Assignment 1 - Computer Systems PDF

Preview

Summary

A well-developed assignment on Computer Sytems - easy distinction. This assignment was the large one and contains almost all of the written work for the unit....

Description

Computer Systems Unit 2 Overview of computers A computer is an electronic device that processes information and/or data. It also can store, retrieve, and process data.[ CITATION GCF17 \l 2057 ] Further to the web source, there are also many different types of computers. For example, your mobile phone is a computer. A tablet is a computer. Some cars these days have computers in them. The list can go on, but what makes them computers? Well, the exact definition of a computer is: “a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations”[ CITATION Dic05 \l 2057 ] All the things I mentioned above do just that, take for example your phone. These days, the latest phones come with at least quad-core processors, 4GB of RAM, and can even run Microsoft Office on them. The chips and electronic components that make up the internals of your phone are all manufactured in a similar way to a desktop PC, they are just much smaller and designed to be agile in terms of design so that multiple phone companies can adopt the latest chip. Since CPUs are relatively cheap to make compared to what they sell for, CPU-producing companies, like Qualcomm, do that for a reason. This is because a lot of money must go into the design, testing, assurance etc. of each chip and that is what the customer is paying for, and since phone companies already have the hassle of competing with rival phone companies and producing the latest phones, they simply cannot afford to also produce the latest flagship processors. Therefore, Samsung, HTC, One Plus, and

many other manufacturers choose Qualcomm.[ CITATION Qua17 \l 2057 ] This is relevant to desktop computers, as brands like AMD and Intel compete to be the best CPU producer. Different RAM will work with different CPUs, and will not require a new computer every time you want to change or upgrade hardware. However, there are some compatibility issues you need to check but we will look at those later. Lastly, computers are used for hundreds of tasks. Businesses rely on them, banks rely on them, and most people with computer access rely on them be that for their work, study, or social interactions. Computers can be personal computers at home, gaming PCs for playing games or running resourceful-demanding programs, such as CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Manufacturing) software, and some computers are built for specific tasks, usually supercomputers or mainframe computers.[ CITATION asp13 \l 2057 ] Supercomputers push the limits of what we know today as computers, they are the cutting edge in computing technology and often are very expensive sometimes costing millions of pounds to build. Mainframe computers can be of similar power but usually run multiple purposes at a time, whereas a supercomputer was built to perform one specific need that our current technology doesn’t offer.[ CITATION asp13 \l 2057 ] Brief history on the development of computers as we know today “by 1880, the U.S. population had grown so large that it took more than several years to tabulate the U.S. Census results”[ CITATION Liv17 \l 2057 ]

Before this, ideas of computers had been thrown around. Theories of how a computer might work spouted before the 1880’s, but nobody had yet built a working model. 1822, the year when Charles Babbage theorises a machine powered by steam, that has the function to compute various tables of numbers. The project was funded by the government, but it was a failure. Later he went on to prove that his invention would have worked.[ CITATION Liv17 \l 2057 ] From then, it wasn’t until 1890 when Herman Hollerith produced something as close to a computer as all the previous ideas and theories. And, unlike Charles Babbage’s calculating machine, it worked. There were other developments that had occurred towards the invention of the computer, such as the creation of binary algebra by George Boole, but these are not actually working computer systems. In summary of that, everything we have seen so far had been based around punch cards. People stuck with punch cards, making bespoke systems to serve needs that previous ones hadn’t. A particular story that interests me is a PC world article dating back to 2012, which tells the story of a business in Texas, US that still uses a IBM 402 machine, using punch cards to take customer transactions. This type of machine was invented in 1948.[ CITATION PCW12 \l 2057 ] Going back to our timeline, it was then in 1936 when Alan Turing “presented the notion of a universal machine later called the Turing machine”. This machine could ‘process anything’. Contradicting the web source, I can tell you now after knowing that we know about computers today, that it really could not have ‘computed anything’. It was simply designed to perform any array of mathematical equations, and simultaneously to other equations at the same time.

