Hardware: Input, Processing, and

Output Devices
Chapter 3

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• Chapter 3 discusses the technology used to
input, process and output data.
• Hardware includes any machinery that
participates in the input, output, processing,
storage, or transmission activities of an
information system.
• Most all hardware today consists of digital
circuits.
• Hardware decisions are based in an
understanding of how the hardware can be
used to to support business goals.
MSIS 110: Introduction to Computers; Instructor: S. Mathiyalakan 2
• After completing Chapter 3, you should be able to
accomplish the objectives on the next 2 slides.
• The objectives and characteristics of a computer
system support those of the information system
and organization of which it is a part.
• An understanding of the relationship of the
computer system to the information system, and
ultimately, to the business, is vital to selecting or
assembling an effective computer system.
• Information systems add value to organizations,
yet their use is strongly influenced by the structure
and culture of the organization.

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 Principles and Learning Objectives

• Assembling an effective, efficient computer system

requires an understanding of its relationship to the
information system and the organization. The
computer system objectives are subordinate to, but
supportive of, the information system and the needs
of the organization.

– Describe how to select and organize computer system

components to support information system objectives and
business organization needs.

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 Principles and Learning Objectives
• When selecting computer devices, you also must
consider the current and future needs of the
information system and the organization.Your choice
of a particular computer system device should always
allow for later improvements.
– Describe the power, speed, and capacity of central
processing and memory devices.
– Describe the access methods, capacity, and portability of
secondary storage devices.
– Discuss the speed, functionality, and importance of input and
output devices.
– Identify popular classes of computer systems and discuss
the role of each.

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 Hardware Components
• A computer system is a set of integrated devices
that input, output, process, and store data and
information. Computer systems are currently
built around at least one digital processing
device.
• There are five main hardware components in a
computer system: the central processing unit, or
CPU; primary storage, or main memory;
secondary storage; and input and output devices.

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 Hardware Components

• Central processing unit (CPU)

• Primary storage (main memory; memory)
• Secondary storage
• Input devices
• Output devices

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 Hardware Components

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• Program instructions are executed in the CPU. These instructions are
not equivalent to a line of code in a program written by a programmer;
each line of code may be made of numerous internal program
instructions.
• The machine cycle includes the activities involved in executing an
instruction.
• The machine cycle consists of two parts: the instruction phase followed
by the execution phase.
• During the instruction phase, the control unit retrieves the instruction to
be executed from main memory. The instruction is then decoded so the
CPU understands the work to be done. Necessary data is then retrieved
from memory and stored in a register.
• During the execution phase the arithmetic logic unit performs the
instruction and the results are stored in registers.
• Most central processors use pipelining to speed processing. During
pipelining, as one instruction is being executed, another is being decoded,
and yet a third is being retrieved. Modern chips often used more than
one pipeline. For instance, the Pentium processor uses two pipelines and
thus can execute two instructions during one machine cycle.
MSIS 110: Introduction to Computers; Instructor: S. Mathiyalakan 9
 Hardware Components in Action

• Step 1 : Fetch instruction

• Step 2 : Decode instruction
• Step 3 : Execute the instruction
• Step 4 : Store results

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Hardware Components in Action

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Processing & Memory Devices

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The system unit houses the processing
components of the computer system. All
other computer system devices are called
peripherals, and are connected directly or
indirectly into the system unit. Speedy and
efficient processing is important. There are
several ways to measure processing speed
and many factors affect it.

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 Processing Characteristics and
Functions

• Machine cycle time is measured in:

– Microseconds (1 millionth)
– Nanoseconds (1 billionth)
– Picoseconds (1 trillionth)
– MIPS (Millions of Instructions Processed per
Second)

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 Processing Characteristics and
Functions

• Clock speed: electronic pulses affecting machine cycle

time
– Hertz: one cycle (pulse) per second
– Megahertz (MHz): millions of cycles per second
• Microcode: internal, predefined elementary operations in
a CPU

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• The machine cycle occurs very quickly. The length of time
of a machine cycle is measured in fractions of a second.
These units include: micro seconds, one millionth of one
second; nanoseconds, one billionth of one second; or
picoseconds, one trillionth of one second.
• Machine cycle time can also be measured by how many
instructions are executed during a second. MIPS,or
millions of instructions per second, is often used to
measure the processing speed of computers. In the not
too distant past, MIPS was a measure used only for large
computers, such as mainframes or supercomputers;
however, today, even the processing speed of laptop
computers is measured in MIPs.

