Application NeedsCE 536 - Networking and Microcomputer Systems
Day 2: Microcomputer Architecture and Components
Microcomputer Needs: What do you want the computer to do?
Application Needs
Component Needs
Computer Hardware
System Unit - case, motherboard, ports
CPU
Memory
Disk Drives
Input Devices
Graphics Card
Monitor
CD-ROM Drives
DVD
Sound Cards
Communications
Microcomputer Needs: What do you want the computer to do?
Application Needs
Working with Words
Word Processing (Word, WordPerfect, ...)
Desktop Publishing (Publisher, PageMaker, ...)
Presentation Software (PowerPoint, Freelance, ...)
World-Wide Web Publishing (FrontPage, ...)
Working with Numbers
Spreadsheets (Excel, 1-2-3, Quattro Pro, ...)
Accounting (Money, Quicken, ...)
Mathematics (Matlab, Mathematica, Maple, ...)
Statistics (SPSS, SAS, ...)
Engineering (Adina, Ansys, ...)
Working with Data
Databases (Access, dBase, Paradox, Oracle, ...)
Stand-Alone
Multi-user - Networked
Information Retrieval
CD-ROM Databases
Remote Databases
Web-Based Information
Multimedia Applications
Education
Entertainment
Graphic Design
Multimedia Development
Microcomputer Needs: What do you want the computer to do?
Component Needs
Input Devices
Keyboard
Pointing Device
Mouse
Trackball
Joystick
Digitizing Pad
Microphone ( w/ Voice Recognition Software)
Scanning Device
OCR - Optical Character Recognition
Images (Picture, Slides, Negatives, ...)
Multimedia
Audio
Video
Playback
Capture
Resolution
Frames per Second
CD-ROM / DVD
Communications
Modem - Phone Line
Network Adapter
Cable Modem and Network Adapter
Computer Hardware
System Unit - case, motherboard, ports
Case - Expandability, Aesthetics, Security
Desktop
Mini-tower
Tower
Power Supply - sized in watts
Motherboard
Bus Structure - expansion slots
ISA - Industry Standard Architecture
MCA - (IBM) Microchannel Architecture
EISA - Extended ISA (32-bit)
PCI - Peripheral Connection Interface
PCMCIA - (Portable Computers) Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association (People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms)
Ports
Parallel (LPT1, LPT2) - Printers, Backup
Serial (COM1, COM2) - Mouse, Modem
SCSI - Small Computer System Interface
Daisy-Chained Devices - plug into each other; last device must be terminated
SCSI ID - unique to each device
SCSI-2 (Fast SCSI) - faster data transfer
SCSI-2 (Wide SCSI) - 16-bit
SCSI-3 (Ultra SCSI) - even faster
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
Controllers
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)
Supports Disk Drives Only
Drives Limited to 528 MB
EIDE (Enhanced IDE)
Supports Drives, CD-ROM's, Tape Drives
Primary IDE or EIDE Controller - supports up to 2 disk drives
Secondary Controller - supports CD-ROM drives and tape drives
Master Device - first device on an IDE or EIDE controller - set via DIP switches or jumpers
Slave Device - second device on a controller
ROM BIOS (Read Only Memory Basic Input/Output System) - contains instructions for starting (booting) the computer - AMI, Phoenix
CMOS RAM (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Random Access Memory) - maintains the system configuration when the power is off
Cleared when the Battery Dies!
