LEC 1 HARDSOFTWARE

• CTHASOPL - Lecture 1 (Sir R. Primo)
• Hardware


  All of the electronic and mechanical equipment in a computer
• Software


  Computer programs that perform a task or tasks on a computer system
• Types of software


  • System software (Operating System etc.)
  • Utility programs (Antivirus etc.)
  • Applications Software (Word, SolidWorks etc.)
• Computer system


  Collection of electronic and mechanical devices operating as a unit
• Main parts of a computer system

  • System unit
  • Monitor
  • Keyboard
  • Mouse
  • Speakers
• System unit


  The main container for system devices that protects the delicate electronic and mechanical devices from damage
• Typical system unit devices

  • Motherboard
  • CPU (Processor)
  • Memory
  • Disk drives
  • Ports (USB etc.)
  • Power supply
  • Expansion cards (sound card, network card, graphics card etc.)

  
• Peripherals


  Devices that connect to the system unit using cables or wireless technologies
• Peripherals


  • Monitor
  • Keyboard
  • Printer
  • Plotter
  • Scanner
  • Speakers
• Processor


  An integrated circuit (IC) supplied on a single silicon chip that controls all the computer's functions
• Main processor manufacturers


  • AMD (Athlon and Turion (mobile))
  • Intel (Pentium and Centrino (mobile))
• Computer program


  A series of instructions that the processor carries out in an orderly fashion
• Types of instructions


  • Arithmetic (addition, subtraction etc.)
  • Logical (comparing data and acting according to the result)
  • Move (move data from place to place within the computer system - memory to the processor for addition, memory to a printer or disk drive etc.)
• Processor speed


  Measured in megahertz (MHz) or Gigahertz (GHz), the speed of the system clock (clock speed) within the processor that controls how fast instructions are executed
• 1 MHz = 1 million clock ticks every second, 1 GHz = 1 billion clock ticks every second
• Latest trend is multi-core processors that can have two, three or four processor cores on a single chip

  
• Primary storage (RAM)


  Main computer memory where data and programs currently in use are held, but it is volatile - contents are lost if the computer is turned off

  
• Memory modules


  DIMM's (dual inline memory module) for desktop computers, SODIMM's (small outline dual inline memory module) for notebook computers

  
• Memory module capacities


  • 256MB
  • 512MB
  • 1GB
  • 2GB

  
• Memory module types


  DDR1, DDR2, DDR3

  
• Motherboard


  The main circuit board for the computer system that all devices in the computer system will either be part of or connected to

  
• Motherboard components


  • Processor Socket
  • Memory Sockets
  • Ports
  • PCI Slots
  • Graphics Slot
  • Chipset

  
• Processor socket


  Different processors require different sockets and a motherboard must be chosen to suit the processor intended for use
• Processor socket types


  • Socket 478 (Intel Pentium IV)
  • Socket 775 (Intel Dual Core and Core Duo)
  • Socket 754 (AMD Athlon)
  • Socket 939 (AMD Athlon 64)
  • Socket AM2 (AMD Athlon X2)

  
• Chipset


  Controls data flow around the computer, consisting of a Northbridge (data flow between memory and processor, data flow between the processor and the graphics card) and a Southbridge (controls data flow to devices - USB, IDE, SATA, LAN and Audio, controls PCI slots and onboard graphics)

  
• Buses


  Paths through which data can be sent to the different parts of the computer system, including the Front Side Bus, Memory Bus, Graphics Bus, Internal Bus, and PCI Bus

  
• Power supply


  Converts Alternating Current (AC) to Direct Current (DC), transforms mains voltage (240 Volts) to the voltages required by the computer (12V, 3.3V, 5V)
• Power supply connectors


  • Main connector (connects to motherboard)
  • Molex connector (connects IDE hard drives and optical drives)
  • Berg connector (connects floppy disk drives)
  • SATA connector (connects SATA drives)
• Computer ports


  Interfaces between peripheral devices and the computer, found at the back and front of the computer chassis
• Types of ports


  • Serial port (9-pin, often called Com ports)
  • Parallel port (25-pin, often called LPT ports)
  • Video port (VGA, DVI)
  • PS/2 port (keyboard, mouse)
  • Modem port (RJ11)
  • USB port
  • FireWire port
  • Ethernet port
  • Audio ports (Line in, Speaker, Microphone)
• Graphics card


  Handles its own processing, has its own memory, and provides both digital (DVI) and analogue (VGA) video output
• Screen resolution


  The number of pixels being displayed, e.g. 800x600 = 480,000 pixels, 1024x768 = 786,432 pixels, 1280x1024 = 1,310,720 pixels, 1600x1200 = 1,920,000 pixels
• Graphics card types


  • AGP (accelerated graphics port, analogue or digital output)
  • PCI-Express (newer, faster technology, allows for two cards in SLI configuration, analogue or digital output)
• Sound card


  Uses a DAC (digital to analogue converter) to prepare audio for speakers and an ADC (analogue to digital converter) to convert audio coming into the computer, connects to analogue input devices, headphones, speakers, and output devices
• Sound card connectors


  • PCI connector
  • MIDI socket
  • Audio jacks
• Network card


  Allows computers to join a network, can be wired (Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet) or wireless (802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n)
• Modem


  Converts digital computer data to analogue for transmission over a telephone line, and converts analogue data to digital for transmission to the computer, standard speed is 56Kbps
• Primary storage (memory) is volatile - contents lost when power is turned off, secondary storage (disk drives) is non-volatile
• Wireless standards


  • B standard
  • G standard
  • N standard