The Components of the System Unit

1. The Components of the System Unit By: Jacob Manns Jacob Eickoff

2. Motherboard • AKA mainboard, system board, planar board, or logic board. • It is printed circuit board found in all modern computers which holds many of the crucial components of the system, such as the CPU.

3. Control Unit • A control unit is a key component in all computer systems. • It works with the central processing unit to instruct, maintain and control the flow of information. • Without a control unit, a computer could not follow directions and might not function properly.

4. The Arithmetic Logic Unit • It is a digital circuit that performs arithmetic and logical operations. • Also called ALU.

5. Machine Cycle • This is the basic operating cycle of the computer. • It is the process in which a computer retrieves a program instruction from its memory.

6. Registers • A register is a small amount of storage available as part of a CPU or other digital processor. • It can only store words.

7. The System Clock • Represents a computer systems notion of the passing time. • The system time is measured by the system clock.

8. Comparison of personal computer processors • It is important to find a personal computer with a good processor. • Some can be good and work properly while others run badly and are more cheaply made.

9. Heat Sinks, Liquid Cooling, Heat Pipes • Heat sinks- help keep electronics and computers from overheating. • Liquid Cooling- is used on computers that generate too much heat for a fan. • Heat Pipes- Hollow tubes that have a heat transfer liquid in them and when the heat reaches the end of the pipes it evaporates the air.

10. Parallel Processing • Parallel processing allows computer programs to run faster because of the use of more CPUs.

11. Expansion Slot • An opening in a computer where a circuit board can be inserted to add new capabilities. • Come in two basic sizes, half and full size.

12. Expansion Card • Is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector. • On one edge of the expansion card holds the contacts that fit exactly into the slot.

13. PC Card • Is a form factor peripheral interface designed for laptop computers. • Originally known as a PCMICA card.

14. Ports • A port serves as an interface between other computers or peripheral devices. • Specialized outlet on a piece of equipment to which a plug or cable connects.

15. Special Purpose Ports Five different types of these ports. • MIDI- musical instrument digital interface • SCSI- small computer system interface • USB- universal serial bus • 1394 port • IrDa- infrared data association

16. Buses • A set of physical connections which can be shared with multiple hardware components in order to communicate with one another.

17. Types of Expansion Buses • General - Connects the expansion slot to the chip. • Standard – Has faster speed than general.

18. Bays • Space inside the computer for DVD, CD, and floppy disk. • Place where external components connect to the computer.

19. Power Supply • Converts and maintains AC to lower voltage DC power for internal components of a computer. • Modern personal computers use a switch mod power supply.