Chapter 1

Types and components of

computer systems
Daw Yamin Thu
[email protected]
 general term used for the physical components that make up
a typical computer system
External Hardware
Input Device Output Device
External Keyboard Monitor
Mouse Printer
Camera Plotter
Categories:

Internal

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What is Hardware?
 Hardware is the physical components that make up the computer
system.
 Each item of hardware has its specific role in a computer system.

 Hardware components can either be internal or external.

Motherboard
 The motherboard is circuit board which is connects to main
components of the computer system.
 Allows the processor and other computer hardware to function and
communicate with each other

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Central processing unit (CPU)/processor
 The CPU is the brain of the computer. It is the device that carries out
calculations to complete software instructions.
two main components:
 arithmetic and logic unit (ALU): arithmetic and logical operations are
carried out
 control unit (CU): takes instructions the decodes and executes
the instructions
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 part of the computer motherboard
 interprets and executes the commands from the computer hardware
and software
 made up of discrete components and numerous small integrated
circuits; these were combined together on one or more circuit
board(s)

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 the CPU is now referred to as a microprocessor
 a single integrated circuit which is at the heart of most PCs
 found in many household devices and equipment where some
control or monitoring is needed (e.g., the engine management system in
a car)
 The CPU/microprocessor is made up of
 a control unit (CU), which controls the input and output devices
 an arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), which carries out calculations and makes
logical decisions and
 small memory locations called registers

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Random access memory (RAM)
 Any data or instructions that are to be processed by the CPU must be
placed into the main memory.
 memory can be written to and read from RAM
 contents are lost when power to the computer is turned off
 a volatile or temporary memory
 stores the data, files or part of the operating system currently in use

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Read only memory (ROM)
 memory used to store information that needs to be permanent
 chips cannot be altered and can only be read from
 main advantage: information stored is not lost even when power to
the computer is turned off
 non-volatile memories
 used to contain, e.g., configuration data for a computer system

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Network interface card (NIC)
 A network card provides the computer with a network (internet
connection) either through wireless signals or a physical cable
connection.
 can be used for both wired or wireless
 has a unique MAC (media access control) address code

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Internal storage devices (hard disk drive and solid-state drive)

Optical Disk Drive

The optical disk drive (CD/DVD/Blu-Ray) allows for optical disks to run on the
computer. Also, some optical disk drives are able to write( “burn”) data onto
discs.
Graphics card
 A graphic card is a device that attaches to the motherboard to enable
the computer to process and display graphics.
 made up of:
 a processing unit
 memory unit (usually RAM)
a cooling mechanism (often in the form of a heat sink since these
cards generate a lot of heat)
 connections to a display unit (monitor, TV or projector)

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Sound card
 A sound card is a device that attaches to the motherboard to enable
the computer to input, process and deliver sound.

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Power Supply
 The power supply is connected to main power sources to give power
to the computer system.
 The power supply connects to all the main components of the
computer system.

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 Internal hard disk drive/ solid-state drive (HDD/SSD)
Solid state drives (SSD) and hard disk drives (HDD) are data storage devices.
SSDs store data in flash memory, while HDDs store data in magnetic disks.
SSDs are a newer technology that uses silicon's physical and chemical properties
to offer more storage volume, speed, and efficiency.

 A hard disk drive is a hardware device that’s used to store information

like software and files.
 The capacity of hardware drive ranges from GB to Tera Bytes.

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Exam Questions
Circle two items which are internal hardware components.

Actuator Keyboard Linker Monitor

Mouse Printer Processor Sound card

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Exam Questions
Define the term hardware.

Answer: Physical components of a computer system

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What is Software?
 Software are programs for controlling the operation of a
computer or processing electronic data.
 Software is not a physical thing (it can be stored on a physical
medium such as a CD-ROM)- a collection of instruction.

 For a computer system to be useful it must consist of both

hardware and software.
  general term used for the programs that control the computer
system and process data
Applications software System software
provides the services that the user designed to provide a platform on which
requires to solve a given task all other software can run
1. word processing 1. compilers
2. spreadsheet 2. linkers
3. database (management system) 3. device drivers
4. control and measurement software 4. operating systems
5. apps and applets 5. utilities
6. video editing
7. graphics editing
8. audio editing
9. computer-aided design (CAD)

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Example of Application Software
Application software is designed to allow users to complete specific tasks. This may be to
• Write a letter/Present information
• Browse the internet
• Manipulate data in a spreadsheet or database
• Manipulate graphics, sound or video
System Software
• System software provides the services that the computer requires to operate.

• Examples

• Operating Systems
• Device Drivers
• Utilities (antivirus)

• System software are normally involved in the running of the computer:

• Operating systems to provide a user interface

• Device drivers which allow hardware components to work.
• Utility software which maintain the computer performance.
Exam Questions

A small application performing one or two simple function is called _____________.

Ans: an applet
Exam Questions
Martin will need to use software to create different types of content before
including them in the presentation.

