A computer is a complex device containing many sub-systems. Each sub-system is a piece of computer hardware (or part of a piece of computer hardware.) How these pieces interact is called the "Computer Architecture". The hard of a computer includes:
CPU - the ?brain? of the computer
Motherboard - The spine of the computer
Power Supply - the ?stomach? of the computer
BUS - "trucks" data around the computer
Clock - tells the CPU to start the next instruction
Network Card - the ?cell phone? of the computer
Monitor - the ?face? of the computer
Fans - computers can cook food, they are so hot. We must cool them down.
Memory:
Layers:
Registers (1 clock cycle)
Primary Cache: ~1 nano-second cache primary
Secondary Cache: 10 nano-seconds
fast RAM: 70 nanoseconds or less
fast disk: 10 milliseconds (10,000,000 nanoseconds)
CD/DVD: 160 milliseconds (160,000,000 nanoseconds)
Memory Acronyms you should know:
ROM - Read Only Memory
ROM is memory that is "hard coded" from the manufacturer and never changes, such as the instruction to "boot" up your computer.
RAM - Random Access Memory
Ram is the core memory you buy for any machine. It is often sold (today) in .5, 1, and 2 GIG boards.
IO Devices
Graphics Card / Monitor
Keyboard
Disk Drive
Tape Backup
CD ROM