This made it very advanced for its time, but is a far cry from what we know today. Even we cannot calculate everything, and we are in 2017. From 1936 to 1940 the development was slow on actually producing new machines, until 1941 when Atanasoff and Clifford Berry design a computer that can solve 29 equations simultaneously. This was a massive feat for computers, and helped leap forward future developments by increasing the boundaries within computer systems. [ CITATION Liv17 \l 2057 ] Following on from this, 1941 was the year Atanastoff and his student, Clifford Berry, design a computer capable of solving up to 29 mathematical equations simultaneously.[ CITATION Liv17 \l 2057 ] This was remarkable not for this feat specifically, but for the fact that it was the first computer to store information within memory, known as RAM today (although I think that it would have been ROM instead, it would have been read only memory and after the memory was printed it would not be able to be re-used afterwards)[ CITATION Liv17 \l 2057 ] Then, jumping forward into 1943-1944 the ENIAC is built. The grandfather of computers. ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator. This computer filled a 20x40-foot room and has 18,000 vacuum tubes. The vacuum tubes are what made the computer work, although I did some research and could not find a credible source on how these vacuum tubes worked but I sort of understand that the invention of the transistors in 1946 rendered these tubes useless, meaning the vacuums would have been a sort of ‘primitive’ electric switch to keep the power of the ENIAC and the information flowing, however, this is just my opinion based on the facts I know. The next year in the timeline jumps to 1947 when three researchers from Bell Laboratories in the UK invent the transistor as previously

explained. They made electric switches with solid materials rendering the tubes on the ENIAC useless (although transistors first still had to be incorporated on a chip, this was not done instantly)[ CITATION Liv17 \l 2057 ] After the invention of the transistor, the technology growth we were seeing on a year by year average was coming on leaps and bounds. 1953, the first computer programming language was born. 1954, FORTRAN (Formula Translation) was created. This solved mathematical and scientific problems, and although it has seen many updates since then, I know that it is still used today by data scientists and possibly other fields. 1958, the first computer chip was invented. The first ‘real’ computer (as in computers that we know today) was the Apple 1 produced in 1976. This was a single-circuit computer, and was the first computer that was affordable (well, at least affordable for most people, this was back when computers will have started to slowly fill people’s homes until we get into present day where almost everybody relies on a computer)[ CITATION Liv17 \l 2057 ] Main components of a PC and how they work Computer case: Although the least technical part, it is arguably one of the most important ones. Computer cases might come in different shapes and sizes, some large and some small, and if you are building your own PC then, when choosing a case, you need to think about what motherboard size you are putting in it (ATX is full sized motherboard, micro ATX is a smaller motherboard). There is also other, less-common ATX sizes. I recommend opting for full ATX always, unless you cannot spare the room. Components this size can be built for maximum performance whereas Mini/micro ATX has to have some performance compromised in-order to maintain their small size, although these days that is less of the case. However, some features I have noticed when

shopping for new motherboards are that the smaller size motherboards offer less RAM capacity and maximum frequencies than their counterpart full-size motherboards. Also, different cases allow for different fan sizes and amount of fans. You must check, if you are building your own PC, that all the fans that the case comes with (and any additional fans you will wish to purchase) can be plugged into the motherboard. You should choose your motherboard first, so that you can find a case that fits well with your choice. The case works by being manufactured to a size that is designed to house all of the components within a computer. Then, holes are drilled where the screws for the motherboard and fans will go. No drilling is necessary by the user of the product, only attaching the motherboard and other components to the case using screws provided. ATX is what is known as the components “form factor”. ATX stands for Advanced Technology Extended.[ CITATION Com17 \l 2057 ][ CITATION CisNd \l 2057 ] The computer industry uses form factors when producing products, so that different sizes can be manufactured while still adhering to a uniform size. This allows manufacturers to design products specifically for certain form factors and stops computer component manufacturers from designing sizes completely bespoke every time. If this was to happen, a consumer would almost have to complete a puzzle just to purchase the correct parts before it was even put together. “Form factors are an exceedingly important consideration for the computer manufacturer”[ CITATION Fos97 \l 2057 ] The web source is a US patent for a notebook computer comprised of a rotating battery hinge. This shows us that form factors have been around in modern computing for quite some time, and also it played a massive part in ensuring the parts for laptops and other portable devices were made to fit.[ CITATION Fos97 \l 2057 ]

