3 Module 2.2 - Computer Memory

Amity School of Engineering & Technology
Learning Objectives
In this chapter you will learn about:
Internal structure of processor

Memory structure
Determining the speed of a processor
Different types of processors available
Determining the capacity of a memory
Different types of memory available
Several other terms relatedto the
processor and main memory of a computer system
Block Diagram of Computer
• Functional block diagram consists of three

basic units:
1) Input/Output devices
2) System Unit
3) Storage Unit
• Computer hardware system consists of
different types of devices. Each device is
connected directly or indirectly to the
motherboard. These are classified into three
basic categories:
• Input/Output Devices: User enters the commands

and data through the keyboard or mouse, these data
are translated into a form that computer can process.
After processing the data, output devices converts it
into human understandable format.
Ex. Commonly used input/output devices are keyboard,
mouse, monitor and printer.
• System Unit : Also called as system cabinet contains

the most of the electronic components that make up a
computer system. Important component is processor,
which controls and manipulates data to produce
information. Clock is used to synchronize the whole
circuitry of the system.
• RAM (Random Access Memory) use to store
temporarily data to read or write data onto the
disk/memory. ROM (Read Only Memory) contains
permanently stored programs such as monitor
programs. Expansion slots are available on
motherboard to enhance computer system by using
graphics cards, sound cards, TV tuner card etc. Ports
are connecting sockets on the system unit like monitor
port, printer port, USB port, RJ45 port and audio port.
• Storage Unit : Attached hard disk inside the cabinet is

mainly used as storage device, as it can store more
data and faster than CD drive. But still CD (Compact
disc) and DVD (Digital Video Disc) are used to store
and transfer data from one pc to another.
• It's a microprocessor chip developed by Intel, AMD or any

other company.
• CPU speed depends upon the clock frequency, higher the
clock frequency more number of instructions can be
executed per second.
• Clock frequency is measured in MHz or GHz.
• CPU word size is the largest number of bits that can be
handled by CPU in one clock cycle. It is either 8, 16, 32, 64
or 128 bit.
• This word size value determines number of bit processor
i.e. 8-bit processor, 16-bit processor, 32 bit processor etc.
• CPU performance also depends upon the RAM, bus speed
and cache size as well.
• Called as heart of the computer.
Working
• CPU consists of three basic units: control unit,
Arithmetic Logical Unit (ALU) and memory unit.
• Input is given through the input devices to CPU.
• Control unit controls communication within ALU and
memory unit.
• Decides which circuit is to be activated.
• For reading instruction it uses Fetch-execute
mechanism.
• Control unit gets instruction from memory.
• Control unit decides what to do of that instruction and
transfers it to the ALU.
• ALU performs various arithmetic operations like

addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and
logical operations like AND, OR, NOT, NAND etc. on
that instruction.
• Results of ALU are stored in the memory or resistor for
its further operations.
• After completing the instruction, stored results are
passed to the output devices.
• To synchronize all these operations CPU uses its own
system clock.
What it does?
• Executes stored instructions called as program.

• Tells rest of the computer system what to do.
• Executes arithmetic calculation and data
manipulation.
• Holds data and instruction which are in the
current use.
• Responsible for storing and retrieving
information on disks and other media.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)

 The brain of a computer system
 Performs all major calculations and comparisons
 Activates and controls the operations of other units of a
computer system
 Two basic components are
 Control Unit (CU)
 Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
 No other single component of a

computer determines its overall performance as much
as the CPU
Control Unit (CU)
• One of the two basic components of CPU

• Act as the central nervous system of a computer System
• Select and interprets program instructions, and coordinate
execution
• Has some special purpose registers and a decoder to perform
these activities
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

 One of the two basic components of CPU.
 Actual execution of instructions takes place in ALU
 Has some special purpose registers
 Has necessary circuitry to carry out all the
arithmetic and logic operations included in the CPU
instruction set
• A small or large circuit board inside a cabinet

containing most of the electronic components.
• Everything connected to the computer is directly or
indirectly plugged into motherboard. Components like
CPU, BIOS, ROM, RAM, chips, and CMOS setup
information.
• Expansion slots for installing different cards like video,
sound, graphics, and NIC.
• Also contains RAM slots, system chipset, controllers
and underlying circuit to tie it together.
What was the first motherboard?

