Introduction to Computing (CSCI 104)

Chapter 5
Computing Components

Dr. Ali Alnoman

Fall 2024
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Chapter Goals
• Understand the computer jargon
• Describe the von Neumann architecture
• Understand the fetch-decode-execute cycle
• Describe how computer memory is organized and accessed
• Name and describe different auxiliary storage devices
• Define different parallel computing configurations
• Explain the concept of embedded systems
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Computer Components
• Consider the following PC specs:

• Intel® Core 2 Duo (2.66GHz/1066Mhz • 85 WHr Lithium Ion Battery

FSB/6MB cache) • (2) USB 2.0, HDMI, 15-pin VGA, Ethernet
• 15.6” High Definition (1080p) LED 10/100/1000, IEEE 1394 Firewire, Express
Backlit LCD Display (1366 x 768) Card, Audio line-in, line-out, mic-in
• 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon Graphics • 14.8W X 1.2H X 10.1D, 5.6 lbs
• Built-in 2.0MP Web Camera • Microsoft0® Windows 7® Professional
• 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at • Microsoft® Office Home and Student
800MHz 2007
• 500GB SATA Hard Drive at 5400RPM • 36-Month subscription to McAfee
• 8X Slot Load DL DVD+/- RW Drive Security Center Anti-virus
• 802.11 a/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0
DDR: (Double Data Rate)
FSB: Front Side Bus
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Von Neumann Architecture

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Memory
A collection of cells, each with
a unique physical address; both
memory addresses and
memory contents are written
in binary format
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Arithmetic and Logic Unit

• Performs the basic arithmetic operations such as addition and
subtraction
• Performs logical operations such as AND, OR, and NOT
• To perform arithmetic and logic operations, CPUs have small special
storage units called registers
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Input/Output Devices
Input Device
A device by which information from the outside world are entered into the
computer
Examples: Mouse, Keyboard, Scanner, Microphone, etc.
Output Device
A device by which results that are stored in the computer memory are
made available to the outside world
Examples: Speaker, Display, Printer, etc.
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Control Unit
Control unit
The organizing force in the computer. It controls the actions of the
different computer components to execute instructions in the right
sequence
Instruction register (IR)
The register that contains the instruction being executed
Program counter (PC)
The register that contains the address of the next instruction to be
executed
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Flow of Information

Bus: a set of wires that connect all major components

Data flow in the Von Neumann architecture

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The Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle

Fetch the next instruction with the help of the PC register
Decode the instruction to determine how to process this instruction
Get data if needed (from memory)
Execute the instruction

The Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle is repeated continuously

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The Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle

The Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle

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Central Processing Unit (CPU)

• Also named “Processor” or “Microprocessor”

• CPU is the brain of the computer
• It performs processing and calculations of data
• Popular CPU manufacturers are Intel and AMD
• It tells how fast the computer will run. Its speed is measured in GHz
(cycles per second)
• For example, assuming the same CPU type, a 3 GHz CPU is usually
faster than 1 GHz CPU
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Central Processing Unit (CPU)

• Logically comprises the following components:

▫ Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU): which contains a set of functional units
to perform arithmetic operations & logic operations
▫ Control Unit: which controls the flow of data based on the instructions
of the program
▫ Register: smallest storage unit to process data in the CPU
▫ Cache memory: fast and small memory that acts as a buffer between the
processor and the main memory (RAM)
▫ Clock: a measure of the processing speed (cycles/second or Hz)
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Synchronous (Parallel) processing

• One approach to parallelism is to have multiple processors performing
the same processing to multiple sets of data. Each processor is doing the
same task to a different set of data

Processors in a synchronous (parallel) computing environment

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Pipelining

• Arranges processors in tandem, each processor is doing part of an

overall computation task on the same data
• The first processor performs the first task, the second processor starts
working on the output from the first processor, and so on.

Processors in a pipeline
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Shared Memory
• Solves the problem of coordination among parallel processors
• Here, each processor has a local memory and shared memory

Shared memory configuration of processors

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Memory:
Random Access Memory (RAM)

• The main “working” memory used by the processor

• Used to store data on a temporary basis
• When we use a program, its data will be loaded into the RAM
• Also called Volatile Memory because when we turn off the
computer, all data will be lost!
• RAM size affects the performance of the computer (larger is
better)
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Memory

• Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) is used to store the instructions

and data of a program; needs to be refreshed periodically (dynamic)
• “Random Access” means that memory access takes the same amount of
time no matter what portion of the memory is being read
• Cache memory: inside the processor, used as a buffer between the CPU and
RAM
• Cache memory is a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) which is faster
than DRAM but usually has less capacity
• SRAM and DRAM are two layers of the memory hierarchy
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Memory Hierarchy
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Memory Hierarchy
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ROM – Read Only Memory