Motherboard: This is the primary circuit board within your computer. All the components, be that the power supply, processor, graphics card and memory all fit into the motherboard one way or another. The motherboard offers no direct performance gain, and a more expensive motherboard will perform just the same as a much cheaper motherboard. Let’s say you are building a computer on a budget, then this is the component you can afford to cheap out on without suffering any performance loss. The differences with motherboards are their chip sets, with different chip sets allowing different families of CPU's. For example, an AMD brand CPU will not fit into a motherboard with an Intel chip set. In addition to this, just because you have 2 different Intel CPUs does not mean that they will both fit in the same motherboard just because they are the same brand. There are other differences such as socket, maximum memory frequency, etc. Before choosing a motherboard, choose your desired CPU (Central Processing Unit) as this will allow you to choose a motherboard that caters for your choice. Also, motherboards have something called PCI (or PCI-E) slots. This stands for Peripheral Component Inter-connector. The E standing for express. These are the slots that will be filled by your graphics cards, and any other expansion cards you may use. Some slots, at their highest speeds, will work at x16 speeds. These are the slots where you want to insert your graphics cards into. Your motherboard could have as many as up to 4 x16 slots, which would allow for 4 graphics cards at one time. [ CITATION How17 \l 2057 ][CITATION CisNd \p 9,10 \l 2057 ] If you are not paying for a top of the range motherboard, then you will not get 4 x16 PCI-e slots. You will get at least 1 x16 slot, but some slots might be x8 speed as opposed to x16. This is still a sufficient speed for a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) but just remember that if you have 2 graphics cards installed, one in the x16 slot and one in the x8 slot, then

they will both be working at x8 speed. This is because that it is inefficient for 2 GPUs to be working at 2 different speeds in the same computer. If your motherboard has x4 or x1 speed slots, these are not suitable for graphics cards. These slots don’t have higher speeds because they don’t need them. They are reserved for things such as network cards, which are usually built in now-a-days, and other expansion cards that are designed for PCI-e slots that do not need to work at the speed of a graphics card.[CITATION CisNd \p 9 \l 2057 ] [ CITATION Com17 \l 2057 ] In addition to what I have mentioned above, you are probably wondering what other benefits a more expensive motherboard will offer. Some examples are as followed; more fan slots, better userinterface in the BIOS menu (when you enter the BIOS menu you are entering the motherboard settings), better overclock functionality (overclocking is the term given to increasing a components frequency, increasing that frequency higher than manufacture settings to achieve a faster PC component) [CITATION CisNd \p 29 \l 2057 ]and also possibly more RAM (Random-Access Memory) slots, that allow for higher frequency RAM or higher capacity per slot. The motherboard acts as a ‘transport medium’ for all the data transferring within the motherboard. The CPU needs to add something to a memory location? It goes through the Northbridge. If it wants to send binary code to the GPU so that the GPU can rasterize and display on the screen, the data goes through the south bridge.[CITATION CisNd \p 10 \l 2057 ]

PSU (Power Supply Unit): Computers are powered by electricity. In order for a computer to function properly, electricity needs to be flowing to all components of your computer. To provide the power, a

PSU or power supply unit is used. This only provides power, it isn’t what keeps the current of electricity circulating. That is the design of the computer, using metal (which is conductive) to transfer electricity between parts. This does not cause the parts to malfunction, as when the parts make contact they match the current of the existing computer system, meaning no matter how many watts’ flow through the component it will never become damaged (it is only when a drastic current change is applied can the part receive damage). Therefore, most cases are metal, to remain conductive and allow a technician to bring his body to the same current as the computer, hence the anti-static wristband. Triboelectrification[ CITATION Tec171 \l 2057 ] is the name of the process referring to the exchange of electrons. When a computer is on, or if there is electricity present, it will be positively charged. This is because the atoms that make it up have gained an electron. If I was to touch the computer, and I have an opposite charge (negative charged electrons) then this would cause me to gain an electron. This process will occur back and forth with both atoms gaining and losing an electron. An anti-static wristband will bring metal contact between me and the computer before I touch any of the parts, what that does is make both atoms either positively or negatively charged between us. This means that, since the current is then the same, that no energy transfer happens. This is how I can work on my PC without causing any damage. There can be massive amounts of electricity flowing through me, especially after friction on the carpet has caused my socks to gain electrons, but so long as I introduce my computer to the current in my body or vice versa, no energy transfer can occur regardless of much current is flowing.[ CITATION Tec171 \l 2057 ][ CITATION Sci07 \l 2057 ] A PSU will be mounted to a designated position within your computer that the case will have already accommodated for you, it simply screws in. Every PSU is different, some have different size connectors for GPU’s,

