What is a Computer Bus?
A computer bus is a communication system within a computer or between computers that
transfers data between different components. The purpose of buses is to reduce the number
of "pathways" needed for communication between the components, by carrying out all
communications over a single data channel.
Types of Computer Bus
1. Address Bus
2. Data Bus
3. Control Bus
1. Address Bus
A collection of wires used to identify particular location in main memory is
called Address Bus. Or in other words, the information used to describe the memory
locations travels along the address bus.
The address bus transports memory addresses which the processor wants to access
in order to read or write data.
The address bus is unidirectional.
The size of address bus determines how many unique memory locations can be
addressed.
Example:
o A system with 4-bit address bus can address 24 = 16 Bytes of memory.
o A system with 16-bit address bus can address 216 = 64 KB of memory
o A system with 20-bit address bus can address 220 = 1 MB of memory.
2. Data Bus
A collection of wires through which data is transmitted from one part of a computer
to another is called Data Bus.
Data Bus can be thought of as a highway on which data travels within a computer.
The main objective of data bus is transfer of the data between microprocessor
to input/ output devices or memory.
The data bus transfers instructions coming from or going to the processor.
The data bus is bidirectional because the data can flow in either direction from CPU
to memory (or input/output device) or from memory to the CPU.
The size (width) of bus determines how much data can be transmitted at one time.
Example:
o A 16-bit bus can transmit 16 bits of data at a time.
o 32-bit bus can transmit 32 bits at a time.
Control Bus
The connections that carry control information between the CPU and other devices
within the computer is called Control Bus.
The main objective of control bus is all signals controller carried from processor to
other hardware device.
The control bus transports orders and synchronisation signal coming from the control
unit and travelling to all other hardware components
The Control bus is bidirectional because the data can flow in either direction from
CPU to memory (or input/output device) or from memory to the CPU.
it also transmits response signals from the hardware.
Example:
o This bus is used to indicate whether the CPU is reading from memory or
writing to memory.
FRONT SIDE BUS:
FSB stands for Front Side Bus. It's a crucial component of a computer's motherboard that
connects the CPU (Central Processing Unit) to the main memory (RAM) and other system
components. The FSB determines the speed at which data is transferred between the CPU
and RAM, and it was a key factor in overclocking in older systems.
Elaboration:
Data Transfer:
The FSB acts as a pathway for data to travel between the CPU and the RAM, as well as other
parts of the computer, including the chipset and memory controller.
Overclocking:
In the past, the FSB speed was a major consideration for overclocking, which is the process
of increasing the operating speed of a computer's components beyond their standard
settings.
Modern Architecture:
While the term "FSB" is often used to describe the bus that connects the CPU to the chipset
(Northbridge) in older systems, newer computer architectures have evolved and now utilize
other methods for data transfer, like the "Base Clock" (BCLK), which is the foundation for the
CPU clock speed.
Modern CPUs:
Modern CPUs generally have a "FSB" or BCLK running at 100MHz, which serves as the base
clock for the CPU's speed.
