Chapter 05 - The System Unit

Chapter 5
The System Unit
Chapter Outline
• System Unit
o Also known as the system chassis, is a container that houses most of the
electronic components that make up a computer system
o A personal computer is the most widely used type of computer.
▪ Most affordable
▪ Designed to be operated directly by an end user
o There are five most common types of personal computers:
▪ Smartphones - Almost every cell phone is a smartphone, most popular
type of personal computer.
• They are effectively a thin slab that is almost all monitor, with the
system unit, secondary storage, and all electronic components
located behind the monitor.
▪ Tablets, tablet computer - very similar to cell phones, although tablets
are larger, heavier, and generally more powerful
• Not designed to be used as a phone and, typically, cannot be
connected to phone networks
• Tablets come in a range of styles and sizes, with the smallest
tablets (called mini tablets) being just a little larger than the
largest cell phones.
▪ Laptops - like cell phones and tablets, laptops have their system units
housed with selected secondary storage and input devices. Laptops,
however, are larger and more powerful.
• Larger monitor separate from the rest of the computer, attached to
the system unit with a hinge.
• Specialized laptops
o Two-in-one laptops - touch screen and folds flat like a
tablet
o Gaming laptops - high-end graphics hardware and very
fast processors
o Ultrabooks, ultraportables, or mini notebooks - a type of
a very portable laptop, lighter and thinner and generally
have a longer battery life than a laptop
▪ Desktops - most powerful type of personal computer.
• Some desktop computers, like Apple’s iMac, have their monitor
and system unit housed together in the same case, known as all-in-
one desktops.
• Most desktops have their system unit in a separate case.
o Contains the system’s electronic components and
secondary storage devices
o Input and output devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, and
monitor, located outside the system unit
▪ Wearable computers, wearable devices
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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

•Contain an embedded computer on a chip that is typically much

smaller and less powerful than a cell phone’s
• Most common wearable computers are smartwatches and activity
trackers
o Smartwatches like Apple’s Watch acts as a watch, fitness
monitor, and communication device. The Apple Watch
connects to an iPhone to display emails, text messages, and
calendar reminders on the user’s wrist.
o Activity trackers like Garmin Vivoactive 4 monitors daily
exercise and sleep patterns and connects wirelessly to
desktop, laptops, and smartphones to record and share data.
▪ Components - Personal computers come in a variety of different sizes,
shapes, and capabilities.
• They may look different, and each has its own unique features.
• Components share similar components, including system boards,
microprocessors, and memory.
• System Board
o Also known as the motherboard or mainboard
o Controls communication for the entire computer system
o Every component of the system unit connects to the system board.
o Acts as a direct path and traffic monitor
o For cell phones, tablets, and wearable computers, the system board is located
behind the screen. For laptops, and desktops, the system board is typically located
at the bottom of the system unit or along one side.
o The system board is a flat circuit board covered with a variety of different
electronic components including sockets, slots, and bus lines. (See Figure 5-9.)
▪ Sockets provide a connection point for small specialized electronic parts
called chips.
▪ Chips consist of tiny circuit boards etched onto squares of sandlike
material called silicon.
• Also called a silicon chip, semiconductor, or integrated circuit
▪ Chip carriers are used to mount chips. The carriers either plug directly
into sockets on the system board or onto cards that are then plugged into
slots on the system board.
▪ Slots provide a connection point for specialized cards or circuit boards.
These cards provide expansion capability for a computer system. An
example is a wireless networking card plugs into a slot on the system
board to provide a connection to a local area network.
▪ Connecting lines called bus lines provide pathways that support
communication among the various electronic components that are either
located on the system board or attached to the system board.
o System boards vary in size, speed, power, and versatility, but perform the same
functions of communicating between the components of the personal computer.
• Microprocessor
o The central processing unit (CPU) or processor is contained on a single chip
called the microprocessor.
o The microprocessor is the “brains” of the computer system.
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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

o The microprocessor has two basic components:

