COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM

Digital computers have the same major components irrespective of their size and
brand. A computer system consists of both hardware and information stored on
hardware. Information stored on computer hardware is often called software. The
hardware components of a computer system are the electronic and mechanical parts.
The software components of a computer system are the data and the computer
programs.

HARDWARE

The internal architecture might be different from one system to another but the
basic computer organization is still the same. It is composed of the input/output unit, the
memory or storage unit and the central processing unit(CPU).
Data and programs are entered into the computer through the input unit. It is
loaded in the primary storage unit and transferred to the central processing unit
particularly the arithmetic logic unit for processing whenever required. After processing,
it is transferred back to the primary storage which will be taken out from the computer
through the output unit or if not it is stored in the secondary storage for future use. The
overall activity is controlled and supervised by the control unit.

MEMORY

SECONDARY
STORAGE
OUTPUT
INPUT
UNIT
UNIT
PRIMARY
STORAGE

ARITHMETIC
LOGIC
UNIT

CONTROL
UNIT

CPU
INPUT/OUTPUT UNIT
Input/output devices provide the means by which a computer system can interact
with the outside world. The input unit takes data from us to the computer for processing.
The results produced after processing can be made available through the output unit. It
can be either in printed, audible or visual form.

INPUT DEVICES
 Keyboard
 Mouse
 Trackball
 Touchscreen
 Joystick
 Game controller
 Image scanner
 Web cam
 Microphone
 Barcode reader

OUTPUT DEVICES
 Printer
 Plotter
 Computer monitor
 Speaker
 Headphone

COMPUTER MEMORY
Memory is the location where the data and instructions are stored. They can be
retrieved from memory whenever required. Data are stored in memory as bytes. A byte
is made up of 8 bits. “BIT” came from the two words BINARY DIGIT. A bit is the
smallest unit of memory, i.e. 0 and 1. Other units are kilobyte(kB), megabyte(MB),
gigabyte(GB) and terabyte(TB) where:
1 kB = 210 bytes = 1024 bytes
1 MB = 220 bytes = 1024 kB = 1024 x 1024 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes
1 GB = 230 bytes = 1024 MB
1 TB = 240 bytes = 1024 GB
Memory can be classified into two groups:
1. Primary Memory
2. Secondary Memory

PRIMARY MEMORY:
 RAM(Random Access Memory)
 ROM(Read Only Memory)
SECONDARY MEMORY:
 Magnetic Tape
 Floppy Disk
 Hard Disk
 Optical Disc(CD, DVD)
 External USB Hard Drive
 USB Flash Drive
 Memory Cards

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY

Every computer comes with a certain amount of physical memory, usually
referred to as the main memory of RAM. It is called random access because the CPU
can go directly to any section of main memory and does not go about the process in a
sequential order. This is volatile which means, when the power is turned off, all the
contents are lost or destroyed.
READ ONLY MEMORY
Is an integrated circuit (IC) programmed with specific data when it is
manufactured. The ROM is non-volatile, which means, even if the power is turned off,
the stored information is retained.
ARITHMETIC LOGIC UNIT
After you enter data through the input device it is stored in the primary storage
unit. The actual processing of data and instructions are performed by the Arithmetic
Logic Unit. The ALU is the fundamental building block of the Central Processing
Unit(CPU). It performs arithmetic and logical operations. Data is transferred to ALU from
storage whenever required. After processing, the output is returned back to storage unit
for further processing or getting stored.

CONTROL UNIT
The control unit directs and communicates with other parts of the computer
hardware. It acts like a supervisor seeing things like taking the input, processing and
interpreting the output are done in proper fashion.
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

Parts of a Motherboard

 A CPU socket - the actual CPU is directly soldered onto this socket. Since high
speed CPUs generate a lot of heat, there are heat sinks and mounting points for
fans right next to the CPU socket.
 A power connector to distribute power to the CPU and other components.
 Slots for the system's main memory, typically in the form of DRAM chips.
 A chip forms an interface between the CPU, the main memory and other
components. On many types of motherboards this is referred to as the
Northbridge. This chip also contains a large heat sink.
 A second chip controls the input and output (I/O) functions. It is not connected
directly to the CPU but to the Northbridge. This I/O controller is referred to as the
Southbridge. The Northbridge and Southbridge combined are referred to as the
chipset.
  Several connectors, which provide the physical interface between input and
output devices and the motherboard. The Southbridge handles these
connections.
 Slots for one or more hard drives to store files. The most common types of
connections are Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) and Serial Advanced
Technology Attachment (SATA).
 A Read-only memory (ROM) chip, which contains the firmware, or startup
instructions for the computer system. This is also called the BIOS.
 Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), a slot for a video or graphics card.
 Additional slots to connect hardware in the form of Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) slots - a local computer bus.

