CIS 2010 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Complex Instruction Set Computing, Reduced Instruction Set Computing, Hertz
27 Nov 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Module 01A: Building Blocks of Digital Innovation
❖ Computer Hardware Basics
➢ Two basic categories of information technology
▪ Hardware – Consists of the physical device associated with a computer system
• Example: Keyboard and a monitor
▪ Software – The set of instructions the hardware executes to carry out specific task
• Example: Microsoft Excel
❖ Computer
➢ Computer – An electronic device operating under the control of instructions stored in its
own memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data
➢ Computer consisted six hardware components
▪ Central processing unit (CPU)/ Microprocessor
• Actual hardware that interprets and executes the program (software)
instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together
• Consist of 2 parts
Control Unit – Interprets software instructions and literally tells the other
hardware devices what to do, based on the software instructions
➢ Obtains instructions from the software
Arithmetic-Logic Unit (ALU) – Performs all arithmetic operations (for
example, addition and subtraction) and all logic operations (sorting and
comparing numbers)
➢ Responds to the control unit
• The number of CPU cycles per second determines how fast a CPU carries out the
software instruction
More cycles per second mean faster processing, which it cost more than their
slower counterparts
The speed are in
➢ Megahertz (MHz) – Number of millions of CPU cycles per second
➢ Gigahertz (GHz) – Number of billions of CPU cycles per second
• Most CPUs are complex instruction set computer (CISC) chips – Recognize as
many as 100 are more instructions, enough to carry out most computations
directly
• Reduced instruction set computer (RISC) chips – Limit the number of instruction
the CPU can execute to increase processing speed
▪ Primary Storage
• Primary Storage – Computer’s main memory, which consists of the random
access memory (RAM), cache memory, and read-only memory (ROM) that is
directly accessible to the CPU
• Random Access Memory
Computer’s primary working memory, in which program instructions and
data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU via the
processor’s high-speed external data bus
Does not retain its content when the power is off, reason why save your
work
Volatility – Ram’s complete loss of stored info if power is interrupted
• Cache Memory – A small unit of ultra-fast memory that is used to store recently
accessed or frequently accessed data so that CPU doesn’t have to retrieve this
data from slower memory circuits such as RAM
• Read- Only Memory (ROM) – The portion of a computer’s primary storage that
does not lose its contents when switches off power
• Flash memory - A special type of rewritable read-only memory (ROM) that is
compact and portable
• Memory card - Contain high-capacity storage that holds data such as
captured images, music, or text files.
• Memory sticks – Provide nonvolatile memory for a range of portable devices
including computers, digital cameras, MP3 players, and PDAs.
▪ Secondary Storage
• Secondary storage – Consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of
data for long-term storage.
• Megabyte (MB or M or Meg) is roughly 1 million bytes
• Gigabyte (GB) is roughly 1 billion bytes
• Terabyte (TB) is roughly 1 trillion bytes
• Magnetic Medium – A secondary storage medium that uses magnetic techniques
to store and retrieve data on disks or tapes coated with magnetically sensitive
materials.
• Magnetic tape is an older secondary storage medium that uses a strip of thin
plastic coated with a magnetically sensitive recording medium.
• Hard drive is a secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated
with a magnetically sensitive material and housed together with the recording
heads in a hermetically sealed mechanism.
▪ Input Device
• Input device - equipment used to capture information and commands.
• Examples: A keyboard is used to type in information, and a mouse is used
to point and click on buttons and icons
• Manual input devie
Joystick
Keyboard
Microphone
Mouse
Pointing stick
Touch screen
Touch pad
▪ Output Devices
• Output device - equipment used to see, hear, or otherwise accept the results of
information processing requests
Document Summary
Computer an electronic device operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data. Computer consisted six hardware components: central processing unit (cpu)/ microprocessor, actual hardware that interprets and executes the program (software) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together, consist of 2 parts. Control unit interprets software instructions and literally tells the other hardware devices what to do, based on the software instructions. Arithmetic-logic unit (alu) performs all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and subtraction) and all logic operations (sorting and comparing numbers) Responds to the control unit: the number of cpu cycles per second determines how fast a cpu carries out the software instruction. More cycles per second mean faster processing, which it cost more than their slower counterparts. Megahertz (mhz) number of millions of cpu cycles per second.