▪ The control unit tells the rest of the computer system how to carry out a
program’s instructions.
• It directs the movement of electronic signals between memory.
• Memory temporarily holds data, instructions and processed
information.
▪ The arithmetic-logic unit, usually called the ALU, performs two types of
operations:
• Arithmetic operations – fundamental math operations
o Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
• Logical operations – consists of comparisons
o (=) equal to, less than (<), or greater than (>)
• Microprocessor chips
▪ There are two major categories of microprocessors developed today:
mobile and desktop.
• Mobile processors, used in cell phones and tablets, try to strike a
balance between the processing power of the processor and the
power the processor draws from the mobile device’s battery.
• Desktop processors, used in laptops and desktops, are less
concerned with the energy use of the processor and are more
powerful than mobile processors.
▪ Chip processing capacities are often expressed in word sizes.
▪ A word is the number of bits (such as 32 or 64) that can be accessed at one
time by the CPU.
▪ More bits in a word, the more data a computer can process at one time.
▪ The processing speed of a microprocessor is typically represented by its
clock speed which is related to the number of times the CPU can fetch and
process data or instructions in a second.
• Newer personal computers are much faster and process data and
instructions in billionths of a second, or nanoseconds.
• Supercomputers, by contrast, operate at speeds measured in
trillionths of a second, or picoseconds - 1,000 times faster than
personal computers.
▪ Some processors can handle multiple instructions per cycle or tick of the
clock.
▪ The multicore processors can provide two or more separate and
independent CPUs thereby allowing a single computer to run two or more
operations at the same time.
• For multicore processors to be used effectively, computers must
understand how to divide tasks into parts that can be distributed
across each core—an operation called parallel processing.
• Windows 11 and macOS Big Sur support parallel processing.
o Specialty processors
▪ Coprocessors are specialty chips designed to improve specific computing
operations.
• One of the most widely used is a graphics coprocessor, also known
as a graphics processing unit (GPU). These processors are
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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

specifically designed to handle a variety of specialized tasks such

as displaying 3D images and encrypting data.
• Most cell phones and tablets have specialty processors to
efficiently show and store videos.
• Memory
o Memory is a holding area for data, instructions, and information.
o Memory is contained on chips connected to the system board.
o There are three well-known types of memory chips: random-access memory
(RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory.
o RAM
▪ Random-access memory (RAM) chips hold the program (sequence of
instructions) and data that the CPU is presently processing. (See Figure 5-
14.)
▪ RAM is temporary or volatile storage because everything in most types of
RAM is lost if there is a power failure or other disruption of the electric
current going to the computer.
▪ Cache memory improves processing by acting as a temporary high-speed
holding area between the memory and the CPU. Computers detect which
information in RAM is most frequently used and then copies that
information into the cache.
▪ Having enough memory to use applications is important and is expressed
in bytes such as MB, GB, or TB. (See Figure 5-15.)
▪ RAM can be added by inserting an expansion module – DIMM (dual in-
line memory module).
▪ Virtual memory is space utilized on a secondary storage device by the
operating system when there isn’t enough RAM to process all
applications.
• Large programs are divided into parts and the parts are stored on a
secondary device, usually a hard disk and each part is read into
RAM only when needed.
o ROM
▪ Read-only memory (ROM) chips have information and programs built
into them by the manufacturer.
▪ ROM chips are not volatile and cannot be changed by the user.
▪ Read only means that the CPU can read, or retrieve, data and programs
written on the ROM chip but cannot write or change the information or
instructions in ROM.
▪ Not long ago, ROM chips were typically used to contain almost all
instructions for basic computer operations.
▪ Recently, however, flash memory chips have replaced ROM chips for
many applications.
o Flash Memory
▪ Offers a combination of the features of RAM and ROM.
▪ Flash memory can be updated, like RAM, to store new information.
▪ Flash memory chips, like ROM, can retain data even if power is disrupted.

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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

▪
Used for a wide variety of applications such as startup instructions for a
computer. This information is called the system's BIOS (basic input/output
system).
• Expansion Cards and Slots
o Expansion cards insert into expansion slots located on the system board.
o Ports on the cards allow cables to be connected from the expansion cards to
devices outside the system unit. (See Figure 5-19.)
o Some of the more common devices are
▪ Graphics cards – provide high-quality 3D graphics and animation for
games and simulations.
▪ Network interface cards (NIC) - also known as network adapter cards,
are used to connect a computer to a network.
▪ Wireless network cards-allow computers to be connected without cables.
• Each device on the network is equipped with a wireless network
card that communicates with the other devices.
o Many computers include graphics and network capabilities embedded in the
system board, making a graphics or network card unnecessary. However, graphics
and network technologies are advancing quickly, and having an expansion card
allows users to upgrade their computers to the newest technology without having
to replace the system board.
• Bus Line
o A bus line also known simply as a bus - connects the parts of the CPU to each
other.
o Buses also link the CPU to various other components on the system board.
o A bus is a pathway for bits representing data and instructions. (See Figure 5-21.)
o The number of bits that can travel simultaneously down a bus is known as the bus
width.
o A 64-bit bus can move twice as much information at a time as a 32-bit bus, just
like a highway with multiple traffic lanes.
o There are two basic categories of buses:
▪ System - connects the CPU to memory on the system board
▪ Expansion - connects the CPU to other components on the system board.
o Expansion Buses
▪ Computer systems typically have a combination of different types of
expansion buses
• Universal serial bus (USB) widely used today; external USB
devices are connected to one another or to a common point or hub
and then onto the system board.
o The current USB standard is USB 4.
• FireWire buses operate much like USB buses but more
specialized; used to connect audio and video to the system board.
• PCI Express (PCIe) is widely used in many of today’s most
powerful computers and uses a single bus line or path for each
connected device.
• Ports
o A port is a socket for external devices to connect to the system unit. A cell phone
typically uses a port to recharge its battery.
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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

