Chapter 3:

Hardware
Topic: Computer Architecture
Von Neuman CPU architecture
Components of the CPU

• Control Unit
• Arithmetic Logic
Unit
• System clock
• Registers
• Buses
• Memory
System buses
 [System] Buses
• Address Bus
• Carries addresses throughout the computer system.
• Is unidirectional

• Data Bus
• Data can be carried from the CPU to memory ( and vice versa) . Can be an instruction or
a numerical value.
• Is bidirectional.

• Control Bus
• Carries signals from control Unit to all the other computer components.
Computer Memory
• READ operation:

• The address from which data is to be read is

first written into MAR( memory address
register)

• A “read” signal is now sent to the computer

memory

• The contents of this memory address will

now be put into the MDR (memory address
register)
Computer Memory
• WRITE operation

• Now we want to show how the value 01101110

was written into the memory location 5.

• the data to be stored is first written in MDR.

• This data has to be written into location with

address 5, so this address is now written in MAR
KEYWORD:

Q.1 Write down the meanings of the following keywords:

a) Hard drive
b) Memory Address
c) RAM
d) System clock
 Activity 3.1
Q.1 Copy the table and fill in a description for each component in the
CPU:
Component Description
Program Counter (PC)
Memory Address Register (MAR)
Memory Data Register (MDR)
Control Unit (CU)
Current Instruction register (CIR)
Arithemtic Logic unit (ALU)
Accumulator (ACC)
Address Bus
Data Bus
Control Bus
Fetch-decode-execute cycle
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO4F1E81M8g
 Activity 3.1
Q.2 Where is data stored before it is fetched into the CPU?

Q.3 Which component in the CPU is responsible for making sure the
fetch-decode-execute cycle is performed correctly?
 Performance of a CPU
The performance of a CPU refers to how quickly the CPU can process an instruction.
For example : High performing CPU is the need of every user so they are not sat
waiting and frustrated with their computer because it takes too long to open a
document etc. The main factors are:
 Factors affecting the CPU’s
performance
1. The width of the address bus and
data bus
2. Overclocking
The clock speed can be changed by accessing
the BIOS and altering the settings.
However overclocking can result in
overheating of the CPU which can lead to
unreliable performance.
3. Use of cache memory
It is located inside the CPU therefore it has
much faster data access time than RAM.
The larger the cache memory size the better
the performance of CPU.
4. Use of different number of cores
1. 1 core= ALU, CU and registers
 Instruction Set
• Instructions: are a set of operations which are
decoded in sequence.
• An instruction set is a set of all the
commands that are understood and
can be processed by the CPU. These
commands are in machine code.
• Example can be X86, a common CPU standard
used in many modern computers.
• An instruction word consists of 16 bits out of
which 12 bit is the operand and 4 bits for
opcode.
• Operand – is the data that needs to be acted on
or it can be a register that is referred.
• Opcode—informs the CPU what needs to be done
Difference between instruction set and program code
Instruction set Program code

Are the low level language instructions that instruct the CPU how to Needs interpreters and compilers to convert the code into
carry out an operation. instructions set understood by the computer.
Activity 3.2

Q.4 Write down the factors affecting the

performance of a microprocessor. Define each
factor.

Q.5 What is meant by Instruction set? How is it

different from a programming code?

Homework:
Q.2 Page 82(to be done in the copy)
 Embedded Systems
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=Vt7kXpAaqGo

Embedded systems are

a combination of hardware and
software designed to provide a
specific function within a larger
system.

• Embedded systems are

increasingly common in the world
of the Internet.
• As more of our devices and
products are connected directly to
real-time monitoring.
Industrial machines, consumer electronics,
agricultural and processing industry devices,
automobiles, medical equipment, cameras, digital
watches, household appliances, airplanes, vending
machines and toys, as well as mobile devices, are
possible locations for an embedded system.
Examples of the use of embedded systems