Next Saturday 20/3/2010 Quiz 1

An Overview of the Personal Computer CHAPTER 3 An Overview of the Personal Computer

Chapter Overview The Three Stages of Computing Components of a Computer Support Hardware

The Three Stages of Computing

Input Any data or instructions used by a computer Input devices( are hardware use to translate word, sound, images, and actions that people understand into a form that the system unit can process CD-ROM: compact disc – read 0nly memory

Motherboard: The large circuit board found inside the computer. Processing : The central processing unit (CPU) is the heart and brain of the computer. This chip is responsible for all primary number crunching and data management. - The CPU requires several other components that support it with the management of data to operate. Motherboard: The large circuit board found inside the computer. Chip set: A group of computer integrated circuits that control the flow of data thought the system.

ASUS manufactures motherboards based upon NVIDIA chipsets among other chipsets. One of the most popular ASUS motherboards over the last year has been the M2N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard. ASUS has recently updated the motherboard to better serve the Vista customers in the form of the ASUS M2N32-SLI which is on the test bench today.

Cont. Data bus: A group of parallel conductors found on the MB and used by the CPU to send and receive data from all the devices in the computer. Address bus: used by the CPU to address memory locations. Control bus: This manages the information flow between components indicating whether the operation is a read or a write

Cont. Expansion slots: specialized sockets that allow additional devices called expansion cards to be attached to the MB. Clock: establish the maximum speed at which the processor can execute instructions or commands. Not to be confused with the clock that keeps the date and time Battery: protects unique information about the setup of the computer against loss when electrical power turned off.

summary 4

output Processed data or information. Types of output 1- Text 2- Graphics 3- Audio & video Output devices Are any hardware used to provide or create output from the computer. They translate information that has been processed by the system unit into a form that human can understand.

Output

Input / Output 6

Support Hardware Surge suppressor: used to prevent large power spike UPS: uninterruptible power supply. Prevent high-power spikes and provide the computer with a constant source of power.

Chapter Summary The three stages of computing are input, processing, and output. Various components perform each stage of computing. Some components perform both input and output. Hardware support components help to ensure safe computer operation and efficient performance.

HW2 What is the difference between the CPU and GPU? Other Examples of the OUTPUT devices? Last date to submit the HW is Monday, 15th March 2010.