o Some ports connect directly to the system board while others connect to cards that
are inserted into slots on the system board.
o Some ports are standard features of most computer systems and others are more
specialized.
▪ Standard ports. The most common ports are:
• Universal serial bus (USB) ports – used to connect several
devices to the system unit such as keyboards, mice, printers,
storage devices and a variety of specialty devices.
o A Single USB port can be used to connect many USB
devices to the system unit.
o USB-A is the port found on most laptops and desktops.
o USB-B are found on peripheral devices like digital cameras
and cell phones.
o USB-C is the newest USB port, found on high end cell
phones and laptops. USB-C is faster, smaller, and easier to
use than previous USB types. Some USB-C ports also
support Thunderbolt 3, a high-speed version of the USB-C
port.
• High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) ports - provide
high-definition video and audio making it possible to use a
computer as a video jukebox or an HD video recorder.
• Thunderbolt 3 – a high-speed version of USB-C
• Ethernet ports – high-speed networking ports that has become a
standard for many of today’s computers.
o Used to connect multiple computers for sharing files, or to
a DSL or cable modem for high-speed Internet access
▪ Specialized ports. Numerous specialty ports include:
• DisplayPort - audiovisual port typically used to connect to large
monitors, popular on gaming computers with high-end graphics
cards.
• DVI (Digital Video Interface) – ports connect digital monitors to
your computer. These ports can only send video signals and cannot
send audio signals. They can be found mainly on desktops.
• FireWire ports provide high-speed connections to specialized
FireWire devices such as camcorders and storage devices.
▪ Cables
• Used to connect exterior devices to the system unit.
• One end of the cable is attached to the device and the other to a
matching connector on a port. (See Figure 5-25.)
• Power Supply
o Computers require direct current (DC) to power their electronic components and
to represent data and instructions.
o DC power can be provided indirectly by converting alternating current (AC) from
standard wall outlets or directly from batteries.
o Most cell phones and tablets are powered directly from batteries that are
recharged using an AC adapter that plug into standard wall outlets and convert
AC to DC. With cell phones and tablets, a USB cable often connects the AC
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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

adapter to the mobile device. Some cell phones can use a wireless charging
platform. (See Figure 5-26.)
o Like cell phones and tablets, laptops typically use AC adapters located outside the
system unit. (See Figure 5-27.)
▪ Unlike cell phones and tablets, can be operated either using an AC adapter
plugged into a wall outlet or using battery power.
▪ Batteries typically provide enough power for up to eight hours.
o Desktops have a power supply unit located within the system unit that plugs into a
standard wall outlet, converts AC to DC and provides power to drive all system
unit components. Unlike cell phones, tablets, or laptops, desktop computers do
not have batteries and cannot operate unless connected to a power source.
• Electronic Data and Instructions
o Computers recognize only digital electronic signals.
o Before processing occurs, a conversion must take place from analog to what the
system unit can electronically process.
▪ Numeric Representation uses the binary system.
▪ Each 0 or 1 is called a bit.
▪ 1 is represented by a negative charge and the 0 with no charge.
• Uses two-state binary system to represent data and instructions
Byte – a group 8 bits
▪ Hexadecimal system uses 16 digits to represent binary numbers.
• Used to select colors in a website design or drawing application or
when entering the password for access to a wireless network
o Character Encoding - how a computer provides representation to communicate
▪ Character encoding standards – assigns a unique sequence of bits to each
character
• ASCII (American Standard Code for Information
Interchange) is a seven-bit coding scheme.
o Personal computers have used the ASCII to represent
character.
• EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code) is
an eight-bit coding scheme.
o Mainframe computers used EBCDIC.
• Unicode - most widely used character encoding standard and is
recognized by virtually every computer system.
o The first 128 characters are assigned the same sequence of
bits as ASCII to maintain compatibility with older ASCII-
formatted information.
o Uses a variable number of bits to represent each character,
which allows non-English characters and special characters
to be represented.
o Can be written in UTF-16 or UTF-8. UTF-16 is the older
Unicode standard, and each character is a minimum of 16
bits. The newer standard, UTF-8, can have characters as
small as 8 bits, making it more efficient than UTF-16.
• Careers In IT
o Computer technicians
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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