Best Motherboards
1. Asus ROG Maximus XII HERO - best Intel motherboard
2. MSI MEG Z490 Godlike - best high-end Intel motherboard
3. GIGABYTE Z490 Gaming X - best budget Intel motherboard
4. MSI MPG Z390M Gaming Edge AC - best Intel micro-ATX motherboard
5. Asus ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming - best Intel mini-ITX motherboard
6. ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X - best AMD motherboard
7. Aorus X570 Master - best high performance AMD motherboard
8. Asus ROG Strix B550-E Gaming - best budget AMD motherboard
9. Asus TUF Gaming B550M-PLUS - best AMD micro-ATX motherboard
10.ASUS ROG Strix X470-I - best AMD mini-ITX motherboard
11.ASRock X299 Taichi - best Intel Core X-series motherboard
12.MSI Creator TRX40 - best AMD Ryzen Threadripper motherboard
•
Memory Capacity
 Memory capacity of a computer is equal to the number
of bytes that can be stored in its primary storage
 Its units are:
Kilobytes (KB) : 1024 (210) bytes
Megabytes (MB) : 1,048,576 (220) bytes
Gigabytes (GB) : 1,073,741824 (230) bytes

Random Access Memory (RAM)

 Primary storage of a computer is often referred to as RAM
because of its random access capability
 RAM chips are volatile memory
 A computer’s motherboard is designed in a manner that
the memory capacity can be enhanced by adding more
memory chips
 The additional RAM chips, which plug into special sockets
on the motherboard, are known as single-in-line memory
modules (SIMMs)
What Is RAM?
Types of RAM
LATESR RAM
• DDR4 SDRAM is the abbreviation for "double data rate fourth

generation synchronous dynamic random-access memory", the
latest variant of memory in
computing. ... DDR4 chips are expected to support transfer rates
between 2133 MT/s (million transfers per second) and 4266 MT/s.
• https://youtu.be/PVad0c2cljo
• Normally RAM comes in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB

Slots Samsung sells a single 32GB stick of DDR4
RAM, but it's quite expensive. The maximum
you'll see in the wild is usually 16GB.
ROM (Read Only Memory)
• Also called as non-volatile memory.

• Holds the permanent programs to tell system
how to use circuit board.
• Data is not lost even the computer is switched
off or power failure.
• Data in this memory is read only.
Types of ROMs
Type Usage
•It is programmed at the factory.
•MROM (Mask-programmed ROM) •Program or data is permanently installed at
the time of manufacturing.
User-programmed ROM
or •Can be custom-programmed by the user
Programmable ROM (PROM) only once using special circuitry PROM
programmer.
•This circuit uses high voltages to
permanently eliminate or create inner links.
Can be programmed by the user using
Erasable PROM (EPROM) strong ultraviolet light and special circuitry .
(Continued on next
slide)
Types of ROMs
Type Usage
Electrically EPROM • Can be erased and reprogrammed by

(EEPROM) electrical signals.
• Manufacturing process is complex and
expensive.
• Rarely used.
Cache Memory
 It is commonly used for minimizing the memory-
processor speed mismatch.
 It is an extremely fast, small memory between CPU
and main memory whose access time is closer to the
processing speed of the CPU.
 It is used to temporarily store very active data and
instructions during processing.
Cache is pronounced as “cash”

Can a computer work without a hard drive?

