Hardware

Objective #1: Explain the architecture of a personal computer.

• A personal computer is built around its central processing unit (CPU). Within a modern CPU there is an integrated circuit chip. Within this chip there are millions of transistors that route the electricity and perform mathematical computations. Some computers have a mulit-core processor in which a single chip contains two or more CPU's.
  
  
• In addition to the CPU, a computer has primary and secondary storage. Primary storage is another name for random-access memory (RAM), which we often simply call "memory." Secondary storage is typically a computer's hard disk (aka hard drive) where the storage of information is magnetic and measured in bytes.
  
  
• The CPU, the memory, and other peripheral devices are connected by a set of electrical lines called a bus. Physically, these parts are part of or connect to the computer's motherboard.
  
  
• In this picture the whole component represents a motherboard. The CPU fits into the area marked "Processor Socket". The primary storage (RAM) refers to the memory cards that fit into the slots marked "Memory".