• Is a special type of memory that permanently stores important

information needed by the computer system
• Information in ROM can only be read (no write)
• ROM retains information even if the computer is powered off (non-
volatile)
• An example of ROM is the ROM-BIOS chip, which contains read-only
software used to start up the computer
• Network cards and video cards also contain ROM chips
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Opening the computer box

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Storage in Computer
• The smallest unit of computer storage/memory is Bit
• A bit is either 1 or 0 (binary number)
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Factors that affect computer performance

We can roughly evaluate the performance of the computer using

the following information:
• CPU speed
• RAM size
• Hard disk capacity
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Secondary Storage Devices

Why is it necessary to have secondary (auxiliary) storage devices?
• It is important to have other types of permanent storage devices in
which programs and data can be stored for a long time, when they are
no longer being used or when the computer is turned off
• Example: hard disk drive (HDD), DVD, USB flash drive
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Magnetic Tape
The first mass auxiliary storage device
was the magnetic tape drive

Tape storage has a major problem:

In order to access data in the middle of the
tape, all the data before must be accessed
and discarded. Any physical movement of
such type is time-consuming
A magnetic tape
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Magnetic Disks
History: Floppy disks
• A floppy disk is a magnetic disk that has characteristics that resemble
both the compact disk (CD) and the tape recorder
• A read/write head (similar to the record/playback head in a tape
recorder) travels across a spinning magnetic disk, retrieving or recording
data
• Like a compact disk, the heads travel directly to the information desired,
and like a tape, the information is stored magnetically
• Data are not lost when the power is off (non-volatile)
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Magnetic Disks
Seek time: time it takes for the read/write head to be over the right track

• The HDD can be divided into many sections (drives)

• Each section is represented by a character, e.g. (drive E:)
• System files are usually located in drive C
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Magnetic Disks

The organization of a magnetic disk

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Compact Disks
CD: A compact disk that uses a laser beam to read information that are
stored on a plastic disk; data are evenly distributed around the disk space
CD-ROM read-only memory
RW read and write

DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), used for storing audio and video
Blu-ray
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Memory Sticks/Flash Memory

• Portable memory that can be plugged into the computer

• Fast to use and can store large amounts of data
• Uses the Electrically Erasable Programmable Read only memory
(EEPROM) technology in read/write data
• Nonvolatile
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Online (cloud) file storage

• Many websites allow users to store data on cloud servers
• Help to store and access data anywhere and anytime
• Such services are becoming more popular nowadays
• Examples:
• Software as a Service (SaaS): such as google apps, Webex meetings, dropbox, etc
• Platform as a service (PaaS): helps to develop applications such as Microsoft Azure
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): provides hardware resources (e.g., processing,
memory) such as Amazon Web Services (AWS)
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Input/Output Ports
A port is a place where we can connect an external device to the
computer

• Serial Ports
▫ Used to connect external devices such as a mouse or a keyboard
▫ Transfers data in a single (serial) stream

• Universal Serial Bus (USB) Port

▫ This is the most widely used port to connect external devices
▫ Has no pins
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• Parallel Ports
▫ Used to connect external devices such as printers
▫ Transfer data in multiple (parallel) streams

• Network (Ethernet) Port

▫ This port is used to connect the PC to other
devices/computers in the network
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Embedded Systems
Computers that are dedicated to perform a narrow range of functions
that are specific to certain systems
Examples: Automobiles, robots, air conditioning, etc.

How many embedded systems do you have?

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Touch Screens
A computer monitor that responds when the screen is touched with a
stylus or finger
There are three types
▫ Resistive
▫ Capacitive
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Touch Screens
Resistive touch screen
A screen that is made up of two layers of an electrically conductive
material
▫ One layer has the vertical lines, the other has the horizontal lines
▫ When the top layer is pressed, it becomes in contact with the second layer which
allows electrical current to flow
▫ The specific vertical and horizontal lines that make contact determine the location
on the screen that was touched
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Touch Screens
Capacitive touch screen
A screen that is made up of a laminate applied over a glass screen
▫ Laminate conducts electricity in all directions; a very small current is applied equally
on the four corners
▫ When the screen is touched, current flows through the finger or stylus
▫ The location of the touch on the screen is determined by comparing how strong the
flow of electricity is from each corner

Reference: Computer Science Illuminated, N. Dale and J. Lewis

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https://youtu.be/L7ZsrnzNTIo
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Review Questions
Q1) Define the following:
▫ Processor, von Neumann Architecture, Cloud Computing, Hard Disk drive,
Embedded Systems, Ethernet cable

Q2) State the differences between RAM and HDD regarding:

▫ volatile or non-volatile
▫ Storage size
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Review Questions
Q3) State the differences between SRAM and DRAM regarding:
▫ volatile or non-volatile
▫ Storage size
▫ Price
▫ Which one is closer to the CPU
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Review Questions
Q4) State the differences between serial ports and parallel ports.

Q5) How many bits are there in 1 MB?