Computer

Computer

1. CPU

   • Central proccess unit
     • arithmatic and logic unit
       • The first is the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs simple arithmetic and logical operations
     • control unit
       • Second is the control unit (CU), which maus conages the variomponents of the computer. It reads and interprets instructions from memory and transforms them into a series of signals to activate other parts of the computer. The control unit calls upon the arithmetic logic unit to perform the necessary calculations.
     • the cache
       • Third is the cache, which serves as high-speed memory where instructions can be copied to and retrieved. Early CPUs consisted of many separate components, but since the 1970s, they have been constructed as a single integrated unit called a microprocessor. As such, a CPU is a specific type of microprocessor. The individual components of a CPU have become so integrated that you can't even recognize them from the outside. This CPU is about two inches by two inches in size.

2. ROM

   • As the name suggests, read-only memory, or ROM, stores information that can only be read. Modifying it is either impossible or very difficult. ROM is also a type of non-volatile storage, which means that the information is maintained even if the component loses power.

3. Clock speed

   • In a computer, clock speed refers to the number of pulses per second generated by an oscillator that sets the tempo for the processor. Clock speed is usually measured in MHz (megahertz, or millions of pulses per second) or GHz (gigahertz, or billions of pulses per second). Today's personal computers run at a clock speed in the hundreds of megahertz and some exceed one gigahertz. The clock speed is determined by a quartz-crystal circuit, similar to those used in radio communications equipment. Computer clock speed has been roughly doubling every year. The Intel 8088, common in computers around the year 1980, ran at 4.77 MHz. The 1 GHz mark was passed in the year 2000.

4. RAM

   • Random-access memory (RAM) is a type of computer data storage. A RAM device makes it possible to access data in random order, which makes it very fast to find a specific piece of information. Certain other types of storage are not random-access. For example, a hard disk drive and a CD will read and write data in a predetermined order. The mechanical design of these devices prescribes that data access is consecutive. This means that the time it takes to find a specific piece of information can vary greatly depending on where it is located on the disk. RAM devices are used in computer systems as the main memory. RAM is considered volatile memory, which means that the stored information is lost when there is no power. So, RAM is used by the central processing unit (CPU) when a computer is running to store information that needs to be used very quickly, but it does not store any information permanently.

5. Motherboard

   • A motherboard is one of the most essential parts of a computer system. It holds together many of the crucial components of a computer, including the central processing unit (CPU), memory and connectors for input and output devices. The base of a motherboard consists of a very firm sheet of non-conductive material, typically some sort of rigid plastic. Thin layers of copper or aluminum foil, referred to as traces, are printed onto this sheet. These traces are very narrow and form the circuits between the various components. In addition to circuits, a motherboard contains a number of sockets and slots to connect the other components.

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