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Csc134 Computer & Information Processing Chapter 2: The System Unit

The system unit, also known as the computer case, contains most of the main electronic components of a computer system. This includes the microprocessor, memory, expansion slots, ports, power supply, and bus lines that allow components to communicate. The microprocessor, located on the system board, acts as the central processing unit and contains the control unit and arithmetic logic unit. Memory chips like RAM, ROM, and flash memory are also on the system board and store active programs and data. Expansion slots allow additional capabilities to be added via cards like graphics cards. Ports and cables connect external devices to the system unit. The power supply converts AC to DC power required by the computer's components.

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244 views29 pages

Csc134 Computer & Information Processing Chapter 2: The System Unit

The system unit, also known as the computer case, contains most of the main electronic components of a computer system. This includes the microprocessor, memory, expansion slots, ports, power supply, and bus lines that allow components to communicate. The microprocessor, located on the system board, acts as the central processing unit and contains the control unit and arithmetic logic unit. Memory chips like RAM, ROM, and flash memory are also on the system board and store active programs and data. Expansion slots allow additional capabilities to be added via cards like graphics cards. Ports and cables connect external devices to the system unit. The power supply converts AC to DC power required by the computer's components.

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CSC134 COMPUTER &

INFORMATION PROCESSING
CHAPTER 2: THE SYSTEM
UNIT
Ms Fatin Shaj Ahmad Jamal
Subject Outlines
Week Lecture Activity
1 Introduction
2 Introduction cont’
3 The System Unit Assignment 1
4 Input and Output
5 Secondary Storage
6 System Software Assignment 2
7 Application Software
8 Test 1
9 Internet and Web
10 Communications and Networking
11 Privacy, security, Ethics and Ergonomic Assignment 3
12 Exercises
13 Test 2
14 Revision
Chapter Outline
• Electronic Data and Instructions
• System board
• Microprocessor
• Memory
• System Clock
• Expansion Slot and Cards
• Bus Lines
• Ports and Cables
• Power supply
System Unit
• Also known as system chassis
• A container that houses most of the electronic components that
make up a computer system.
Electronic Data and Instructions

• There are two signals, analog and digital signals.


• Analog signals are continuous and vary in strength and
quality.
• Digital signals are in one of two states: on or off
• Computer can only recognise only digital electronic signals.
Numeric Representation

• Decimal system: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9.
• Binary system: 0 and 1 called a bit.
• Hexadecimal system: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
• Eight bits are called a byte
Character Encoding

• Character encoding standards assign a unique


sequence of bits to each character.
• ASCII
• EBCDIC
• Unicode
Data Representation
• ASCII (American Standard Code
for information Interchange) is
the most widely used coding
scheme to represent data.
• Only uses 7 bits to represent
each characters with total of
128 characters.
Data Representation

• EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange


Code) represent character for mainframe computers.
• Unicode uses 16 bits and is widely used character
encoding standard in every computer system.
• Unicode allows non-English characters and special
characters to be represented.
System Board
• System board is also known as the mainboard or mother
board.
• It controls communications for the entire computer
system.
• All components and devices connect to the system board.
• It acts as a data path and traffic monitor to allow various
components to communicate efficiently with one another.
System Board Components
• Sockets – connection point for chips
• Chips – known as semiconductor or integrated circuit mounted
on chip carriers with tiny circuit boards etched onto squares of
silicon.
• Slots – Provide expansion capabilities for the computer, and
connection point for specialised cards or circuit board.
• Bus lines – provide pathways to support communication
among electronic components.
System Board Components
Microprocessor
• The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or processor is contained
on a single chip called the microprocessor.
• It has two basic components:
• Control Unit: Tells the computer system how to carry
out a program’s instruction
• Arithmetic-logic unit (ALU): Performs arithmetic and
logical operations.
Microprocessor Chips
■ Chip capacities are expressed in word size
– Word is the number of bits that can be processed at one
time: 16, 32 or 64
■ Clock Speed
– Processing speed or the number of times the CPU fetches
and processes data or instructions in a second
Multicore Chips
– Multicore Processors
■ Two or more separate and independent CPUs within a system unit
– Quad-core supports 4 core processes
– Parallel Processing
■ Computer’s ability to divided tasks into parts that can be distributed across each core
■ Windows 8 and Mac OS X support parallel processing
Specialty Processors
■ Coprocessors
– Designed to improve specific computing operations
– Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) / Graphics coprocessors
– Designed to handle a variety of specialized tasks
■ 3D images
■ Encrypting data
■ Standard features in gaming computers
Memory
■ Holding area for data, instructions, and information
■ Contained on chips connected to the system board
■ Three well-known types of memory chips:
– RAM
■ Random Access Memory
– ROM
■ Read Only Memory
– Flash Memory
RAM
■ Random Access Memory (RAM) chips
hold programs and data that the CPU
is presently processing
– Volatile or temporary – contents are lost
when computer is powered off
■ Cache memory – temporary, high-
speed holding area between the
memory and CPU
– Additional RAM can be added using an
expansion module called a DIMM (Dual in-
line memory module)
RAM continued