How is a hard drive connected to a computer?
• An internal hard drive connects to the

computer using two means: a data cable
(IDE, SATA, or SCSI) to the motherboard and
a power cable to the power supply.
• The vast majority of drives in use today
connect through a standard interface called
Serial ATA (or SATA). Specialized storage
systems sometimes use Serial Attached SCSI
(SAS), Fibre Channel.
The Solid State Drive (SSD)

• Solid state is industry shorthand for an integrated circuit,
and that’s the key difference between an SSD and a HDD:
there are no moving parts inside an SSD. Rather than using
disks, motors and read/write heads, SSDs use flash
memory instead — that is, computer chips that retain their
information even when the power is turned off.
• SSDs provide a huge performance advantage over hard

drives — they’re faster to start up, faster to shut down, and
faster to transfer data.
• Many SSD makers produce SSD mechanisms that are

designed to be plug-and-play drop-in replacements for 2.5-
inch and 3.5-inch hard disk drives because there are
millions of existing computers
• Intel’s 32 TB P4500. Resembling a standard 12-inch ruler,
the Intel SSD DC P4500 has a 32 terabyte capacity
Laptop makers adopted the mSATA, and then the M.2

standard, which can be as small as a few squares of chocolate
but have the same capacity as any 2.5” SATA SSD.
Key Words/Phrases
 Accumulator Register (AR)  Flash Memory
 Address  Input/Output Register (I/O)
 Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)  Instruction Register (I)
 Branch Instruction  Instruction set
 Cache Memory  Kilobytes (KB)
 Central Processing Unit (CPU)  Main Memory
 CISC (Complex Instruction Set  Manufacturer-Programmed ROM
Computer) architecture  Megabytes (MB)
 Clock cycles  Memory
 Clock speed  Memory Address Register (MAR)
 Control Unit  Memory Buffer Register (MBR)
 Electrically EPROM (EEPROM)  Microprogram
 Erasable Programmable Read- Only
 Multi-core processor
Memory (EPROM)
 Non-Volatile storage Processor
 Explicitly Parallel Instruction
 Program Control Register (PC)
• Computing (EPIC)
 Programmable Read-Only Memory
 Fixed-word-length memory
(PROM)
 Random Access Memory (RAM)
114
Key Words/Phrases
(Continued from previous slide..)
Read-Only Memory (ROM)

Register
RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)
architecture
Single In-line Memory Module (SIMM)
Ultra Violet EPROM (UVEPROM)
Upward compatible
User-Programmed ROM
Variable-word-length memory
Volatile Storage
Word length
Word size
114

3 Module 2.2 - Computer Memory

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

3 Module 2.2 - Computer Memory

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Amity School of Engineering & Technology

Internal structure of processor

Block Diagram of Computer

• Functional block diagram consists of three

• Input/Output Devices: User enters the commands

• System Unit : Also called as system cabinet contains

• Storage Unit : Attached hard disk inside the cabinet is

• It's a microprocessor chip developed by Intel, AMD or any

• ALU performs various arithmetic operations like

• Executes stored instructions called as program.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

 No other single component of a

Control Unit (CU)

• One of the two basic components of CPU

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

• A small or large circuit board inside a cabinet

What was the first motherboard?

Kilobytes (KB) : 1024 (210) bytes

Megabytes (MB) : 1,048,576 (220) bytes

Gigabytes (GB) : 1,073,741824 (230) bytes

Random Access Memory (RAM)

• DDR4 SDRAM is the abbreviation for "double data rate fourth

• Normally RAM comes in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB

ROM (Read Only Memory)

• Also called as non-volatile memory.

Can be programmed by the user using

Erasable PROM (EPROM) strong ultraviolet light and special circuitry .

Electrically EPROM • Can be erased and reprogrammed by

Cache is pronounced as “cash”

Can a computer work without a hard drive?

How is a hard drive connected to a computer?

• An internal hard drive connects to the

The Solid State Drive (SSD)

• SSDs provide a huge performance advantage over hard

• Many SSD makers produce SSD mechanisms that are

Laptop makers adopted the mSATA, and then the M.2

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

You might also like