Computer Hardware Fundamentals Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What advantage does a Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD) have over a Solid State Drive (SSD)?

Faster access time than SSD

Lower cost than all SSDs

Larger data capacity than SSD (correct)

No moving parts

Which logic gate outputs TRUE only if both inputs are TRUE?

NAND gate

OR gate

NOT gate

AND gate (correct)

What is the primary material used in the production of CPUs?

Aluminum

Lead

Copper

Silicon (correct)

What is true about an XOR gate?

It outputs TRUE only if one input is TRUE. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors is NOT considered when choosing a storage drive?

Color options Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic distinguishes an SSD from other types of drives?

No moving parts Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of transistors in CPUs?

They act as electronic switches. Signup and view all the answers

How does a NOR gate behave?

It outputs FALSE if both inputs are TRUE. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI)?

Devices with millions or billions of transistors on a single chip Signup and view all the answers

What does the Program Counter (PC) do?

Points to the next instruction to be executed. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of memory loses its data when the power is turned off?

DRAM (Dynamic RAM) Signup and view all the answers

What is the fastest type of memory found in a CPU?

Registers Signup and view all the answers

Which component temporarily stores arithmetic and logic results?

ALU Signup and view all the answers

Which memory type requires periodic refreshing to maintain data integrity?

DRAM Signup and view all the answers

What are the three types of buses in a CPU system?

Data, Address, Control Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about the Memory Data Register (MDR) is correct?

It stores the actual data that has been fetched from memory. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of truth tables, which of the following describes an XOR gate?

It outputs true when inputs differ Signup and view all the answers

What is the maximum speed achievable by a PATA unit?

133MHz with 16 bits Signup and view all the answers

What component is responsible for translating virtual addresses into physical addresses?

Memory Management Unit (MMU) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about Flash ROM is accurate?

It balances performance and affordability between SRAM and DRAM Signup and view all the answers

Which SATA version has a bandwidth of 6.0 Gb/sec?

SATA V3 Signup and view all the answers

How does the current CPU fetch instructions from memory?

Using a combination of buses. Signup and view all the answers

Which storage type is considered the slowest but has the largest capacity?

Traditional Disk Signup and view all the answers

Which component holds the current instruction to be executed?

Current Instruction Register (CIR) Signup and view all the answers

Which main components make up the Central Processing Unit (CPU)?

Control unit and Arithmetic-Logic Unit (ALU) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the Program Counter (PC)?

To hold the address of the next instruction to be executed Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following operations does the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) perform?

Comparing data items Signup and view all the answers

What does the Control Unit primarily do in a computer system?

Coordinates operations and controls hardware Signup and view all the answers

In the Fetch and Execute Cycle, what does the 'execute' phase entail?

Performing the operation associated with the command Signup and view all the answers

Which buses make up the System Bus?

Data bus, Address bus, Control bus Signup and view all the answers

Which register holds the instruction currently being executed?

Control Instruction Register (CIR) Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of registers within the CPU?

To temporarily hold data during processing Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'dot pitch' refer to in display technology?

The distance between pixels. Signup and view all the answers

Which display standard has the highest resolution mentioned in the content?

8k HDMI Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between 8-bit color depth and 16-bit color depth?

8-bit represents 256 colors, while 16-bit represents 65,536 colors. Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect ratio is commonly associated with modern displays?

16:9 Signup and view all the answers

Which resolution corresponds to the SVGA standard?

800x600 and 1024x768 Signup and view all the answers

What does 'refresh rate' indicate in display technology?

The frequency at which the screen is repainted. Signup and view all the answers

What is the key characteristic of 'Deep Colour' in displays?

It supports approximately 281.5 trillion colors. Signup and view all the answers

How is 'dot frequency' calculated?

By multiplying the size of the display by the refresh rate. Signup and view all the answers

What is the total bit depth of a 24-bit image?

24 bits Signup and view all the answers

How many color values can be represented by a 24-bit image?

16.7 million Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a component of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)?

Graphics Processing Unit Signup and view all the answers

In an 8-bit color depth system, how many colors can be represented?

256 Signup and view all the answers

What is the pixel data representation in a 24-bit color depth system?

Three 8-bit values for RGB Signup and view all the answers

How much memory does a VGA system with a resolution of 640 x 480 and 8-bit color require?

300 kilobytes Signup and view all the answers

In a 16-bit color depth, how many bits are allocated for green?

6 bits Signup and view all the answers

Which component of a graphics card is responsible for converting RGB numerical values to voltage levels?

