Block Diagram of Computer

Block Diagram
Components of a Computer System
• Computer hardware provides the physical
mechanisms to process, store, and input /output data.
Includes CPU, memory, I/O devices

• Software provides instructions to tell the hardware

what tasks to perform. It includes system (eg Windows
XP) and application (eg Excel) software

• Data in the computer may be representing numbers,

characters, graphics etc but is always kept in a form
that the hardware and software can manipulate.
 Hardware – I/O
• Input Devices collect & translate raw data into
form useable by computer. e.g keyboard accepts
letters and numbers and converts them to a
binary code such as Unicode.

• Output devices produce results in useable form

for user(or another device). e.g. monitor
converts binary codes to characters and images,
whilst modem converts digital data to analog
form for transmission over telephone lines.
 Hardware – I/O Peripherals
• Input devices
– Keyboard
– Mouse
• Output Devices
– Monitor
– Printer
• Secondary Storage
– Hard Disk
– DVD
 Hardware - memory
• Memory - Purpose of memory is data storage. Two
major types of memory :

• Primary memory - to hold data and instructions

during processing
– eg RAM. Relatively limited capacity and volatile

• Secondary memory - to provide permanent long

term storage
– eg hard disk. High capacity and non-volatile
 Hardware – memory Contd…
• Secondary storage consists of non-volatile high-
capacity devices to store programs and data not
currently required by CPU.

• Hard and floppy disks, and tapes store data as

magnetized spots.

• CD’s and DVD’s store data as pits or

surface marks detectable by laser light.
 Hardware- memory Contd…
• Digital computers deal with data in binary
form - all data is represented using just two
digits - 1 or 0. Letters and other symbols are
assigned unique binary codes.

• Primary memory consists of a set of locations

defined by sequentially numbered addresses.
Each location contains a binary number that
can be interpreted as data or an instruction.
 RAM
• Different from disk storage
• Used to temporarily store Data
• In modern computers memory is 512 MB.
 CPU
• Acting as the brain of the computer
• Currently the Intel-Pentium microprocessor is
the most common CPU though there are
many types
 CPU Contd…
• CPU performs actual processing of data,
according to instructions from programs.

• Data and programs are stored in primary and

secondary memory, and moved to and from CPU
as required.

• Signals representing data and instructions travel

between system components along electronic
pathways, called buses.
 CPU Contd…
• The CPU is a general purpose processor that performs
data manipulation and/or transformation functions
including computations, comparisons and data
movement.
• The CPU consists of 3 main parts:
– ALU - where arithmetic and logical operations performed
– Control Unit - controls data movement and
execution of instructions
– Registers - small high speed storage areas