▪
Repair and install computer components and systems ranging from
personal computers to mainframe servers and printers
▪ Experienced computer technicians may work with computer engineers to
diagnose problems and run routine maintenance on complex systems.
▪ Employers look for those with certification in computer repair or degrees
from professional schools.
▪ Computer technicians also can expect to continue their education to keep
up with technological changes.
▪ Good communication skills are important in this field.
▪ Annual salary range $27,000 to $58,000
• A Look to the Future-Brian-Computer Interfaces
o Implants/Chips inside Your Brain.
o Have you ever thought it would be possible for you to be able to communicate
with a computer by merely thinking?
o Simple computer implants are used on a regular basis to improve hearing or
reduce the risk of heart attacks or in Parkinson’s patients.
o The future will lie in implanted microchips which can communicate directly with
our nerve cells.
▪ Although their initial purpose will be to treat a variety of medical
conditions, they could eventually (and controversially) be used to improve
various brain functions of otherwise healthy individuals.

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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

Key Terms

Key Term Definition

Power adapter that converts AC to DC, provides power to
AC adapter
the system unit components, and can recharge batteries
Monitors daily exercise and sleep patterns connecting
activity tracker wirelessly to desktops, laptops and smartphones to record
and share data
Desktop computer that has the monitor and system unit
all-in-one desktop
housed together in the same case (e.g., Apple's iMac)
Continuous, signals that vary to represent different tones,
analog
pitches, and volume
arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) Performs two types of operations: arithmetic and logical
Fundamental math operations: addition, subtraction,
arithmetic operation
multiplication, division
Binary coding scheme widely used on personal computers
ASCII with eight bits forming each byte, and each byte represents
one character
binary system Numbering system that consists of only two digits, 0 and 1
Start-up instructions for a computer with information
including the specifics covering the amount of RAM, type
BIOS (basic input/output system)
of keyboard, and secondary storage devices connected to
the system unit
Data and instructions can be represented electronically
bit with a two-state or binary system of numbers (0 and 1) and
each 0 or 1 is called a bit which is short for binary digit
Provides data pathways that connects various system
bus
components (See also bus line)
Provides data pathways that connects various system
bus line
components (See also bus)
bus width Number of bits that can travel simultaneously
byte Eight bits and each byte typically represents one character
cable Connects external devices to the system unit via ports
High-speed holding area for frequently used data and
cache memory
information
cell phone Indispensable handheld computer
The “brains” of a computer and is contained on a single
central processing unit (CPU)
chip (See also microprocessor, processor)
character encoding standards Assign unique sequences of bits to each character
Consists of tiny circuit boards etched onto squares of sand-
chip like material called silicon (See also integrated circuit,
silicon chip, semiconductor)
Plug either directly into sockets on the system board or
chip carriers onto cards that are then plugged into slots on the system
board
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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

Relates to the number of times the CPU can fetch and

clock speed
process data or instructions in a second
computer technician Repairs and installs computer components and systems
The part of a processor that tells the rest of the computer
system how to carry out a program’s instructions and
control unit
directs the movement of electronic signals between
memory and the CPU
Specialty chip designed to improve specific computing
coprocessor
operations
desktop Most powerful type of personal computer
Signals that are only in two states – on or off – are used to
digital
represent voice and data
DIMM Dual in-line memory module is used to expand memory
DVI (Digital Video Interface) port Provides connections to analog and digital monitors
Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code is an 8-
EBCDIC bit binary coding scheme developed by IBM and used
primarily in mainframe computers
ethernet port High-speed networking port
expansion bus Connects the CPU to expansion slots
expansion card Optional devices used to expand systems
expansion slot Slots provided to expand computer systems
Similar to USB bus but are more specialized and are used
FireWire bus primarily to connect audio and video equipment to the
system board
Provides high-speed connections to specialized FireWire
FireWire port
devices such as camcorders and storage devices
flash memory Chips that can retain data even if power is disrupted
Include high end graphics hardware and very fast
gaming laptops
processors
Graphics Processing Unit is designed to handle a variety of
GPU (graphics processing unit) specialized tasks such as displaying 3D images and
encrypting data
Provides high-quality 3D graphics and animation for
graphics card
games and simulations
Processor specifically designed to handle the processing of
graphics coprocessor
graphic images
hexadecimal system (hex) Uses 16 digits to represent binary numbers
High-Definition Multimedia Digital high-definition audio and video
Interface (HDMI)
Consists of tiny circuit boards etched onto squares of sand-
integrated circuit like material called silicon (See also chip, silicon chip,
semiconductor)
have their system units housed with selected secondary
laptop
storage and input devices and are smaller than desktops
Consists of comparisons such as two items being equal,
logical operation
less than, or greater than each other

