IT1707

System Unit
System unit – is the main hardware component of the computer system. It is the enclosure for all the essential electronic
components that make up a computer system. System units can be in a separated case, but can also be inside a portable
computer that share containers with other parts of the computer system.
 Desktops – Most desktops have their system unit in a separate case. This case contains the system’s electronic
components and selected secondary storage devices. Input and output devices, such as mouse, keyboard, and
monitor are located outside the system unit.
 Laptops – These are portable computers. Their system units are housed with selected secondary storage devices and
input devices.
 Tablets – These portable computers have their system unit located behind the monitor.
 Smartphones – The system unit of these mobile devices are located behind the display screen. There are other
mobile computers including wearable computers.
Personal computers come in a variety of different sizes, shapes, and capabilities. While they look different and each has its
own unique features, they share similar components, including system boards, microprocessors, and memory.
System Board
System board – This controls communications for the entire computer system. All devices and components connect to the
system board, including external devices like keyboards and monitors and internal components like hard-disk drives and
microprocessors.
The system board acts as a data path and traffic monitor, allowing the various components to communicate efficiently with
one another. This is a flat circuit board covered with a variety of different electronic components including sockets, slots, and
bus lines.
 Sockets – Provide a connection point for small specialized electronic parts called chip. Chips consists of tiny circuit
boards. A chip is also called as integrated circuit (IC). Chips typically are mounted onto chip carriers. These carriers
plug either directly into sockets on the system board or onto cards that are then plugged into slots on the system
board. Sockets are used to connect the system board to a variety of different types of chips, including microprocessor
and memory chips.
 Slots – These provide a connection point for specialized cards or circuit boards. These cards provide expansion
capability for a computer system.
 Bus Lines – These are electrically conductive pathways of the system board. These carry the data from place to place.
These provide pathways that support communication among the various electronic components that are either
located on the system board or attached to the system board.
Microprocessor
Central Processing Unit (CPU) – This contains millions of tiny transistors and pathways (bus lines) that take in data and
instructions, process the data according to the instructions, and output the results of the calculations. It is contained on a
single chip called the microprocessor. It has three (3) basic sections: a control unit, ALU, and registers.
 Control unit – This manages the flow of data through the CPU. It directs data to and from the other components
within the CPU. It directs the movement of electronic signals between memory, which temporarily holds data,
instructions, and processed information, and the arithmetic-logic unit. It also directs these control signals between
the CPU and input and output devices.
 Arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) – This component does the actual processing. It receives data and instructions and
delivers a result. It performs two (2) types of operations: arithmetic and logical.
o Arithmetic operations are the fundamental math operations.
o Logical operations consist of comparisons.
 Registers – These are holding areas for both data and instructions. There are many different registers, each with its
own special purpose. For example, there are registers that hold instructions and registers that hold data.
Chip processing capacities are often expressed in word sizes. A word is the number of bits (such as 32 or 64) that can be
accessed at one (1) time by the CPU. The more bits in a word, the more data a computer can process at one (1) time. A 32-
bit word CPU can access 4 bytes at a time. A 64-bit word CPU can access 8 bytes at a time. Therefore, the CPU designed to
process 64-bit words has greater processing capacity.

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The processing speed of a microprocessor is typically represented by its clock speed, which is related to the number of time
the CPU can process data or instructions in a second. The higher a microprocessor’s clock speed, the faster the
microprocessor.
Microprocessors that only support a single CPU is limited to processing one (1) program at a time. Multicore processors can
provide multiple independent CPUs. For multicore processors to be used effectively, computers must understand how to
divide tasks into parts that can be distributed across each core, this operation is called parallel processing.
Specialty Processors
In addition to microprocessor chips, a variety of more specialized processing chips have been developed.
Coprocessors are special chips designed to improve specific computing operations. For example, the graphics coprocessors
or graphics processing unit (GPU) and sound cards are considered as coprocessors.
Memory
Dynamic memory – also called as volatile memory. This memory does not retain its data unless it is electrically refreshed.
Static memory – also called as non-volatile memory. Memory that retains its data without electricity being constantly
applied.
Memory – It is a holding area for data, instructions, and information. It is contained on chips connected to the system board.
Three (3) types of memory chips:
 Random-access Memory (RAM) – these are chips that holds the program (sequence of instructions) and data that
the CPU is presently processing. RAM is a dynamic memory because their contents are lost if power of the computer
is disrupted.
o Cache memory is a high-speed holding area for frequently used data and information.
o Dual in-line memory module (DIMM) is used to expand memory.
o Virtual memory divides large programs into parts that are read into RAM as needed.
 Read-only Memory (ROM) – these chips have information stored in them by the manufacturer. Unlike RAM chips,
ROM chips are static and cannot be changed by the user. “Read only” means that the CPU can read or retrieve data
and programs written on the ROM chip. However, the computer cannot write or change the information or
instructions in ROM.
 Flash Memory – this offers a combination of the features of RAM and ROM. Like RAM, it can be updated to store
new information. Like ROM, it does not lose that information when power to the computer system is turned off.

REFERENCES:
O’Leary, T., O’Leary L., & O’Leary D. (2017). Computing essentials 2017. USA: McGraw-Hill Education.
Wempen, F. (2014). Computing Fundamentals Digital Literacy Edition. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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