Principles of Computer

First Class

lecturer
Inas Sameer Mahmood
Introduction to Computer System
A computer system consists of hardware and software components. Hardware is the physical equipment such as the
case, system instructs the computer how to operate. These operations may include identifying, accessinstorage
drives, keyboards, monitors, cables, speakers, and printers. The term software includes the operating system and
programs. The operating g, and processing information. Programs or applications perform different functions.
Programs vary widely, depending on the type of information that is accessed or generated

Definition of Computer
Computer can be defined as an electronic device that performs rapid computations and generates desired
output for users based on input data and programs.
Characteristics of Computer
Computer is a versatile device. It can be designed to do any kind of activity provided all data and instructions are made
available to it in digital form. The important characteristics of computer are:

1. Speed Modern computers have incredible speed of processing.

2. Accuracy Computer can ensure consistently very high degree of accuracy in computations. Processes data according
to the sequence of instructions.

3. Huge storage and fast retrieval Computer has huge storage capability.
4. Versatility though computers are basically designed to carry out only arithmetic operations, yet they are capable of
performing almost any task that has a series of finite logical steps.

5. Free from fatigue Computer is free from fatigue.

6. Programmable Computer can be programmed to function automatically and this differentiates it from any
other calculation device.
7. Networking capability Computers can be interconnected into a network.
Limitations of Computer
Computer is, no doubt, a marvellous tool. Yet it has some limitations. Some of the major limitations of computer are
as follows.

1. Computer cannot think on its own.

2. It does not have intuition. It cannot draw a conclusion without going through all intermediate steps.
3. It can do a task only if it can be expressed in a series of finite steps leading to the completion of the task.
4. Similarly, it cannot handle a situation where a finite number of steps generate an impossibly large number of
computational operations.
5. It cannot learn from experience.
?What are the different types of computers
When most people hear the word computer, they think of a personal computer such as a desktop or laptop. However,
computers come in many shapes and sizes, and they perform many different functions in our daily lives.

Laptop
A server is a computer that serves up information to other
computers on a network. Many businesses have file servers
employees can use to store and share files. A server can look
like a regular desktop computer, or it can be much larger.

Servers also play an important role in making the internet work:

They are where webpages are stored. When you use your
browser to click a line, a web server delivers the page you
requested.
Other types of computers
Today, there are many everyday devices that are basically specialized computers .

Mobile phones: many mobile phones can do a lot of things computers can do, such as browsing the internet and playing
games. These phones are often called smartphones.
.Game consoles: A game console is a specialized kind of computer that is used for playing video games

TVs: many TVs now include applications or apps that let you access various types of online content.

PC: This type of computer began with the original IBM PC that was
introduced in 1981.
Computer Hierarchy
The traditional way of comparing classes of computers is by their processing power.

1. Super computers

2. Mainframe Computers

3. Minicomputers

4. Workstations

5. Microcomputers
Elements of Computer
Computer is designed to carry out instructions for data processing. It has components to receive inputs, process inputs
and communicate the outputs with users. The system is organized as follows.

CPUs
The central processing unit (CPU) is the main processing unit of the personal computer (PC). It has an integral
relationship with the motherboard and the system memory. These three devices control the data-processing aspect of the
PC:

1. Control Unit: this controls the flow of information.

2. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) performs arithmetic calculations.

3. Registers: which store very small amount of data and instructions for short period of time.
Bit versus 64-Bit CPUs-32
32-bit processors are designed to work with 32 bits of data at a time.

64-bit processors work with 64 bits of data at a time, and can use much larger amounts of RAM than 32-bit processors and
provide faster performance.

Almost all CPUs released in 2009 or later support 64-bit operation, but support for 64-bit operation among older designs
varies. To determine whether a particular processor is a 32-bit or 64-bit processor, look up its specifications, as shown in
(Figure 1-1).
Figure 1-1: Computer system specifications
Cores and Cache
The portion of the CPU that performs calculations and operations is known as the processor core.

In recent years, most CPUs now include two or more cores. The term multicore processor applies to any processor
with two or more cores:
 Two cores—Dual-core
 Three cores—Triple-core
 Four cores—Quad-core
 Six cores—Six-core

The more cores in a processor, the larger the number of programs and tasks it can run at the same time. Table 1-1 lists
some common multicore processors from Intel and AMD.
Integrated Graphics (GPU)

Although computers have featured graphics (video) components on the motherboard for many years, only recently
have CPUs actually incorporated graphics components in the CPU die itself.

Intel’s Core i3, Core i5, and some Core i7 desktop processors (and all mobile processor in these families) include
integrated graphics, although not all motherboards used with these processors support the feature.
AMD uses the term Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) to refer to its processors with integrated graphics. These
processors are collectively referred to AMD Fusion.
CPU Cooling Methods
There are several methods of removing heat from a CPU. The most common solution is an active heat sink: a fan that
blows air across a multifinned aluminum or copper assembly fastened firmly to the CPU. Figure 1-2 illustrates typical
active heat sink assemblies for an AMD Phenom II CPU and an Intel Core i5 CPU.

Figure 1-2 Manufacturer-supplied

heat sinks for AMD (left) and Intel
.(right) CPUs
System Memory
There are two major types of RAM (random access memory): dynamic and static.

ROM
Read-only memory (ROM) chips are located on the motherboard. ROM chips contain instructions that the CPU can
access directly. ROM stores basic instructions for booting the computer and loading the operating system. ROM types
include the following:

■ Programmable read-only memory (PROM(

■ Erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM)

■ Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM):

Note: ROM is sometimes called firmware. This is misleading, because firmware is actually the software that is stored
in a ROM chip.
RAM
Random-access memory (RAM) is the temporary storage for data and programs that are being accessed by the CPU.
The different types of RAM are as follows:

■ Dynamic RAM (DRAM)

■ Static RAM (SRAM)

■ Fast Page Mode (FPM)

■ Extended Data Out (EDO)

■ Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)

■ Double Data Rate (DDR)

■ Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2)

■ RAMBus DRAM (RDRAM)

The different types of memory modules are shown in Figure 1-3.

.Figure 1-3 Memory module comparison