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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

Controls all communications for the system with every

mainboard component within the system unit connecting to the main-
board (see also system board or mother board)
memory Holds data, instructions, and information
The “brains” of a computer and is contained on a single
microprocessor
chip (See also central processing unit, processor)
Lighter, thinner, and have longer battery life than other
mini notebook
laptops
Type of tablet with a smaller screen and not all the
mini tablets
functionality of a larger tablet
Controls communication for the entire computer system
motherboard
(See also main board, system board)
multicore processor Two or more separate and independent CPUs
Connects a computer to one or more other computers (See
network adapter card
also network interface card)
Expansion card connecting a computer to one or more
network interface card (NIC)
other computers (See also network adapter card)
Requires programs that allow multiple processors to work
parallel processing
together to run large complex programs
Is widely used and provides a single dedicated path for
PCI Express (PCIe)
each connected device
peripheral external device, such as a monitor or keyboard
Most widely used computer that is most affordable and is
personal computer
designed to be operated directly by the end user
Allow cables to be connected from expansion cards to
port
devices outside the system unit
Converts AC to DC and provides the power to system unit
power supply unit
components
The “brains” of a computer and is contained on a single
processor
chip (See also microprocessor, central processing unit)
Chips temporarily holding programs and data that the CPU
random-access memory (RAM)
is presently processing
Chips that are nonvolatile storage and control essential
read-only memory (ROM)
system operations
Fingernail size expansion card used primarily for laptop
SD card
computers, tablets, and cell phones
Consists of tiny circuit boards etched onto squares of sand-
semiconductor like material called silicon (See also integrated circuit,
silicon chip, chip)
Consists of tiny circuit boards etched onto squares of sand-
silicon chip like material called silicon (See also integrated circuit,
chip, semiconductor)
Provides a connection point for specialized cards or circuit
slot boards
smartphone Most popular mobile device providing computer power

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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

Contains and embedded chip and acts as a watch, fitness

smartwatch
monitor, and communication device
socket Provides a connection point for chips
The communications medium for the entire computer
system board
system (See also motherboard, main board)
system bus Connects the CPU to memory on the system board
A container that houses most of the electronic components
system chassis that makes up a computer system (See also system unit, or
chassis)
A container that houses most of the electronic components
system unit that makes up a computer system (See also chassis, or
system unit)
Highly portable device as they are smaller and lighter than
tablet
laptops, but are less powerful than laptop computers
Highly portable device as they are smaller and lighter than
tablet computer
laptops, but are less powerful than laptop computers
High-speed connections to up to seven separate devices
Thunderbolt port
connected one to another
tower computer A desktop system unit placed vertically
tower unit A desktop system unit placed vertically
Includes a touch screen and the ability to fold flat like a
two-in-one laptops
tablet computer
A type of a very portable laptop, lighter and thinner with
ultrabooks
longer battery life
A type of a very portable laptop, lighter and thinner with
ultraportables
longer battery life
Unicode A 16-bit binary code, most widely used standard
universal serial bus (USB) Can connect several devices to the system unit
Fastest type of port that can connect several devices at a
universal serial bus (USB) port
time to the system unit
Universal serial bus –A (USB-A) Used on PCs
Universal serial bus – B (USB-B) Used for peripherals
Gaining popularity on laptops and smartphones and is
Universal serial bus – C (USB-C)
expected to replace USB-A and USB-B in the future
Divides large programs into parts that are read into RAM
virtual memory
as needed
Also known as wearable devices and are one of the first
wearable computer evolutionary steps to IoT and contain an embedded
computer on a chip
Also known as a wearable computer and are one of the first
wearable device evolutionary steps to IoT and contain an embedded
computer on a chip
Used in place of a cable to charge cell phones and mobile
wireless charging platform
devices
Expansion card that allows computers to be connected
wireless network card
without cables

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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

Number of bits (such as 16, 32, or 64) that can be accessed

word
at one time by the microprocessor

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Chapter 05 - The System Unit

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