■ Virtual Memory
– Dividing a program between memory and storage enabling the system to run
very large programs
■ Memory is expressed in bytes
ROM
■ Read-only memory (ROM)
– Information stored by the manufacturer
– Non-volatile and cannot be changed
■ CPU can read, or retrieve data and programs in ROM but the computer cannot
change ROM
■ Contain special instructions
– Start the computer
– Access memory
– Handle keyboard input
Flash Memory
■ Flash memory combines of the features of:
– RAM, it can be updated
– ROM, it is non-volatile
– Contains startup information
■ BIOS (basic input/output system)
■ Amount of RAM
■ Type of keyboard, mouse, and secondary storage devices connected

Many ROM chips are being replaced by flash memory


Expansion Slots and Cards
Expands your system’s capabilities
■ Graphics cards for high quality 3D
graphics
■ Network interface cards (NIC)
connect devices to networks via
cables
■ Wireless network cards connect
devices to networks without
cables
■ SD cards
– Expansion cards for mobile devices
Bus Lines / Bus
Connect parts of the CPU to each other and various other components on the system
board
■ Pathway for bits representing data and instructions
■ Bus width
– Number of bits that can travel simultaneously down a bus
■ Architecture and design are tied to the speed and power for the computer
■ Two basic categories of buses
– System bus – connects CPU to memory
– Expansion bus – connects CPU to other components
Expansion Buses
Principle types:
■ Universal Serial Bus (USB)
– Connects external USB devices onto the USB bus
■ FireWire
– Primarily used to connect audio and video equipment to the system board
■ PCI Express (PCIe)
– Single dedicated path for each connected device
Ports
Socket for connecting external devices to the
system unit
■ Ports connect directly
– To the system board
– To cards inserted into slots on the system
board
■ Two Types
– Standard Ports
– Specialized Ports
Standard Ports
■ USB
– Keyboards, mice, printers,
storage devices
■ Ethernet
– High speed networking
■ HDMI – High Definition Multimedia Interface
– High definition video and audio
■ Thunderbolt
– Provides high-speed connections
– Can connect up to 7 separate devices through 1 port
Specialized Ports
■ External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (eSATA)
– High-speed connection for external secondary storage
■ Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
– Connect musical instruments
■ Mini DisplayPort (MiniDP or mDP)
– Connection to large monitors
■ VGA & DVI
– Connections to analog and digital monitors
■ FireWire
– High-speed connections to FireWire devices
Cables
■ Used to connect external devices to the system unit via the ports
■ One end of the cable is attached to the device and the other end has a connector
that is attached to a matching connector on the port
Power Supply
■ Computers require direct current (DC)
power converting alternating current (AC)
from wall outlets or batteries
– Desktop computers have a power supply unit
in the system unit
– Laptops use AC adapters in the system unit
– Tablets and mobile devices use internal AC
adapters
– Smartphones can use wireless charging
platforms

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