The computer memory and processor are the two main parts that play a major role in overall system performance. Therefore, understanding their capabilities is vital.
processor and memory parts are introduced. the computer's performance based on these two factors is discussed below as well.
Computer Parts
Basically, the computer has three (3) major components which are the processor, memory, and input/output. Each party has specific functions to facilitate the operation of the computer, but they depend on each other to provide a flow of reliable information throughout the system. Most internal computer parts are housed within the CPU. The central processing unit (case) contains the essential elements of a computer. There are two types of cases:
- The screen housing is placed on a desk in a horizontal orientation.
- Towers are available in three sizes (mini-tower, mid-tower, and full tower) and are vertically oriented.
Motherboard (MBO) is the basic circuit of the computer, to which all computer components are connected, directly or indirectly. The devices are connected to the motherboard through a system bus. bus system connects all the devices, assures the data flow and communication between the different devices using predefined protocols. The protocol describes a method of communication between the devices is set. It allows them to approach each other and defines how they should look at each other on each system bus or network. Buses can, depending on the purpose, be divided into:
- Serial to USB, Firewire, etc.
- Parallel-AGP, PCI, etc.
- Mixed HyperTransport, InfiniBand, PCI, etc.
Other parts include the sound card, graphics card, and modem. A sound card is a device used for sound design and manufacturing through computer speakers. the graphics card is responsible for image processing and displays on a screen. It has its own graphics processor and memory. The image quality depends on the strength of these components. A modem allows computers to communicate over telephone lines. They connect computers to the Internet. Connectors or ports are visible cracks in the back and the front side of a computer. Firewire is used to connect computers and audio-video devices (digital cameras, etc.).
Central Processing Unit
The largest part of the computer is the central processing unit (CPU) or processor core. The CPU is designated as the brain of the computer. It is the chip that runs all the computer processing functions. Inside this little chip, there are millions of transistors that are connected so they can perform mathematical calculations. Everything that makes a computer is basically a mathematical calculation.
The central processing unit (CPU) is a central part of a computer that manages all the other parts of the computer, controls mutual communication, and performs arithmetic-logical operations. The processor speed is measured in Hertz (or megahertz or gigahertz). Most of the famous manufacturers of personal computer processors are Intel and AMD.
CPU Speed
A processor speed is measured in megahertz (MHz), or gigahertz (GHz). The higher the rate MHz CPU, the faster it processes information and instructions. Processor speed depends on the word length, bus width, clock speed, CISC, and RISC. Word length is the number of bits that can be processed at once while Bus Width is the number of bits that can be moved simultaneously. The central unit is also designated as the computer chip or microprocessor. The central processing comprises electronic circuits that interpret and execute program instructions and communicate with the input, output, and storage devices. The CPU turns data into information. The data are the raw facts to be processed by a computer. Basically, the CPU consists of three components which are the control unit (CU), arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and registers.
Control unit
The control unit directs and coordinates the activities of all the computers (electronic data operations of the processing system). It coordinates the various parts of the computer system. It also translates program instructions into machine operations performed by ALU. Interpret all information stored in the command sequence and deliver all the elements to Computers. It controls all the input and output devices, the data transfer between the CPU and the storage, and routing of the control information between the main memory (RAM) and ALU.
Arithmetic and logical unit
The arithmetic and logic unit performs arithmetic and logic operations. Arithmetic operations include addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), modulus (%), etc. Logical operations include AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR, etc. Computer processing begins with the data and the program. ALU performs the actual arithmetic calculations using the binary system. It also performs logical operations and comparisons. It contains circuits that circulate, defines algebraic signs, and produces results and it also provides comparative abilities.
Records
Registers are high-speed storage devices within the CPU. They store the data and addresses used to extract instructions in RAM. Some of the common registers include the Program Counter (PC) which stores addresses and the Instruction Register (IR) which stores data or instructions read from RAM.
Computer Memory
The main characteristics of memory are location, capacity, transfer unit, access method, performance, physical type, physical characteristics, and organization. Memory provides temporary and permanent storage for programs and data.
Internal memory (primary)
The internal memory of the computer consists of random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The internal memory that stores the instructions for operating the computer is called constant memory or ROM. Constant memory cannot be changed by the user. ROM is non-volatile; that is, its contents do not disappear when the power is cut off. ROM can only be read.
The ROM contains programs built into the computer by the manufacturer. ROM stores special-purpose programs and data or instructions that the computer needs all the time. ROM is a type of permanent internal memory that is used only for reading. A basic input/output system (BIOS) is a program that sits in a separate ROM on the motherboard and defines, as the name suggests, a basic input/output system, which is a good example. Please note that not all BIOS programs are stored in ROM.
