Hardware

Hardware = all physical components/technical equipment of a computer system.

Von Neumann Architecture

A concept how computers work – almost all modern computers use its principles.

OUTPUT It is a device, which is used to show final data

ARITHMETIC-LOGIC A device, which does all arithmetic and logic operations

UNIT
PRIMARY MEMORY A device, which is used to store data and instructions in a computer for
high-speed access

INPUT A device, which is used to insert data into computer

CONTROL UNIT A device, which controls other parts of the computer according to
instructions

SECONDARY MEMORY A device that saves data; it has higher capacity, but it is slower than the
primary one
Common Physical Ports
A physical port serves as an interface between the computer and a peripheral device.
CPU = Central Processing Unit
• or simply processor
• It processes instructions (operations defined by software) and data

CPU = .......................................................................................

• Well-known vendors:
o Intel:
▪ Core i7, Core i5, Core i3; Pentium – desktops, laptops
▪ Core M – ultrabooks
o AMD
▪ Ryzen, Ryzen Pro, Athlon – desktops, laptops
o Qualcomm: SnapDragon (smartphones, tablets)

• CPU performance depends mostly on:

o …………………………………………………..: it defines how the CPU processes instructions

and data
Examples:

o …………………………………………………..: a CPU core is a relatively independent block,

which can process one stream of instructions (e.g. a running application).
Examples: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

o ………………………………………: it defines how many steps can be done by the CPU in a

second – e.g. a CPU at 3 GHz can accomplish 3 000 000 000 steps per second. Usually
– the higher clock rate the better performance.
However, a higher rate does not mean the CPU is automatically better than a slower one – it
still depends on architecture, cores etc.

o ……………………………………………..: ………………………. is a temporary storage of data and

instructions, which is close to the CPU – reason: the CPU does not have to access
RAM too often (RAM is slower in comparison to the CPU).

compare X with Y

compare X to Y

compare X and Y

compared to/with

in comparison to
in comparison with
 Motherboard
Also known as the mainboard.

....................................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................................

Figure 1: Smartphone Motherboard

Figure 2: PC Motherboard

……………………………. = connective paths on the motherboard.

They transfer instructions and data between input, output, CPU and memory.

They are limited in how many bits they can carry at a time – e.g. if it is 32-bit kind, it can transfer
32 bits at once.

Figure 3: The wider bus the faster communication (source:

http://www.alf.sd83.bc.ca/courses/it11/images/f713_thebus_sm.gif,
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/system/microsoft/xbox360/motherboard/serialconnection.jpg)
Memory
It is an area where the computer stores data and instructions. It is ………………………………………………... .

There are 2 types of memory:

PRIMARY SECONDARY

Key difference between them: data and instruction in the secondary memory must be moved to the
primary one before they can be accessed by the CPU. Primary memory is accessed directly.

Primary memory - Parts

• ……………………………..
• ……………………………..
• ……………………………..
• ……………………………..

RAM
It is the main type of primary memory. Here are kept data and running programs.

Also known as RWM = ………………………………………………………………………………..

RAM capacity - usually in GB.

Device Typical Capacity

Smartphone
Laptop
Desktop
Server

RAM for desktops and laptops is made in the form of modules, which differ in size.

RAM for desktops

RAM for laptops

Secondary Memory
Also known as ............................................. = permanent memory for data.

Flash memory and Solid State Drives (SSDs)

Flash memory ……………………………………………………………………………………………………...

USB flash drives and memory cards are compact forms of flash
memory used with cameras, smartphones and tablet computers.

The internal storage of a computer can use a solid state drive

(SSD), which is a much larger piece of flash memory. SSDs are an
alternative to HDD; they are better in almost all aspects.

SSD drives nowadays are in the form of:

• NVMe drive – they look like a card

• SATA drive – similar to HDD, slower than NVMe

Figure 4: NVMe SSD drive Figure 5: SATA SSD drive

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

Hard drives can store large amounts of data - 500 GB to 12 TB is common in desktops or laptops.

Figure 2: Comparison - Desktop HDD vs Laptop HDD (source: Figure 1: HDD platters (source:
http://www.notebro.ro/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2.5-vs- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Laptop-
3.5-Inch-Drives-Introduction-Image1.jpg) hard-drive-exposed.jpg)

Physical principle of storage: .....................................................................................................................

Sensitive to drops and knocks, especially when on.

Use:
• Internal storage – inside the laptop/desktop
• External – external HDD

Questions
1. Which unit is (according to the von Neumann architecture) responsible for
a. the presentation of outcomes?
b. making steps as defined by an application?
c. permanent storage of data or instructions?
2. List all units the CPU is composed of.
3. Why is the cache used in processors?
4. What would happen, if a computer did not have any storage device?

Wordstock
equipment vybavenie, výbava

input vstup

output výstup

control unit riadiaca jednotka

interface rozhranie

device zariadenie

process (v) spracovať

performance výkon

bus zbernica

motherboard základná doska

volatile nestály, premenlivý