and some are higher wattage. When choosing a PSU, save this till last so you will know roughly the TDP (Thermal Design Power) of your components and with that, can work out what wattage PSU you will need. “Power supplies are rated in wattage, or watts, with one watt being one unit of power” [CITATION CisNd \p 48 \l 2057 ] [CITATION Hen89 \p 22 \l 2057 ]always leave headroom, and an adequate amount of it too. This is because let’s say a PSU is rated for 650W, it might produce 650W from new, but year by year they decrease by a couple of percentage due to aging. I would recommend at least 100W headroom at the minimum. When purchasing your components, the specifications of each component will detail the power consumption it needs. Add the CPU, your GPUs, and add another 100 watts at least on top. This is the number that you should work with then selecting a PSU, and get a slightly bigger one than that. A 1000W PSU powering a computer that only needs 400W will not cause a problem with your PSU or computer, just more in electricity bills. PSUs provide no performance gains whatso-ever, but is a necessary component of your computer.[ CITATION CisNd \l 2057 ][CITATION Hen89 \p 22 \l 2057 ]

CPU (Central Processing Unit): The CPU is the component that is arguably the ‘heart’ of your computer. Every mathematical problem, logical problem, any command issued, has to pass through and be computed by the CPU. The CPU is made up of a material called silicone. [CITATION CisNd \p 27 \l 2057 ] The CPU has 3 main parts: The control unit, the arithmetic logic unit, and the immediate access store. The control unit controls the input and output devices, the arithmetic unit is the unit that does all the math and logical operators (such as Boolean logic), and the immediate access store is the memory inside the CPU that is instantly available for

programs and other data/software. This storage is very limited and almost non-existent sometimes.[ CITATION UniNd \l 2057 ] The speed of a CPU is measured in GHz (Gigahertz). 1GHz = 1024MHz (Megahertz). A 3 GHz processor can compute about 3 billion instructions per second.[ CITATION BBCNd \l 2057 ] But, although higher frequencies mean faster processors, this is not all that matters. Different CPUs have different architectures, different memory sizes, different technologies (such as hyper threading) etc. Higher frequencies does mean it’s faster, but doesn’t always mean better (when comparing 2 CPUs, the frequency is just 1 variable out of many). You do not want to skimp on this component, and after choosing your CPU, you will know the chipset that your motherboard will need to be.[ CITATION CisNd \l 2057 ]

RAM (Random Access Memory): How does a tiny CPU store data for many running applications at once? It simply doesn’t. Even the best processors need some kind of buffer to store information in that it is dealing with, and that is the job of the RAM. Think of the RAM like a bowl of ingredients – you put everything you’re working with in the bowl until you are ready to use it. That is what the RAM is doing for your processor. Although some RAM is capable of working at speeds measured in GHz, when talking about RAM, we always use the term MHz as even the fastest ram barely scrapes 2GHz speeds (which is 2048MHz), so it is easier to refer to MHz The motherboard RAM slots determine how many RAM modules can be installed (typically a maximum of 4) and also the motherboard specification will detail what the maximum size and speed of those RAM modules can be. Good RAM with a decent frequency and a good CPU is the best combination for a

fast and efficient PC.[ CITATION Exp16 \l 2057 ][CITATION CisNd \p 15 \l 2057 ] Lastly, when talking about RAM, you have probably heard the phrase “DDR” around. DDR stands for Double-Data Rate. DDR1-4 is the current memor...