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Computer & Smartphone Hardware

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Core computer components and the chips/sensors inside a smartphone.

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Computer hardware

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1Computer hardware
The physical parts of a computer including CPU, RAM, motherboard, data storage, graphics card, sound card, computer case, and external devices like monitor, mouse, keyboard, and speakers
2Hardware' as opposed to 'software
Hardware is hard or rigid with respect to changes, whereas software is soft because it is easy to change
3Boolean algebra
A system of logic invented by George Boole in the mid-19th century where each proposition is either true or false; now the basis of circuits modeling transistors and integrated circuits
4Von Neumann architecture
An architecture devised by John von Neumann in 1945 featuring centralized memory storing both data and programs, a CPU with priority memory access, and I/O units—the template for most modern computers
5Von Neumann bottleneck
A performance limitation caused by using a single bus to transfer data, occurring when the system tries to fetch both programs and data at the same time
6Two main types of Instruction Set Architectures (ISA)
CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) and RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer), plus vector operations and hybrid modes
7CISC
Complex Instruction Set Computer - uses a larger expression set to minimize the number of instructions machines need to use
8RISC and what is its advantage
Reduced Instruction Set Computer - shrinks the instruction set for added simplicity based on recognition that only a few instructions are commonly used; enables inclusion of more registers
9What happened to RISC-based architectures after their invention in the 1980s?
They displaced CISC architectures, particularly in applications with restrictions on power usage or space (like mobile phones), using pipelining and caching to increase performance
10Data parallelism
When the same function runs across multiple areas of data
11Task parallelism
When different tasks can be performed simultaneously with limited interaction
12Microarchitecture
Also known as computer organization, it refers to high-level hardware questions such as the design of the CPU, memory, and memory interconnects
13Memory hierarchy
A design ensuring that memory quicker to access (and more expensive) is located closer to the CPU, while slower, cheaper memory for large-volume storage is located further away
14Virtual memory used for
To simplify addressing for programs, using the operating system to map virtual memory to different areas of finite physical memory
15What happens when computer chips overheat?
They will automatically throttle their performance to avoid overheating; the system may reduce performance or shut down the processor if necessary
16Common cooling mechanisms for computer components
Air or liquid coolers for CPU and GPU, heatsinks for other components like RAM, and ventilated computer cases
17Overclocking
Temporarily increasing computer performance when the system is not hot, though sustained operations cannot exceed the cooling system's capacity
18Basic hardware components of a desktop personal computer
Monitor, motherboard, CPU, RAM, expansion cards, power supply, optical disc drive, hard disk drive, keyboard, and mouse
19Laptops differ from desktop PCs
Designed for portability with keyboard, display, and processor in one case; may use lower-power or reduced size components with lower performance than similarly priced desktops
20Tablet computer
A portable computer using a touch screen as primary input device, generally weighing less and smaller than laptops; some include fold-out keyboards or external keyboard connections
21Mainframe computer
A much larger computer that typically fills a room and may cost many hundreds or thousands of times as much as a PC, designed to perform large numbers of calculations for governments and large enterprises
22Minicomputer
A class of smaller computers developed in the mid-1960s, sold for much less than mainframes and used for specific purposes like process control and laboratory automation
23What characterizes supercomputers?
Can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, designed to maximize floating-point arithmetic performance and execute batch programs that may take weeks; internal network speed is critical priority
24Warehouse scale computers
Larger versions of cluster computers for software as a service via the internet, designed to minimize cost per operation and power usage; can cost over $100 million for a warehouse
25Virtual hardware
Software that mimics the function of hardware, commonly used in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS)
26Cost range for embedded system processors
From 8-bit processors costing less than $0.10 to higher-end processors capable of billions of operations per second costing over $100
27Purpose of a computer case
Encloses components, provides mechanical support and protection, controls/directs cooling air flow, controls electromagnetic interference, and protects from electrostatic discharge
28What voltage does a typical ATX power supply convert AC to DC for?
Converts AC at 120-277 volts to DC at much lower voltage: typically 12, 5, or 3.3 volts
29Motherboard
The main component with integrated circuitry that connects all other parts including CPU, RAM, disk drives, and peripherals via ports or expansion slots
30What do IC chips in computers typically contain?
Billions of tiny metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs)