CP1610:

Introduction to Computer
Components

The Motherboard
What is the Motherboard?
 The largest circuit board in a computer.
 The means by which all devices are
connected to each other, and the CPU.
 Also called the system board.
Parts on a
Motherboard
What is the CPU
 Central Processing Unit.
 Also called the processor or the
microprocessor.
 The most important chip in the computer.
 The brain, or command centre.
Parts of the CPU
 Input/output (I/O) unit

 Arithmetic logic unit(s) (ALU)

 Control unit
How the CPU Works
 Parking
(Registers)
10 9

ALU ALU

You need to go to Building 10!

Parking
(Internal
Cache)
The Control Unit
(CU) is like a
Please wait until the
roadsecurity
is clear, and I guard
will
open the gate!
directing
The I/O Unit is like students to the
the security guard correct building.
at the front gate.
CISC vs. RISC Processors
 CISC
 Complex Instruction Set Code
 RISC
 Reduced Instruction Set Code
CISC
RISC
Other Parts on the Motherboard
 System Bus
 CMOS
 BIOS
 The Chipset
 System Clock
 Expansion Slots
 Floppy and Disk Drive Connections
 Memory
System Bus
 Metal lines (traces) connecting parts on
the motherboard.
 Allow data to travel between devices and
the CPU.
 Like a system of roads throughout a city.
 Can be expanded to other parts (like
highways connecting towns and cities).
CMOS
 Chip that saves your system settings:
 Date and time
 Hardware configuration
 Boot device order
 Has a battery so that it can save your
settings even when the computer is off
 CMOS stands for Complex Metal Oxide
Semiconductor
BIOS
 Basic Input/Output System
 Stores basic instructions on how the computer
can talk to:
 Keyboard
 Mouse
 Monitor
 Memory
 Allows a computer to operate basic functions
without any other software installed
 Is the same for ALL computers.
The Chipset
 The chipset controls most parts of the
computer.
 It handles ‘routine’ work, so the CPU can
handle more important processing.
 Some of the chips in the chipset include:
 Interrupt
Controller
 Keyboard Controller
 DMA Controller
The Interrupt Controller
 What is an Interrupt?
 Lots of devices want to get the CPU’s
attention;
 An interrupt is a signal that tells the CPU
which device is calling, or sending data;
 The Interrupt Controller is a chip that controls
the flow of data on the system bus, and lets
the CPU know which device needs it;
Who is trying
to call me?
This better
be important!

The CPU
(Everyone
wants his Don’t worry…
attention!)
I can direct
traffic for you!
The Interrupt Controller
is like a police offer
directing traffic at a busy
roundabout.

Some devices get

priority over others
How the Interrupt Controller Works
System Clock 0

Interrupt Controller
CPU
Keyboard 1
2
3
4

5
Floppy 6
7

8
9
Interrupt Controller
10
11
PS/2 Mouse 12

13
14
15
Common IRQ USUAL FUNCTION/DEVICE
0 System Timer
Interrupt 1 Keyboard
2 2nd IRQ controller
Requests 3 COM2:

(IRQ’s) 4 COM1:
5 Free (used by LPT2: or sound card)
6 Floppy disk
7 LPT1:
8 Real Time Clock (RTC)
9 Free (may be labeled/appear as IRQ 2)
10 Free (often used by sound cards)
11 Free
12 PS/2 mouse
13 Math coprocessor on CPU (used)
14 Primary IDE
15 Secondary IDE
Keyboard Controller
 The Keyboard Controller provides the
following functions:
 Keyboard Control and Interpretation.
 PS/2 Mouse Support.
 Access to the High Memory Area.
 The Keyboard Controller is often not
needed in newer computers.
The DMA Controller
 Direct Memory Access
 Sometimes devices may want to ‘talk’ to
each other without ‘going through’ the
CPU.
 DMA Controller controls access to the
system bus, and RAM, and bypasses the
CPU.
 I’m busy
with official
business…
don’t bother
me!

The CPU This better be

(Not everyone Thanks, officer.
important I guess
if you want I
needs his don’t need going
to keep to bother
downwith
Don’t worry, Sarge!
this car! I’ll
attention!) Madinat Khalifa!
direct this car through the
roundabout!
I’m only going to
The Interrupt Controller Beep!McDonald’s! Do I really
need to go see the CPU
The DMA Controller is like a Beep! first?
second traffic officer who Can I go
handles traffic not going to now?
the CPU
Some devices
don’t need to talk
to the CPU
The System Clock
 Crystal that emits a
pulse/signal.
 Acts like a drummer
in a rock band.
 Pulses provide
timing for the CPU
and other devices.
Clock Speeds
 Measured in Hertz
 Cycles per second
 Speed of the Motherboard:
 Megahertz (MHz)
 Speed of the CPU:
 Gigahertz (GHz)
Expansion Slots
 Allow you to ‘expand’ the capabilities of
your computer.
 Connect new circuit boards to your
motherboard.
 Connect the data buses (roads) on the
expansion cards to the system bus (roads)
on the motherboard.
Common Expansion Cards
 Sound Cards
 Modems
 Network Cards
 Video Cards
 Specialty Cards
Types of Expansion Slots
 ISA
 Industry Standard Architecture
 Older, ‘legacy’ cards

 PCI
 PeripheralComponent Interconnect
 Newer, faster expansion cards

 AGP
 Accelerated Graphics Port
Floppy and Disk Drive Connections

 Special slots for ‘ribbon’ (data) cables.

 Allow you to connect:
 Floppy disk drives;
 Hard disk drives;
 CD/DVD drives;
 Zip disk drives;
 Etc…
Floppy Drives
 There is usually only
one floppy disk drive
connection.
 A floppy controller
chip on the
motherboard controls
talking to, and
fuctions of the floppy
drive.
EIDE Connections
 Used to connect:
 Harddisk drives;
 CD/DVD drives;
 Two connectors on the motherboard.
 Each connector can connect two devices;
 Up to four EIDI devices can be connected;
Memory Devices
 Hold data and instructions.
 Types of Memory:
 System Memory;
 RAM;
 ROM;
System Memory
 1 Megabyte (1 MB)
 Built into motherboard.
 Maximum memory that could be handled by:
 OlderPC’s;
 New PC’s before system drivers and OS are booted;

 Hold data and instructions for:

 System drivers;
 Programs used by the user;
Anything above 1 MB

Reserved for device

drivers and system
functions

Available to the user

for any software
RAM vs. ROM
 RAM  ROM
 Random Access  Read Only Memory
Memory  Stores basic system
 Stores data and settings
instructions  Non-volatile
 Volatile  Example:
 Examples:  BIOS
 RAMchips
 CMOS
Types of Motherboards
 Choice of motherboard affects:
 Capabilities
and limitations of system;
 Type of computer case needed;
 Common types of motherboards:
 AT
 ATX
 Backplane
The AT Motherboard
 Smaller
 Used for classic
Pentium CPU
 Uses SIMM RAM
 Uses P8 and P9
power connectors
The ATX Motherboard
 Faster
 Easier to install
 More power
management features
 Uses DIMM RAM
 Has a PI power
connector
Backplane Motherboards
 Actually built into the computer case.
 More difficult to make upgrades.
 Not as popular.