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 Clock Speed

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 Wordlength and Bus Line Width

• Bits (Binary Digits): smallest form of data in a

computer
• Word: number of bits that can be processed as a
unit
• Bus lines: electrical paths of data flow

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 Physical Characteristics of the CPU

• Digital circuits on chips

• Electrical current flows through silicon
• Moore’s Law - transistor density of chips
will double every 18 months

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 Physical Characteristics of the CPU

• Superconductivity - property of certain metals

that allows current to flow with minimal
electrical resistance

• Optical processors - uses light waves instead of

electrical current

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 Moore’s Law

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 Complex and Reduced
Instruction Set Computing
• Complex instruction set computing (CISC) -
places as many microcode instructions into the
central processor as possible

• Reduced instruction set computing (RISC) -

involves reducing the number of microcode
instructions built into a chip to an essential set
of common microcode instructions

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Memory Characteristics and
Functions

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 Storage Capacity

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 Types of Memory

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 Types of RAM

• EDO (Extended Data Out)

• DRAM (Dynamic RAM)
• SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)

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 Types of ROM

• ROM (read-only memory)

• PROM (programmable read-only memory)
• EPROM (erasable programmable read-only
memory)

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 Cache Memory

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 Multiprocessing

• Speeds processing by linking hundreds and

even thousands of processors to operate at
the same time

• Can coordinate large amounts of data and

access them with greater speed

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 Massively Parallel Processing

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 Secondary Storage

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 Secondary Storage

• Offers the advantages of nonvolatility, greater

capacity, and greater economy

• Access methods, storage capacities, and

portability required are determined by the
information system’s objectives

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 Secondary Storage

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 Access Methods

• Sequential: records must be retrieved in

order
– Devices used are called sequential access
storage devices (SASD)
• Direct: records can be retrieved in any
order
– Devices used are called direct access storage
devices (DASDs)

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 Devices

• Magnetic tapes
• Magnetic disks
• RAID
• Storage area networks (SAN)
• Optical disks
• Magneto-optical (MO) disks
• Digital versatile disks (DVDs)

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 Types of Secondary Storage

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 Magnetic Disks

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 Storage Area Network

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 Digital Versatile Disk

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 Additional Devices and Media

• Memory cards
• Flash memory
• Expandable storage

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 Expandable Storage

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Comparison of Secondary Storage Devices

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 Characteristics and Functionality

• Data - can be human or machine readable

• Data entry - converts human readable data into
machine-readable form
• Data input - transfers machine-readable data into
the system
• Source data automation - capturing and editing
data at its source

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 Input and Output Devices

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 Input Devices

• Personal computer input devices

– Keyboard
– Mouse
• Voice-recognition devices
• Digital cameras
• Terminals

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 Digital Computer Cameras

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Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
Device

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 Output Devices

• Display monitors
• Printers and plotters
• Music devices
• Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
– Active matrix
– Passive matrix

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 Printers

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 Computer System Types

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 Computer System Types

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 Standards

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 Standards

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Selecting and Upgrading Computer Systems

• Hard drive considerations

• Main memory considerations
• Printer considerations

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 Price List

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 Summary
• Hardware - includes any machinery that assists with
the input, processing, and output activities of a CBIS

• Processing speed - often measured by the time it

takes to complete one machine cycle

• Primary storage (memory) - provides working storage

for program instructions and data

• Common forms of secondary storage - magnetic

tape, magnetic disk, compact disk, digital video disk,
and optical disk storage
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