Hardware

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  • Hardware
    • Central Processing Unit
      • CPU
        • The processor or brains of the computer this is where data is data processed and calculate patio s take place
      • Fetch-execute cycle
        • A computer process that locates a program instruction from internal memory, decodes the instruction and carries out the action required; this process is then repeated for the rest of the program instructions
      • Control unit
        • ~ decides which instruction to carry out next              ~fetches it from memory    ~decodes the instruction and executes the instruction     ~repeats the process (fetch execute cycle)
      • Arithmetic and logical unit (ALU)
        • ~Carries out arithmetic calculations,+,-,/,*.          ~ preforms logical comparison to assist with decision making by using the operators AND, OR and NOT.
      • Immediate access store (IAS)
        • ~Stores all program’s and data temporally while they are in use.   ~during the fetch execute  cycle, instructions are fetched from their  Specific storage location in the IAS using an address.   ~ each memory location has a unique address assigned to it.
    • Fetch execute cycle
      • Program counter (PC)
        • ~A pc stores the address (memory location reference) of the next instruction to be fetched.     ~it is automatically incemented  by 1 every time and instruction is fetched.
      • Memory address register (MAR)
        • The address of the current instruction of data being executed is temporarily stored in the MAR.
      • Memory data register (MDR)
        • This register will temporally  store data being fetched from or written to the main memory of the CPU.
      • Instructions register (IR)
        • The register temporarily stores the current instruction to decode and then executed.
      • Accumulator
        • When calculations take place on data, the results are initially stored in the accumulator before being transmitted and stored in the main memory.
    • Factors that influence the speed of processing
      • Clock speed
        • ~The clock speed measures the number of instruction cycles the CPU an deal with in a second.            ~the standard unit of measurement for clock speed in in gigahertz (GHz)
      • Cache
        • ~Cache  temporarily stores frequently used instructions and data.             ~it is quicker to search cache memory than RAM, thus increasing processor speed.
    • High-definition  storage media
      • HD storage media use laser technology to store and retrieve data at high data transfer speeds to and from optical discs
      • They can store over 50gb of data
      • Instead of a red laser they use a blue laser, which burns much smaller pits onto the surface
      • This increases the density and therefore the storage capacity.
    • Solid state storage devices
      • A solid state storage device is referred to as ‘flash memory’ and non volatile
      • USB  memory sticks are a type of solid state storage.
      • They are compact, potable, have a large storage capacity and do not require a software driver to be installed.
    • Memory cards
      • These are electronic flash memory storage devices.
      • They are used in a range of digital devices, including mobile phones.sim cards
    • Smart cards
      • ~Bank cards use a form of flash memory known as ‘chip and pin’.              ~cards contain a small embedded integrated circuits (IC),which allows data to be written to an from the card using a smart reader.
    • RAM (random access memory)
      • ~memory can be read from or written to(volatile).     ~stores programs and data that the user is currently using.               ~the size of RAM can influence the speed of the processor ( the larger the RAM capacity the faster the processor.
    • ROM (read only memory)
      • ~Memory can be read from but not written to (non-volatile).    ~used to store programs that the computer frequently requires.

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