Lec 3-4 Intro To Computers
Lec 3-4 Intro To Computers
Lecture 3-4 :
Introduction to Computer
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Computers
Brief History of Computers
Brief History of Chip
Types of Computers
Computer Hardware
Computer Software
Oldest Computers
Large scale
printout of
entire chip for
designer team
Photo masks
How a Computer Chip is Made!
• Manufacturing the chip
A dual
Square
and two
pin-grid
square
array
packag
package
es
What is a computer
• A computer is an used to process data, converting the data into useful
information that is useful to user.
• A computer can convert data into information that is meaningful to people
• What is the difference between data and information ?
• Data
• Raw facts stored in computer e.g. A banks computer accounts data
such as account number, amount etc..
• Information
• Processed data is called information or the data that serves specific
purpose
• Example: Number of accounts in a bank
• Example: Number of transactions on a specific day
• Components of a Computer
• A complete computer system includes four distinct parts
• Hardware
• Software
• Data
A Basic Computer
A Basic Computer
CPU
CPU
ROM
CPU
ROM RAM
Input CPU
Device ROM RAM
Secondary
Storage
Semi-permanent storage - device and medium
Main Components of a Computer
floppy
drive
cards
hard
drive
motherboard
Software
• Definition
• Software is a set of electronic instructions that tells
the computer how to do certain tasks.
• A set of instructions is often called a program
• Program Execution
• When a computer is using a particular program, it is
said to be running or executing the program
• Types of Software
• System software
• Application software
System Software
• Purpose
• System software exists primarily for the computer itself, to help
the computer perform specific functions.
– Operating System
• One major type of system software is the operating system
(OS). All computers require an operating system.
• The OS tells the computer how to interact with the user and its
own devices.
• Example
• A B C 1 2 3 000000001,00000010,00000011
Numbers above 9
use more than 1 digit
Data Representation
The CPU consists of one or more chips attached to the computer's main circuit
board (the motherboard).
Looking Inside the Machine - Memory
• Memory also consists of chips attached to
the motherboard.
Clock Data
Name Date Transistors Microns MIPS
speed width
16 bits
8088 1979 29,000 3 5 MHz 0.33
8-bit bus
32 bits
Pentium 1993 3,100,000 0.8 60 MHz
64-bit bus
100
Pentium 32 bits
1997 7,500,000 0.35 233 MHz ~300
II 64-bit bus
Pentium 32 bits
1999 9,500,000 0.25 450 MHz ~510
III 64-bit bus
Pentium 32 bits
2000 42,000,000 0.18 1.5 GHz ~1,700
4 64-bit bus
Pentium
4 32 bits
2004 125,000,000 0.09 3.6 GHz ~7,000
"Prescot 64-bit bus
t"
• Date
• The year that the processor was first introduced.
• Transistors
• The number of transistors on the chip.
• Microns
• The width, in microns, of the smallest wire on the chip. For
comparison, a human hair is 100 microns thick. As the feature size on
the chip goes down, the number of transistors rises.
• Clock speed
• The maximum rate that the chip can be clocked at.
• MIPS
• Stands for "millions of instructions per second" and is a rough
measure of the performance of a CPU.
– How Memory is Measured
• Bit:
The smallest unit of memory a binary 0 or 1
• Byte
The smallest usable unit of memory is called byte
the amount of memory required to hold one character, like the letter
A or the numeral 2
Computers work with larger chunks of data, measured in multiple bytes, as
shown below:
• Output devices
• return processed data back to the user or to another computer system.
• Examples
• The printer and monitor are examples.
• Communications
• devices (such as modems and network interface cards) perform both
input and output, allowing computers to share information.
Storage Devices
• Storage devices
• Hold data not currently being used by the CPU.
• Data is commonly stored on a magnetic or optical disk. Each type
uses a special medium for storing data on its surface.
• Disk Drive
• A disk drive is a device that reads data from and writes data to a
disk. Most new computers feature a floppy disk drive, a hard disk
drive, and an optical disk drive.
• External Storage
• Large organizations produces huge data that is stored on special
storage devices such as tape drives, these devices are not part of
the computer rather these are externally attached
• The most common optical storage devices are CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
drives.
MAGNETIC DISK STORAGE
Disk Cartridge
MAGNETIC DISK STORAGE
• Disk cartridges
• Large storage capacity (more than 1 gigabyte)
• Fast access times
• Portable
• e.g. Jaz disks
• There are other alternatives like Zip disks, Super disks
(around 100 megabyte)
CD-ROM AND OPTICAL DISKS
• CD-ROM (compact disk read-only
memory)
• 650 MB of information
• DVD-ROM (digital versatile disk)
• 4.7 to 7 gigabytes
• CD-RW (compact disk-recordable)
• Magneto-optical (MO)
• 230 MB, 650 MB, 1.3 GB of
information
• support read and write operation.
MAGNETIC TAPES
• Thin plastic ribbon
• Sequential storage
• Support read and write
operation
• In some way main frames are more powerful than super computers
as they support more simultaneous users and programs than super
computer but super computer can execute a single program more
faster
Main Frame Computer
Mini-computers
• Minicomputers are smaller than mainframes but
larger than microcomputers.