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
Processor Type
80486-SX (w/o Math Coprocessor)
80486-DX (w/ Math Coprocessor)
Pentium (586 - AMD, Cyrix)
Pentium w/ MMX (optimized for Multimedia)
Pentium Pro (optimized for 32-bit software)
Pentium II (Pentium Pro w/ MMX)
Processor Speed - MHz (Megahertz)
Performance Comparisons by Benchmarks
Memory
RAM (Random Access Memory)
Measured in Megabytes
Different Types - often installed in banks of 2
SIMM - Single Inline Memory Module
DIMM - Dual Inline Memory Module
EDO (Extended Data Output)
SyncDRAM
Different Speeds - depending on processor speed
Cache - faster memory for use by the CPU
256K or 512K
Disk Drives
Floppy Drives
5.25 Inch - 360K, 1.2M
3.5 Inch - 720K, 1.44M, 2.88M
Hard Drives
Plug into Primary IDE (EIDE) Controller or a SCSI Controller
First IDE (EIDE) Drive is the Master (from which the system will boot)
Second IDE (EIDE) Drive set as Slave
Capacity Measured in Megabytes or Gigabytes
Data Managed in Units called Clusters
One Physical Drive can be Partitioned into Multiple Logical Drives
Cluster Size Dependent on Partition Type
FAT16 - DOS, Windows 3.1x, Windows 95
Maximum of 32,768 Clusters (215)
Maximum Cluster Size 65,536 Bytes (216)
Maximum Partition Size 2.1G (215 x 216)
|
Partition Size |
Cluster Size |
|
500M |
16K |
|
1G |
32K |
|
2.1G |
64K |
FAT32 - Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2
Cluster Size of 4K
Supports Partitions into the Terabytes
NTFS - Windows NT
Similar to, but incompatible with, FAT32
Supports Security Features of Windows NT
Input Devices
Keyboard
Standard - May Cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Ergonomic - May Drive You Crazy ...
Pointing Device
Mouse
Serial
Bus
Trackball
Touchpad
Graphics Card
Various Bus Structures
VESA Local Bus - (Video Electronics Standards Association) 486's and early Pentiums
PCI Local Bus - (Peripheral Connection Interface) most Pentiums
AGP - (Accelerated Graphics Port) - Pentium II's
Resolution in Pixels
640x480
800x600
1024x768
1280x1024
Color Depth - Number of Simultaneous Colors
4-bit - 16 Colors
8-bit - 256 Colors
16-bit - 65,536 Colors - High Color
24-bit - 16.8M Colors - True Color
Data Speed - 32-bit, 64-bit, 128-bit
Video Memory - 1MB, 2MB, 4MB, 8MB
Determines Display Resolution and Colors
Memory Required = Width x Height x Color Depth
|
To Display: |
With Colors: |
Memory: |
|
640x480 (307,200) |
16.8M (3 bytes) |
1MB |
|
800x600 (480,000) |
16.8M |
2MB |
|
1024x768 (786,432) |
64K (2 bytes) |
2MB |
|
1280x1024 (1,310,720) |
256 (1 byte) |
2MB |
Monitor
Size Measured Diagonally (14-Inch, 15-Inch, 17-Inch, ... )
Resolution Measured in Pixels
640x480
800x600
1024x768
1280x1024
Dot Pitch - Gray Space Between Pixels (.28 or lower!)
Reduce Flicker
Non-Interlaced versus Interlaced
Vertical Scan Rate (80+ Hz refresh)
CD-ROM Drives
Up to 650M of Data fits on a CD-ROM
Data can be Digital Audio, Video, Programs, or Text
Depending on Drive, Plugs into EIDE Controller, SCSI Controller, or Sound Card
Speed Determines How Fast Data Can be Accessed
Single Speed (1x)
Double Speed (2x)
Quad Speed (4x)
Variable Speed - Currently up to 32x
DVD - Digital Versatile Disc, Digital Video Disc, or DVD
Up to 17GB of Data fits on a DVD Disc
Can (Typically) Play Conventional CD-ROM's and Audio CD's
Sound Cards
Can Play Digitized Audio Through Speakers
Can Digitize Audio with Microphone or Line-In Inputs
Quality of Recording and Playback Varies
Telephone Quality - 8-bit at 11KHz
AM Radio Quality - 8-bit at 22KHz
CD Quality - 16-bit at 44KHz
Mono or Stereo
MIDI Port (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
Game Port for Joystick
"Sound Blaster" Compatibility Recommended
Communications
Modem
Speeds in Bits per Second
14,400 (or 14.4K) up to 56K
Standards - V.34, V.42bis, ...
Up to 4-times faster with Data Compression
Currently Two 56K "Standards"
x2
K56flex
Uploads at up to 33.6K
ISDN Modems
Network Interface Cards
Cable Modems with Network Interface Cards