IGCSE

Cambridge ICT
0417

Types and Components of Computer Systems

By: Mr. Salaheldin Edam

Diversity International School

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1.2 The main components of computer systems
CPU (Central Processing Unit)

 The CPU is the 'brain' of the computer.

 It is where all the searching, sorting,

calculating and decision making takes place.

 The speed of the CPU is measured in Gigahertz

(GHz).

 A 1 GHz CPU can carry out 1 billion

instructions per second!

 Intel and AMD are the most popular CPU

brands.

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 The central processing unit (CPU)
 The CPU is responsible for executing (running)

the program instructions, processing data and

controlling other computer components.

 It consists of the following components:

 The control unit (CU),

 The arithmetic and logic unit (ALU)

 The clock and the registers.

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 The control unit
 The CU coordinates the actions of the computer and manages

the various components of the computer.

 It controls the execution of program instructions and the

processing of data by sending out control signals to the other

parts of the CPU such as the ALU and registers.

 It also sends control signals to other components of the

computer system such as the input and output devices to tell

them what to do.

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 Arithmetic and logic unit
The ALU performs arithmetic and logical
operations. It carries out activities such as:
Addition and subtraction
Multiplication and division
Comparisons, such as whether one number is
greater than another.

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 The clock
The clock controls the rate at which the CPU
works.
The clock sends out a pulse to the control unit
which can process one instruction for each pulse.
The number of pulses per second is known as the
clock speed.

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 Registers
Registers: memory storage locations within the
CPU
They store instructions and data that is currently
being used by the control unit

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1.2 The main components of computer systems
CPU Fan ####

 When the CPU is running powerful

programs doing billions of
calculations a second it can get very
hot.

 It therefor needs a fan to help it cool

down

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 Internal memory
The internal memory consists of
Random-access memory (RAM) and
Read-only memory (ROM)

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1.2 The main components of computer systems
Main Memory (primary storage)

 Also known as Internal Memory,

Main Memory, primary memory
and primary storage

 Main memory is a storage

location that holds memory
while the computer is running

 It’s the fastest memory in your

computer and is used to store
data while its being used

 RAM is an example of primary

storage
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1.2 The main components of computer systems
Main Memory (primary storage)

When a program is
running the CPU uses
RAM memory to run
the program

Programs are installed

on the computers hard
drive (secondary
storage)

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1.2 The main components of computer systems
RAM (Random Access Memory)

 RAM stands for Random Access

Memory

 RAM is the part of the computer

that temporarily stores the
instructions that the computer is
running, and the data it is
processing.

 RAM is volatile which means that

when the computer is turned off all
data is lost

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1.2 The main components of computer systems
ROM (Read Only Memory)

 ROM stands for Read Only Memory

 ROM is a built in memory that can

not be changed (it can only be read
from)

 ROM normally holds the ‘boot up’

program to a computer – without it
the computer wouldn’t know what to
do when on button is switched on

 ROM is non-volatile memory which

means that memory is not lost when
computer is turned off.
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 Cont. …
The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is
stored on ROM and it is used when a computer
is turned on.
It checks the hardware devices to ensure there
are no errors and loads basic software to
communicate with them.

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1.2 The main components of computer systems
Backing Storage

Backing storage is also known as secondary

storage

Backing Storage is normally used to

describe other storage devices aside from
Main Memory (RAM or ROM)

Backing storage is non-volatile which means

that data is not lost when computer is
turned off.

Backing storage is used to store data for a

long time (data can be read from and
written to)
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 Cont. …
 People often confuse internal memory and
backing storage as their capacity is measured in the
same units of memory such as gigabytes (GB) or
terabytes (TB).
 Backing storage is not ‘memory’ as it is not accessed
directly by the CPU.
 Data from backing storage must be moved to the
internal memory so that it can be accessed
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Types and Components of Computer Systems
Peripheral Devices

Technically, a computer need only be made up of a CPU and some

RAM. But a computer like this would not be much use to anybody –
other devices need to be connected to allow data to be passed in and
out of the computer.

The general name for these extra devices is ‘peripheral devices’. They
are usually categorised into input devices, output devices and storage
devices.

Input Output Storage

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Types and Components of Computer Systems
Input Device

• An input device is a device that can

pass date into the computer

• They all take information from the

outside world (key presses, hand
movements, images), convert them
into data and then send this data into
the computer for processing.

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Types and Components of Computer Systems
Output Devices

• Devices that take data from the

computer are known as output
devices.

• They all take information from the

computer and convert it into real world
things (images, paper hardcopy,
sound).

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1.3 Operating systems
Operating Systems

An operating system is a special piece of software that manages

the general operation of a computer system:
Task Explanation
Provides User Helps the user interact with the computer through
Interface Windows, Icons, menus and pointers
Manages
Starting and stopping applications when user requests
Applications

Manages Files Helping save, organise, find and delete files

Manages
computer Decided what should be loaded and deleted from memory
memory

Computer
Prevents unauthorised access to a system
security
Manages
Manages input and out devices such as printers
peripherals
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 Cont. …
The operating system has programs, called
managers, that:
Manage all of the hardware devices
Control all of the processes running in the
computer, e.g. when several programs are running,
it allows each one in turn to use the CPU
Manage the internal memory
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 Cont. …

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 User interfaces
 Users interact with the operating system through a user

interface that converts what a user inputs to a form that the

computer can understand and vice versa.
 But there are different ways to interact with a computer

system. The four main types are:

 command line interface (CLI)

 graphical user interface (GUI)

 dialogue-based interface
 gesture-based interface
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 Thank You for Listening

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