Graphics Processing Unit Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Von Neumann Definition

Programs (commands) and data are stored together in memory.
The first piece of information is always a command, followed by data.

Harvard Definition

Programs (commands) and data are stored separately.
Information from instruction memory is a command, and data memory contains data.

The Motherboard

The motherboard is the computer's backbone.
It's a printed circuit board (PCB).
It contains buses (electrical pathways) connecting electronic components.
Components can be soldered or added through sockets, expansion slots, and ports.

The Modern Motherboard

BIOS is a boot program that configures the motherboard and chipset devices.

CISC vs RISC CPUs

CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer):
- Reduced code size.
- More efficient memory use.
- Slower execution.
- More complex design.
- Higher power consumption.
RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer):
- Simpler instructions.
- Faster execution.
- Lower power consumption.
- More instructions needed.
- Increased memory usage.
- Higher cost.

The System Bus Model

The system bus is a shared pathway for component communication.
Subunits of a computer system are:
- CPU
- Memory
- Input/Output (I/O)
The ALU and control unit are combined into one functional unit (CPU).
Input and output units are combined into a single I/O unit.
Includes:
- Data Bus
- Address Bus
- Control Bus
- Power Bus

Fetch and Execute Cycle

CPU reads commands from memory (Read cycle).
CPU reads the command's address from memory (Read cycle).
CPU does the command (Execute cycle).
Cycles repeat.

CPU Components

Central Processing Unit (CPU):
- Two major components:
  - Control Unit
  - Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU).
- Special registers for processing operations.
- Registers are high-speed memory locations.

CPU Components + Registers

Components include a Control Unit, Arithmetic/Logic Unit, and Registers (PC, CIR, MAR, MDR, AC).

The Control Unit

Coordinates and controls all computer operations.
Monitors hardware connected to the system.
Manages input and output of data.
Controls data flow within the CPU.

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

Performs arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) and logical (comparison) operations on data.

The CPU Components - Registers

Program Counter (PC):
- Holds the address of the next instruction to be executed.
- Located in the Control Unit.
- Incremented after each instruction fetch.
Current Instruction Register (CIR):
- Holds the current instruction to be executed.
Memory Address Register (MAR):
- Stores the memory address of the current instruction or data to be fetched from memory.
Memory Data Register (MDR):
- Stores the actual instruction or data that has been fetched from memory.

The CPU Components - Buses

A bus is a set of parallel wires connecting independent components to pass signals.
Types of buses:
- Data Bus
- Address Bus
- Control Bus
These buses transmit signals between the CPU, memory, and input/output devices.

The CPU Connections

Electrical wires connecting the CPU are grouped into three buses:
- Address Bus (16, 32, 64, 128 bits)
- Data Bus (8, 16, 32, 64 bits)
- Control Bus (signals like read/write, clock, DMA, interrupts, etc.)

How does a CPU work?

CPU processes instructions using a Fetch/Execute cycle.
Program/data stored externally is transferred into the CPU (via the bus).

Interface Standards - ISA

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA).
Extension of FSB.
Address and data bus in a common connector form.

Interface Standards - PATA

Ultra ATA data cable (ribbon), which allows you to connect two devices on the same IDE controller (jumper).
Maximum speed is 133MHz with 16 bits.

Interface Standards - SATA

Serial ATA (SATA) replaced PATA.
Serial protocol to improve data speed and allow different data widths.
Increased bandwidth and transfer rates over PATA.

Interface Standards - EISA

Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) is a 16-bit bus standard.

Interface Standards - PCI

Peripheral Component Interconnect improves speed, uses the double or quadruple bit-width.
Windows 95-11 support this by automatic setting up hardware.

Interface Standards - AGP

Advanced Graphics Port (AGP).
To handle graphics related data that was causing problems using PCI.
Speed improvement on existing PCI standard.

Interface Standards - PCIe

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe).
Replaced most other standards.
Newer serial architecture allows multiple channels to work concurrently supporting x4, x8 and x16.

Variations of Drives

Solid State Hard Drive (SSHD))
Solid State Drive (SSD)
Best of both worlds (magnetic and solid-state).

Choosing a Storage Drive

Data transfer time.
Rotational speed.
Onboard Cache.
Form factor.
Interface standard.
Data storage size.
Cost.
Lifetime.

How are CPUs made?

CPUs are made of silicon doped with group 3 & 5 materials.
Combination of semiconductor materials produces transistors (electronic switches).
Transistors are combined to create more complex devices for logical operations.

