices including printers,
scanners, flash drives and digital cameras. There are USB-1 and USB-2 (this one is
faster).

Firewire/IEEE 1394: used to transfer video images from digital devices.

VII.8 Expansion Slots

Expansion slots are sockets found on the motherboard and are used to insert
additional circuit boards (cards). They can be used for adding more memory,
graphics facilities and other special devices. There are three types of expansion slots:

1) Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) - used to attach sound cards, network

cards and video cards.

2) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) - mainly used for graphics cards

3) Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) - used for attaching modems and not
commonly seen on most modern computers

VII.8 Defragmenting files

Files that are broken or it takes long to read them will mean that the computer will
have to defragment them first. This will slow down the performance of the
computer.

VIII. HOW TO CHECK THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE

COMPUTER
• The easiest way is to go to <Start> then to <Programs> then to <accessories>
then go to <system Tools> and then click on <System Information> There you
can find all the information about your computer

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• Go to Start Menu—>Right Click on ‘My Computer’—>Select ’Properties’ to

launch System Properties.
• you want to find out how much Graphics Card memory your computer has, open
Control Panel > Display > Screen Resolution. Click on Advanced Setting. Under the
Adapter tab, you will find the Total Available Graphics Memory as well as
the Dedicated Video memory. You can also type dxdiag in Run box and press Enter
to open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool box.

All details about your computer including your System OS Version, RAM details,
Processor info and all other important details that you should know are grouped
together under ‘General’ tab.

‘Computer Name’ tab let’s you manage the name of your computer as seen by the
other network.

‘Hardware’ tab let’s you see Drivers info and Device manager etc…

‘Remote’ tab let’s you manage the Remote Desktop Connection settings

EXERCISE

1. Abdul has a 2.5GHz PowerPC and Sarah has a 2.7 GHz CompaqPC. Sarah says her
computer is faster than Abdul’s because it has a higher clock rate.

a) Do you think this is true?

b) Describe a test that could be done to see if she is correct.

2. a) Give 2 reasons why adding more main memory can improve system performance

b) Give 2 reasons why adding more cache memory can improve system performance

3. a) Explain what effect increasing the width of the address bus will have on system
performance

b) Explain what effect increasing the width of the data bus will have on system
performance

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4. How many gigabytes of memory would a 40 bit address bus be able to address if the
data bus length was :

a) 8 bits

b) 16 bits?

3. a) What is meant by the CLOCK Rate of a processor?

b) What unit is used to measure clock rate?

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