On the other hand, when you enter information into the computer for processing, you are working with temporary memory called RAM. RAM requires constant power to maintain it. In the event of a power failure, the contents of RAM will be lost, so RAM is volatile memory. RAM is working memory in which analyzed data and programs are stored while a computer is running. It can read and write data and is deleted/erased when the computer turns off.
The cache is a small capacity memory that allows fast access to data. By storing the data of the working memory in the cache, the communication speed between the processor and the RAM is increased. Microprocessors use three levels of fast cache, L1, L2, and L3, which are used to store frequently used data.
The smallest piece of data that can be recognized and used by a computer is a BIT, a Binary number. A bit is a single binary value, either a 1 or a 0 (one or zero). A grouping of eight bits is called a byte. A byte is a basic unit for measuring memory size. The amount of RAM is measured by counting the bytes of potential information.
- 1 KB (kilobyte) - 1024 B (approximately 1000 B)
- 1MB (megabyte) - 1024KB (approximately 1000KB)
- 1 GB (gigabyte) - 1024 MB (approximately 1000 MB)
- 1 TB (terabyte) - 1024 GB (approximately 1000 GB)
Bit: is the smallest amount of information. It is a binary number that can be 0 or 1. A bit is simply an on or off the signal that passes through the circuitry of the computer. Each software can be broken down into a series of activation or deactivation signals or its binary code.
Everything in computers must be divisible by 8, so a kilobyte is equal to 1,024 bytes.
External memory (secondary)
One of the reasons for storing information outside the computer is to back up data in case the system gets corrupted. We need to store programs and data on external memory in a permanent form, outside the computer for future use. External memory is sometimes referred to as secondary storage. Secondary storage is the long-term storage of programs and data outside of the CPU and RAM. Secondary memory devices include hard drives, CDs, DVDs, flash drives, magnetic tapes, etc.
The hard disk drive (HDD) is a place for permanent data storage, i.e. it does not get erased when the computer turns off). Its characteristics are: high capacity, faster performance compared to optical devices but slower compared to RAM, and are used for permanent data storage. The floppy disk drive is used to store and read data stored on a floppy disk. The capacity of the floppy disk is 1.44 MB.
The CD-ROM drive is used to read compact discs (CDs). CD is an optical disc used for data storage. The standard capacity of a CD is 700MB. CD-R is used to read and write data once, while CD-RW is used to read and write data multiple times. The DVD player is used to play DVD discs. The capacity of the DVD disc ranges from 4.7 to 18 GB. DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) is an optical disc which, due to its larger capacity (approximately 4.7 GB), is mainly used for video storage. Blu-ray Disc (BD) - the successor to DVD, is optical disc storage, it comes in different capacities, depending on the number of layers it has and the capacity of each layer. Currently, the capacity of a layer is between 27 GB and 33 GB, while the overall capacity is the product of the number of layers and the capacity of each layer. A memory card is a type of flash memory used to store data in digital cameras, cell phones, MP3 players, etc.
The USB flash drive is a data storage device. It has small dimensions, relatively high capacity, reliability, and speed. It belongs to the type of flash memory that stores data even when it is not powered on i.e. does not need a power supply to maintain data integrity. There is a difference between an internal hard drive, which is built into the computer case, and an external hard drive, which is connected to a computer using a suitable cable or USB port and is typically used to transfer data from one computer to another or for backup.
System bus
A system bus is an electrical path (wire) that connects different parts of the computer and is responsible for transmitting signals. The most common system buses include the address bus, the data bus, the status bus, and the control bus. The address bus is used to send the address from which to retrieve memory data. A data bus is used to exchange data between memory, processor, and peripherals. A state bus is used to exchange information about the state of the data and the system. A control bus is used to exchange control information between the processor and peripherals.
Computer Performance
Several factors influence the performance of the computer. For example, some factors affecting the performance of the computer include the processor clock speed, the amount of cache and number of cores, the amount of RAM installed, the graphics card - its memory and processor, the data bus. clock and the number of running applications.
All computer applications use computer resources. The processor runs the applications, so the processors receive the most workload when it comes to running the application. In addition, for the processors to run the application, the application code must be loaded into system memory. As a result, running applications take up a certain amount of working memory. The more applications that are running, the greater the load on the processor and RAM. This is why the performance of the computer depends on both the processor (clock speed, number of cores, cache memory) and the amount of working memory, as well as the number of running applications. . Processor speed is measured in hertz (Hz).
In addition to frequency, processor performance depends on the number of operations that the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) performs in a clock cycle. For example, a global clock signal to synchronize all activities (for example, 2 GHz, which means that at most 2000 million instructions can be executed per second). The performance mismatch between processor and RAM can be reduced by expanding system buses, increasing RAM capacity, and introducing cache memory.