BUS
The parts of a digital computer are interconnected by the system bus as shown in
the figure below. A bus in computing is a set of physical connections (cables, printed
circuits, etc.) which can be shared by multiple hardware components in order to
communicate with one another.

Data Bus - It carries the data between the different components of the computer.

Address Bus - It selects the route that has to be followed by the data bus to transfer the
data.

Control Bus - It decides that whether the data should be written or read from the data
bus.

Expansion Bus - It is used to connect the computer’s peripheral devices such as printer,
modem and scanner with the processor.
 Buses can be parallel and serial. Parallel data transfer refers to the type of data
transfer in which a group of bits are transferred simultaneously while serial data transfer
refers to the type of data transfer in which a group of data bits are transferred one bit at
a time. So that means that the amount of data transferred serially is less that the data
transferred in parallel per second, but serial data transfer requires less cables so if the
data has to be transmitted over longer distances serial data transfer is preferred.

SOFTWARE

Computer software, or simply software, is a part of a computer system that

consists of data or computer instructions, in contrast to the physical hardware from
which the system is built. In computer science and software engineering, computer
software is all information processed by computer systems, programs and data.

A diagram showing how the user

interacts with application software
on a typical desktop computer.
The application software layer
interfaces with the operating
system, which in turn
communicates with the hardware.
The arrows indicate information
flow.

SOURCE: wikipedia
OPERATING SYSTEM

An operating system is the most important software that runs on a computer. It

manages the computer's memory and processes, as well as all of its software and
hardware. It also allows you to communicate with the computer without knowing how to
speak the computer's language. Without an operating system, a computer is useless.

SOURCE:
https://www.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=http://www.webopedia.com/imagesvr_ce/1261/operating-
system.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/operating_system.html&h=273&w=360&tbnid
=HvhCGK43hph1TM:&tbnh=160&tbnw=211&usg=__JRacdi3LVm-
9lYYVuxzKxDyrTbc=&vet=10ahUKEwji17-y2cjUAhXENJQKHRsCAfgQ9QEIJDAA..i&docid=OsG-
ZPD1qG3dPM&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwji17-y2cjUAhXENJQKHRsCAfgQ9QEIJDAA

Your computer's operating system (OS) manages all of the software and
hardware on the computer. Most of the time, there are several different computer
programs running at the same time, and they all need to access your computer's central
processing unit (CPU), memory, and storage. The operating system coordinates all of
this to make sure each program gets what it needs.
TYPES OF OPERATING SYSTEMS

Operating systems usually come pre-loaded on any computer you buy. Most
people use the operating system that comes with their computer, but it's possible to
upgrade or even change operating systems. The three most common operating
systems for personal computers are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft created the Windows operating system in the mid-1980s. Over the years,
there have been many different versions of Windows, but the most recent ones are
Windows 10 (released in 2015), Windows 8 (2012), Windows 7 (2009), and Windows
Vista (2007). Windows comes pre-loaded on most new PCs, which helps to make it the
most popular operating system in the world.

SOURCE: https://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/understanding-operating-systems/1/
Mac OS X

Mac OS is a line of operating systems created by Apple. It comes preloaded on

all new Macintosh computers, or Macs. All of the recent versions are known as OS X
(pronounced O-S Ten), and the specific versions include El Capitan (released in 2015),
Yosemite (2014), Mavericks (2013), Mountain Lion (2012), and Lion (2011).

SOURCE: https://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/understanding-operating-systems/1/
Linux

Linux (pronounced LINN-ux) is a family of open-source operating systems, which

means they can be modified and distributed by anyone around the world. This is
different from proprietary software like Windows, which can only be modified by the
company that owns it.

SOURCE: https://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/understanding-operating-systems/1/
APPLICATION SOFTWARE

An application program (app or application for short) is a computer program

designed to perform a group of coordinated functions, tasks, or activities for the benefit
of the user. Examples of an application include a word processor, a spreadsheet, an
accounting application, a web browser, a media player, an aeronautical flight simulator,
a console game or a photo editor. The collective noun application software refers to all
applications collectively. This contrasts with system software, which is mainly involved
with running the computer.

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_software