Introduction to Information and

Communication Technologies

Abdul Qadeer
Department of Information technology
GCUF Main Campus
The slides are adapted from the publisher’s material
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow (Ch2)
Overview
How the CPU, memory, and other components located
inside the system unit are arranged, as well as the
characteristics of the components

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Inside the System Unit
System unit: The main case of a
computer
 Houses the processing hardware for a computer
 Also contains storage devices, the power supply, and
cooling fans
 Houses the CPU, memory, interfaces to connect to
peripheral devices (printers, etc), and other components
such as CD/DVD drives
 With a desktop computer, usually looks like a rectangular
box

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Inside the System Unit

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The
Motherboard
Computer chip: A very small pieces of silicon or
other semi-conducting material onto which
integrated circuits are embedded
Circuit board: A thin board containing computer
chips and other electronic components
Motherboard or system board: The main circuit
board inside the system unit
 All devices must connect to the motherboard
 External devices (monitors, keyboards, mice, printers)
typically connect by plugging into a port exposed through the
exterior of the system unit
 Wireless devices connect through a transceiver or wireless
networking technology (like Bluetooth)

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The CPU
Central processing unit (CPU): circuitry and
components packaged together and connected
directly to the motherboard
 Does the vast majority of processing for a computer
 Also called a processor; called a microprocessor when talking
about personal computesr
Dual-core CPU: Contains the processing components
(cores) of two separate processors on a single CPU
Quad-core CPU: Contains 4 cores

Often made by Intel or AMD

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The CPU

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Processing Speed
CPU clock speed: One measurement of processing
speed
 Measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz)
 Higher CPU clock speed = more instructions processed per
second
Alternate measure of processing speed is the
number of instructions a CPU can process per
second
 Megaflops, gigaflops, teraflops
Other factors (CPU architecture, memory, bus
speed, amount of RAM, etc.) also affect the overall
processing speed of a computer

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The CPU

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Word Size and Cache Memory
Word size: The amount of data that a CPU can
manipulate at one time
 Typically 32 or 64 bits
Cache memory: Special group of very fast
memory chips located on or close to the CPU
 Level 1 is fastest, then Level 2, then Level 3
 More cache memory typically means faster processing
 Usually internal cache (built into the CPU)

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Memory
Memory refers to chip based storage
 Primary memory
 Secondary memory
 RAM (random access memory): Computer’s
main memory
 Consists of chips arrange on a circuit board called a
memory module plugged into the motherboard
 Stores essential parts of operating system, programs,
and data the computer is currently using
 Volatile: Contents of RAM is lost when the computer is
shut off
 Most personal computers use SD-RAM

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Memory

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Memory
Registers: High-speed memory built into the CPU;
used by the CPU
ROM (read-only memory): Non-volatile chips
located on the motherboard into which data or
programs have been permanently stored
 Retrieved by the computer when needed
Flash memory: Type of nonvolatile memory that
can be erased and reprogrammed
 Some flash memory chips are used by the computer
 Flash memory chips are also used in flash memory storage
media

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Memory (Volatile vs Non-
volatile)
Non-volatile memory is
Volatile memory is the
the type of memory in
type of memory in which
which data remains
data is lost as it is
stored even if it is
powered-off.
powered-off.

Contents of Volatile Contents of Non-volatile

memory are stored memory are stored
temporarily. permanently.

It is faster than non- It is slower than volatile

volatile memory. memory.

RAM(Random Access ROM(Read Only

Memory) is an example Memory) is an example
of volatile memory. of non-volatile memory.

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Expansion Slots, Expansion Cards, and
ExpressCards
Expansion slot: A location on the
motherboard into which expansion cards
are inserted
Expansion card: A circuit board used to
add additional functionality or to attach a
peripheral device
ExpressCard modules:
Designed for notebook
computer expansion

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Bus Width, Bus Speed, and
Bandwidth
Bus: An electronic path over
which data can travel
Bus width: The number of
wires in the bus over which
data can travel
Bus width and speed
determine the throughput (or
bandwidth) of the bus
 The amount of data that can be
transferred by the bus in a given
time period

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Buses
Bus: An electronic path within a computer
over which data travels
 Expansion bus: Connects the CPU to peripheral
(typically input and output) devices
 Memory bus: connects CPU directly to RAM
 Frontside bus: connects CPU to I/O bridge
 FireWire/IEEE 1394 bus (a serial bus for high-speed
communications)

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Ports and Connectors
Port: A connector on the exterior of a computer’s
system unit to which a device may be attached

– Monitor (VGA, – SCSI

DVI, HDMI) – MIDI
– Network – Flash memory card
– Modem slots
– USB – Game
– FireWire – Audio
– Keyboard – eSATA

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Ports and Connectors

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Ports and Connectors
Notebook and netbook computers have
ports similar to desktop computers, but
often not as many
UMPCs and mobile devices typically have
less ports
 An SD slot is common for both memory cards
and to connect peripheral devices

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Quick Quiz
1. Which type of memory is erased when
the power goes out?
a. ROM
b. RAM
c. flash memory
2. True or False: The CPU can also be called
the motherboard.
3. A(n) electronic path within a computer
over which data travels is called a(n)
_____________.

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