Basic Building blocks

Logic elements are represented as 0s and 1s in truth tables.
Basic logic gates include:
- AND
- OR
- NOT
- NAND
- NOR
- XOR

SSI, MSI, VLSI, LSI, Devices

Building blocks are combined in increasing complexity to create Small, Medium, Large, and Very Large scale components.

Types of Memory

ROM: Read-Only Memory.
RAM: Random Access Memory (SRAM, DRAM).
EPROM: UV light erasable ROM.
E2PROM: Slow High Voltage Erasable ROM.
Flash Memory: Low voltage Erasable ROM

Memory Hierarchy

Data is stored in hierarchical order from fastest to slowest and largest to smallest capacity.
Registers, Cache, Main Memory, Flash Disk, etc.

Virtual Memory

CPU sends virtual addresses to the MMU.
The MMU converts virtual addresses to physical addresses and sends them to the memory.
Allows programs to use more memory than physically available.

Memory - Design and Performance

Factors to consider in memory design:
- Access time
- Data bus size
- Cost per Gigabyte
- Cooling Requirements
- Availability
- Compatibility with motherboard.

RAMBUS

Significant changes include:
- New protocol-based interface for DDR memory.
- Impedance matching for reduced electronic noise.
- Lower voltage levels for faster operation, so hence lower time for the threshold to be reached.

Light and Colour

Combining lights of different wavelengths creates different colours.
Primary colours are red, green, and blue (RGB).
Combining light to create white is additive colour mixing.

Pixels and Colour displays

Digital images are discrete areas of specific colours (pixels).
Pixels consist of areas for each primary colour (RGB).
Colour determined by the glow of red, green, and blue areas.
Dot pitch is the distance between pixels

Display standards

Standards define video display modes, encompassing resolution, colours, and pixel colour representation.
Important standards include VGA, SVGA, XVGA, WXGA, HDMI, Ultra HDMI.

Terminology

Resolution: Total number of pixels on the screen (horizontal x vertical).
Refresh rate: Frequency of repainting the screen.
Dot frequency: Number of pixels output per second.
Aspect ratio: Ratio of width to height
Display size: Diagonal of the display.
Colour depth: Number of bits used to represent colours (8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit etc...).

Pixel data to RGB colour mapping

Pixel data is represented by numbers for each RGB colour.
24-bit colour depth uses three 8-bit values for each colour. -16-bit colours depths uses 5,6,5 bits to give 65536 colours.

Components of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

Backlight Unit
Horizontal Polarising Filters
Active Matrix TFT Array.
Liquid Crystal
RGB Colour Filters
Vertical Polarising Filters

Simple graphics card components and operation

CPU processes video data.
Data sent to Image Frame Buffer.
RGB numerical values sent to DAC.
DAC converts RGB values to voltage levels.
Display device synchronised via dot clock.

Speed/Memory Improvements: Coprocessors & GPUs

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are dedicated to graphics related operations, speeding up the process as compared to the CPU.
Calculating pixel colour values faster to represent images.

Lets shrink the data

Data compression improves image throughput by reducing data amounts.
Compression types include:
- Lossy, where some quality is lost during decompressing.
- Lossless, where quality is retained during decompressing.

Floating Point Numbers

Floating point numbers use a format to represent numbers with decimal values and stored in memory.
Sign bit (0 is positive, 1 is negative).
Exponent (with a bias).
Mantissa (fractional part).
Stored memory is in little endian format, to access the least significant bit first

Using Text

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange):
Codes to represent text, enabling the use of characters and control codes on computers.
Telex: (1926): Used for text communication before ASCII.

Extended ASCII and Unicode

ASCII expanded to include more characters, enabling the inclusion of Europe-specific characters.
Unicode provides a larger character set, with more characters and symbols from different languages.
Different unicode formats exist such as UTF-64 ,UTF-128 etc .

Computer Misuse Act 1990

UK law to govern lawful access to computer data.
Illegal activities include unauthorised access, access with criminal intent, modifications, and making tools for misuse.

Data Protection Act 1998

Sets guidelines to handle personal information.
Appropriate measures are taken to safeguard during examinations. – Exemptions are allowed in activities like detecting or preventing crimes or safeguarding national security.

Environmental Issues to Consider

Issues with Earth's natural resources, energy consumption, waste from processing, waste from old technology, creation of a disposable society, and the environmental benefits from computing.

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Description

Test your knowledge on computer hardware concepts, including Solid State Drives, CPUs, and logic gates. This quiz covers essential characteristics and functionalities that differentiate various storage devices and processing units. Perfect for students in computer science and engineering!