Chapter 2

Computer
Hardware
Hardware vs. Software
 Hardware
• The physical equipment used to process
information
 Software
• Instructions that, with the help of people,
command the hardware to perform desired
tasks

Chapter 2 Slide 2
Computer Hardware Conceptual
Overview

Figure 3-1 Chapter 3 Slide 3

Computer Devices
 Processing hardware
• Controls the peripheral devices, as
directed by computer software
 Data bus
• Electrical connection managing the flow of
data between the processing hardware and
the rest of the computer

Chapter 3 Slide 4
Computer Devices
 Adaptors (controllers)
• Reside inside the computer and convert
commands and data from the data bus into
signals that peripheral devices can use
 Port
• A connection between the computer box
and a device outside the computer

Chapter 3 Slide 5
Computer Devices

 Input, output, and communications

devices
• Transfer data between a computer and its
users or other computers
 Storage devices
• Save data for later processing

Chapter 3 Slide 6
Uses of Input Hardware
 Active data entry
• A person uses an input device to enter
data into a computer
 Passive data entry
• The computer obtains information without
the active participation of a user
 Control
• A person uses an input device to control
the tasks or actions of the computer.

Chapter 3 Slide 7
Input Devices
 Keyboard
• Consists of a plastic or metal housing
containing keys that, when pressed, send a
signal to the computer
 Pointing devices
• Allow the user to control the movement of
a cursor (pointer) on the screen

Chapter 3 Slide 8
Input Devices
 Formatted Text Readers
• Read text formatted specifically for the
device in use
 Image Capture Devices
• Include scanners, digital still cameras, and
digital camcorders

Chapter 3 Slide 9
Input Devices
 Instrumentation devices
• Receive input through other devices, such
as machines and musical instruments, that
produce electrical output
 Sensors
• Devices that respond to the environment
with a signal that a computer can interpret

Chapter 3 Slide 10
Processing Hardware – The Execution
Cycle

Figure 3-5 Chapter 3 Slide 11

Measuring Processing Power

 Word length and bus width

 Speed of arithmetic
 Instruction speed
 Instruction set
 Pipelining

Chapter 3 Slide 12
Processing Hardware
 Parallel processing
• Uses two or more processors in a single
computer
 Specialized processors
• Processors, such as video accelerators,
voice processors, cryptographic
coprocessors, and DSPs, that perform
highly specialized tasks

Chapter 3 Slide 13
Processing Trends
 Moore’s Law
• A 1965 prediction by Gordon Moore, a co-
founder of Intel, that the amount of
information storable in a square inch of
silicon would double about every 18
months

Chapter 3 Slide 14
Types of Storage Hardware
 Primary storage
• Electrical, resides on the bus, and is
directly accessible to the processor
 Secondary storage
• Storage that the processor cannot access
directly

Chapter 3 Slide 15
Types of Storage Hardware

 Volatile storage
• Requires electrical power to retain its data
 Non-volatile storage
• Retains its data in the absence of electrical
power

Chapter 3 Slide 16
Primary Storage Devices
 Cache memory
• Expensive super-fast primary storage
 RAM (random access memory)
• Volatile primary storage
 ROM (read-only memory)
• Non-volatile primary storage

Chapter 3 Slide 17
Secondary Storage Devices

 Fixed media
• Hard disk
• RAID
 Removable media
• Includes diskettes, cartridge disks,
magnetic tape, optical media, and flash
memory

Chapter 3 Slide 18
Other Storage Technologies

 Distributed Storage
• Storage Area Networks (SANs)
 Volumetric Storage
• Holographic
• MFD

Chapter 3 Slide 19
Hardware for Data Output

 Softcopy
• Output on an unmovable medium, such as
a computer screen.
 Hardcopy
• Output on a medium, such as paper, that
can be removed from the computer.
 Robotic
• Output into devices that physically move in
response to signals from a computer.

Chapter 3 Slide 20