Chapter 06: The System Unit

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 Competencies (1 of 2)
• Describe the six basic types of system units
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Discuss how a computer can represent numbers

and encode characters electronically
• Describe each of the major system unit
components
• Discuss microprocessors,
including microprocessor
chips and specialty processors
• Discuss memory including
RAM, ROM, and flash memory

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 Competencies (2 of 2)
• Discuss expansion slots and
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

cards
• Describe five principal types of
expansion buses
• Compare standard, specialized,
and legacy ports
• Discuss power supply for
desktop and notebook
computers

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 Introduction
• Speed, capacity, and flexibility determine the
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

power of microcomputers.
• Knowledge of a computer’s power allows you to
make good buying decisions and to determine if
your current system will run new applications.
• Competent end users need to
understand the basic principles
of how microcomputers are
put together.

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 System Unit Types
• Desktop System Units
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Media Center System Units

• Notebook System Units
• Tablet PC System Units
• Handheld Computer
• System Units

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 System Unit
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

System Chassis, System Board

(Motherboard), Microprocessor,
Memory, Socket, Bus Lines, and
Expansion Slots

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 Electronic Data and Instructions
• Data and instructions are represented
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

electronically
• Two-state system or Binary System
– Off/On electrical states
– Characters represented by 0’s (off) and 1’s (on)
– Bits
– Bytes

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 Character Coding Schemes
• Three types of binary coding
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

schemes
– ASCII - American Standard
Code for Information Exchange
– EBCDIC - Extended Binary
Coded Decimal Interchange
Code
– Unicode - handles languages
with large numbers of
characters

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 System Board
• Connects all components
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Allows communication between devices

• Main board or
motherboard
• Circuit board
components
– Sockets
– Slots
– Bus lines

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 Microprocessor Chips
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

– Measurement units for processing speed (shown here)

• Two Basic Components
– Control unit
– Arithmetic-logic unit (ALU)

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 Microprocessor Chips
• Chip capacities are expressed in word sizes
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Two significant developments

– 64-bit processors
• Have become standard for most of today’s desktop
and laptop computers
– Multi-Core Chips
• Can provide two
separate and
independent CPUs
• Parallel Processing

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 Specialty Processors
• Coprocessors
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

– Designed to improve specific computing operations

– Graphics coprocessors
• Smart cards
– Credit card sized with an embedded chip
– Used by many universities
• Specialty processors in cars
– As many as 70
– Used to control features
• RFID tags
– Information chips
– Used for tracking purposes

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 Memory
• Holding area for data, instructions, and
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

information
• Memory is contained on chips connected to the
system board
• Types of memory chips
– RAM – Programs and data
– ROM – Fixed start-up instructions
– Flash – Flexible start-up instructions

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 RAM
• Random Access Memory (RAM) chips hold the
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

program and data

– Cache memory or RAM cache
– Flash RAM or flash memory
• Other types of RAM
– DRAM
– SDRAM
– DDR
– Direct RDRAM

Return

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 ROM
• Read-only memory (ROM) chips are not volatile
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

and cannot be changed by the user

• CPU can read, or retrieve data and programs but
the computer cannot write
• Contain special instructions
– Needed to start a computer
– Give keyboard keys their special capabilities
– Put characters on screen

Return

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 Flash
• Flash memory offers a combination of the
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

features of RAM and ROM.

• Flash memory is used for a wide of range of
applications.
• If changes are made to the computer system,
these changes are reflected in flash memory.

Return

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 Expansion Slots and Cards
• Allows for new devices
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

to be added
– Open architecture
– Slots provide for expansion
• Expansion cards
are also called
– Plug-in boards
– Controller cards
– Adapter cards
– Interface cards

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 Commonly Used Expansion Cards
• Graphics cards
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Sound cards
• Network interface cards
(NIC)
• Wireless network cards
• PC cards & Express cards
• TV tuner cards

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 TV Tuner Cards And Video Clips
• Allows you to view your favorite TV shows while
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

running other applications such as Excel

• Video can be captured to a file, added to a Web
page, attached to an email, or added to a class
presentation
• Inexpensive and
easy to install

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 Plug and Play
• Set of specific hardware and software standards
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

developed by Intel, Microsoft, and others

• Creating devices that are able to configure

themselves when installed

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 Bus Lines
• Connect parts of the CPU to each other
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Data roadway for traveling bits

– Measured as bus width
– More lanes, faster traffic
• Two basic categories
– System buses
– Expansion buses

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 Expansion Buses
• Connects the CPU to other components on the
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

system board, including expansion slots

• Principal types
– Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
– Universal serial bus (USB)
– FireWire buses
– Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)
– PCI Express (PCIe)

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 Ports
• Socket for connecting external devices
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Ports can connect directly to the system board or

they can connect to cards that are inserted into
slots on the system board
• Three Types
– Standard Ports
– Legacy Ports
– Specialized Ports

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 Standard Ports
• Four common ports
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

– VGA
– USB ports
– FireWire ports
– Ethernet ports

Return
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 Legacy Ports
• Serial ports
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Parallel ports
• Keyboard and mouse ports
• Infrared data association (IrDA)
• Game ports

Return
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 Specialized Ports
• Three specialized ports
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

– Musical Instrument digital interface (MIDI)

– Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format
(S/PDIF)
– High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

Return
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 Cables
• Used to connect external devices to the system
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

unit via the ports

• One end of the cable is attached to the device and
the other end has a connector that is attached to a
matching connector on the port

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 Power Supply
• Computers require direct current (DC)
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• DC power provided by converting alternating

current (AC) from wall outlets or batteries
• Desktop computers use power supply units
• Notebooks and handhelds use AC adapters

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 Careers In IT
• Computer technicians repair and install computer
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

components and systems

• Employers look for:
– Certification
– Communication skills
• Continued education
is required
• Computer technicians can
expect to earn an hourly
wage of $13.50 to $22.50

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 A Look to the Future
• Wearable computers
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Send and receive email while jogging

• Maintain your personal schedule book
• Remember the names of people at a party

© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-30

 Open-Ended Questions (1 of 2)
• Describe the six basic types of system units.
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

• Describe the two basic components of the

CPU.

• What are the differences and similarities

between the three types of memory?

© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-31

 Open-Ended Questions (2 of 2)
• Identify five expansion cards and describe
Computing Essentials 2012: Making IT Work for You

the function of each.

• Identify and describe four standard ports,

three specialized ports, and five legacy
ports.

© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-32