Hardware and software
Term Definition/Description
Modular Design Modular Design, which means that the computer you buy can
be put together in pieces with your requirements in mind,
instead of consisting of a single unit in which all the hardware is
fixed.
Modular Design Repairs - in modern computers it is easy to remove only the
has the broken part and replace it.
following Upgrades – Modular Design simplifies the upgrading of the
advantages computer with better hardware for specific user preferences.
Flexibility – Modular design allows for a variety of components
to be added to the motherboard depending on the user's
needs. The CPU, amount of RAM, secondary storage and
graphics card all contribute to the type of computer the user
can choose.
Parts of CPU control unit (CU)
arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
registers.
cache.
buses.
clock.
ALU The ALU performs simple addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division, and logic operations, such as OR and AND.
CU The control unit controls and monitors communications
between the hardware attached to the computer. It controls the
input and output of data, checks that signals have been
delivered successfully, and makes sure that data goes to the
correct place at the correct time.
Registers Registers are a type of computer memory used to quickly
accept, store, and transfer data and instructions that are being
used immediately by the CPU.
6 ways to Hyperthreading
improve Multiprocessing
processor Processor Cache
speed Register Size
Bus Size
Overclocking/ Clock Multiplication
Hyperthreading Hyperthreading (HT) technology uses two sets of registers on
the CPU to simulate a second CPU allowing for fast context
switching between processes.
Multiprocessin A CPU that has more than one processor.
g
Processor The speed of the processor is much faster that the speed of
Cache RAM. Meaning that the processor can process instructions at
more than double the speed of RAM. Cache memory stores
blocks of program instructions and data that have been pre-
fetched from RAM in the hope that these instructions or data
will be needed next by the CPU.
, L1 cache usually has the same speed as the CPU's internal
speed; Level 2 cache is slightly further away from the internal
CPU circuits and is slightly larger than L1 cache, and usually
has slower access. L3 is on or near the CPU and has slower
access than L1 and L2.
Register Size The register size indicates how much information the processor
can operate on at one time and how it moves data around
internally within the chip. The purpose of the registers is to
store the current instruction and its data. Registers are made
from SRAM which is extremely fast but very expensive
Bus Size The more signals that can be sent at the same time along the
data bus, the more data can be transmitted in a specified unit
of time and, therefore, the faster and wider (more bits than can
be simultaneously transferred) the bus.
Overclocking/ Overclocking is the practice of making computer components
Clock run at speeds faster than designed by manipulating the
Multiplication frequencies at which the components are set to run.
Overclocking is done in two ways:
•per component: the CPU operates faster than the system
clock by changing its own clock multiplication factor; and
•the whole system–the system clock is increased affecting all
components that detect the system clock and multiply by a
factor.
Problems with 1. The biggest disadvantage of overclocking is the reduced
overclocking lifespan of hardware components.
2. Instability of the entire computer or device can also result
from the gradually diminishing hardware integrity due to heat
damage.
3. Without a proper cooling system, overclocking is one of
the causes of overheating.
4. The increased heat generated from the overclocked
hardware component can also damage other hardware
components within a system
5. Increasing clock rates can consume more power.
6. It may be incompatible with software configuration, and
some processes can produce software bugs
Integrated or Alternatively referred to as integrated, onboard is a term used
onboard to describe a hardware component embedded into a circuit
component board. Users cannot remove these components from their
computer. However, they can be disabled through software or
CMOS setup or are automatically disabled when an expansion
card is added to the computer.
Raspberry Pi A Raspberry Pi works on the basis that there are some
onboard controllers, but most of the peripherals must connect
externally using the USB ports.
co-processor A co-processor is an "assistant" to the CPU by taking over the
burden of some of the processing. The CPU and co-processor
process in parallel speeding up data processing. The most
common co-processors are graphics and maths.
Graphics If a computer does not have a GPU housed in a graphics card,
Term Definition/Description
Modular Design Modular Design, which means that the computer you buy can
be put together in pieces with your requirements in mind,
instead of consisting of a single unit in which all the hardware is
fixed.
Modular Design Repairs - in modern computers it is easy to remove only the
has the broken part and replace it.
following Upgrades – Modular Design simplifies the upgrading of the
advantages computer with better hardware for specific user preferences.
Flexibility – Modular design allows for a variety of components
to be added to the motherboard depending on the user's
needs. The CPU, amount of RAM, secondary storage and
graphics card all contribute to the type of computer the user
can choose.
Parts of CPU control unit (CU)
arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
registers.
cache.
buses.
clock.
ALU The ALU performs simple addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division, and logic operations, such as OR and AND.
CU The control unit controls and monitors communications
between the hardware attached to the computer. It controls the
input and output of data, checks that signals have been
delivered successfully, and makes sure that data goes to the
correct place at the correct time.
Registers Registers are a type of computer memory used to quickly
accept, store, and transfer data and instructions that are being
used immediately by the CPU.
6 ways to Hyperthreading
improve Multiprocessing
processor Processor Cache
speed Register Size
Bus Size
Overclocking/ Clock Multiplication
Hyperthreading Hyperthreading (HT) technology uses two sets of registers on
the CPU to simulate a second CPU allowing for fast context
switching between processes.
Multiprocessin A CPU that has more than one processor.
g
Processor The speed of the processor is much faster that the speed of
Cache RAM. Meaning that the processor can process instructions at
more than double the speed of RAM. Cache memory stores
blocks of program instructions and data that have been pre-
fetched from RAM in the hope that these instructions or data
will be needed next by the CPU.
, L1 cache usually has the same speed as the CPU's internal
speed; Level 2 cache is slightly further away from the internal
CPU circuits and is slightly larger than L1 cache, and usually
has slower access. L3 is on or near the CPU and has slower
access than L1 and L2.
Register Size The register size indicates how much information the processor
can operate on at one time and how it moves data around
internally within the chip. The purpose of the registers is to
store the current instruction and its data. Registers are made
from SRAM which is extremely fast but very expensive
Bus Size The more signals that can be sent at the same time along the
data bus, the more data can be transmitted in a specified unit
of time and, therefore, the faster and wider (more bits than can
be simultaneously transferred) the bus.
Overclocking/ Overclocking is the practice of making computer components
Clock run at speeds faster than designed by manipulating the
Multiplication frequencies at which the components are set to run.
Overclocking is done in two ways:
•per component: the CPU operates faster than the system
clock by changing its own clock multiplication factor; and
•the whole system–the system clock is increased affecting all
components that detect the system clock and multiply by a
factor.
Problems with 1. The biggest disadvantage of overclocking is the reduced
overclocking lifespan of hardware components.
2. Instability of the entire computer or device can also result
from the gradually diminishing hardware integrity due to heat
damage.
3. Without a proper cooling system, overclocking is one of
the causes of overheating.
4. The increased heat generated from the overclocked
hardware component can also damage other hardware
components within a system
5. Increasing clock rates can consume more power.
6. It may be incompatible with software configuration, and
some processes can produce software bugs
Integrated or Alternatively referred to as integrated, onboard is a term used
onboard to describe a hardware component embedded into a circuit
component board. Users cannot remove these components from their
computer. However, they can be disabled through software or
CMOS setup or are automatically disabled when an expansion
card is added to the computer.
Raspberry Pi A Raspberry Pi works on the basis that there are some
onboard controllers, but most of the peripherals must connect
externally using the USB ports.
co-processor A co-processor is an "assistant" to the CPU by taking over the
burden of some of the processing. The CPU and co-processor
process in parallel speeding up data processing. The most
common co-processors are graphics and maths.
Graphics If a computer does not have a GPU housed in a graphics card,