Name two types of software that he might use and for each one, write down
what he would use it for.
Software 1 Word Processor
Use To type/enter text for the presentation
Software 2 Spreadsheet
Use To create a graph
Graphic Editing
To prepare images for inclusion in the presentation

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Word processing
 used to manipulate a text document, such as an essay or a report
 text is entered using a keyboard and the software provides tools for
copying, deleting and various types of formatting
 some of the functions of word processing software include:
 creating, editing, saving and manipulating text
 copy and paste functions
 spell checkers and thesaurus
 import photos/images into a structured page format
 translation into foreign language

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Spreadsheet
 used to organize and manipulate numerical data (in the form
of integer, real, date, and so on)
 numbers are organized on a grid of lettered columns and numbered
rows
 the grid itself is made up of cells, and each cell is identified using a
unique combination of columns and rows
 some of the functions of spreadsheets include:
 use of formulae to carry out calculations
 ability to produce graphs
 ability to do modelling and ‘what if’ calculations

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Database (management system)
 used to organize, manipulate and analyze data
 a typical database is made up of one or more tables
 tables consist of rows and columns
 each row is called a ‘record’ and each column is called a ‘field’
 this provides the basic structure for the organization of the
data within the database
 some of the functions include:
 ability to carry out queries on database data and produce a report (DBMS)
 add, delete and modify data in a table

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Example of relational table

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Apps and applets
Applets
 small applications that perform a single task on a device (usually
embedded in an HTML page on a website and can be executed from
within a browser)
Apps
 refer to software which can perform a fairly substantial task (such as,
video and music streaming, banking application or social media)
 the term originally referred to software that ran on a smartphone and
could be downloaded from an ‘app store’

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Control and measurement software
 designed to allow a computer or microprocessor to interface with
sensors
 possible to:
 measure physical quantities in the real world (such as temperatures)
 control applications (such as a chemical process) by comparing sensor data
with stored data and sending out signals to alter process parameters (for
example, open a valve to add acid and change the pH).

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Example of control system

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Graphics editing software
 allows bitmap and vector images to be changed
 both types of editing software are chosen depending on the format of
the original image
Bitmap images (PNG, JPEG, and GIF)
 made up of pixels which contain information about image brightness
and color
 graphics editors can change the pixels to produce a different image
Vector (SVG)
 graphic editors operate in a different way and do not use pixels
 this type of software manipulates lines, curves and text to alter the
stored image as required
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Bitmap Image Vector Image

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Computer-aided design (CAD) software
 used to help in the creation, manipulation, modification and analysis
of a drawing/design
 used to produce 2D or 3D diagrams which:
 can be rotated to view the drawing from any angle
 can produce full dimensions
 can be used to estimate manufacturing costs of the final product
 predict any structural problems

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Video editing software
 allows a user the ability to manipulate videos to produce a new video
 enables the addition of titles, color correction and altering/
adding sound to the original video
 Essentially includes:
 rearranging, adding and/or removing sections of video clips and/or audio clips
 applying color correction, filters and other video enhancements
 creating transitions between clips in the video footage

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Audio editing software
 allows a user to edit, manipulate and generate audio data
 allows the user to alter:
 length of track
 start/stop time of track
 conversion between audio file formats
 volume of track
 fading in/out
 combine multiple sound tracks
 noise reduction
 to create another version of the sound
 track (a continuous loop or phone ring tone)
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Compiler
 translates a program written in a high-level language (HLL) into
machine code (code that is understood by the computer) so that it
can be directly used by a computer to perform a required task
 the original program is called the source code and the code after
compilation is called the object code
 once a program is compiled, the machine code can be used again and
again to perform the same task without recompilation
 examples of high-level languages include Java, Python, Visual Basic,
Fortran, C++ and Algol.

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Linkers (or link editor)
 a computer program that takes one or more object files produced by
a compiler and combines them into a single program that can be run
on a computer
 for example, many programming languages allow programmers to
write different pieces of code, called modules, separately
 this simplifies the programming task since it allows the program to be broken
up into small, more manageable sub-tasks
 at some point, it will be necessary to put all the modules together to
form the final program (job of the linker)

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Operating System (OS)
 software running in the background of a computer system
 manages many of the basic functions
 without the OS, most computers would be very user-unfriendly and
the majority of users would find it almost impossible to work with
computers on a day-to-day basis
 operating systems allow:
 input/output operations
 users to communicate with the computer (for example, Windows)
 error handling to take place
 the loading and running of programs to occur
 managing of security (for example, user accounts, log on passwords)
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Device driver
 enables one or more hardware devices to communicate with the
computer’s operating system
 without drivers, a hardware device (for example, a printer) would be unable
to work with the computer
 all hardware devices connected to a computer have associated drivers
 as soon as a device is plugged into the USB port of a computer, the
operating system looks for the appropriate driver
 an error message will be produced if it cannot be found
 examples of hardware devices that require drivers include printers,
memory sticks, mouse, CD drivers, and so on.

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Utilities
 designed to carry out specific tasks on a computer
 help to manage, maintain and control computer resources
 examples include:
 antivirus
 anti-spyware
 backup of files
 disk repair
 file management
 security
 screensavers
 disk defragmenter
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Digital data
 computers can only understand data which
is in a binary format (that is, a base 2
number system where only the values 0 and
1 can be used).
 can only have discrete, discontinuous values

Analogue data
 data in the real world
 physical data that changes smoothly from
one value to the next, and not in discrete
steps as with digital data.
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analogue to digital converter (ADC)
 to convert into digital data if analogue data is being sent to
a computer

digital to analogue converter (DAC)

 the digital output from the computer is converted into analogue form
if the computer is controlling a device (such as a motor)

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Exam Questions
Sensors are placed in the river to check the water level. If the water level in the river rises
more than 5 m above normal river levels, a flood barrier is raised to safeguard the village.
The flood barrier remains raised until the water level drops to normal levels.
(b) Explain why the data from the sensors cannot be read directly by the computer and
name device that needs to be used so that the computer can read the data.

Answer : Data from sensor is in analog form.

Computer only needs digital data.
Analogue needs to be converted into Digital using a converter.

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