System Fundamentals Week 2 - CameronProvost/Tech-Journal GitHub Wiki

Week 2 journal

Processor Overview

The processor is a chip at the center of the motherboard which in many ways determines the power of the computer. Also known as the CPU, the processor executes instructions, performs calculations, and coordinates input/output operations.

Processor Basics

A processor’s speed is measured in gagherts in which a hertz is the number of cycles the processor clock performs per second. Giga means billion so for every gigahertz a processor can process is 1 billion cycles per second. Busses are the electrical lines that the 1s and 0s processors operate on to travel across. The busses located inside the CPU for internal communication are called internal data busses, and to communicate with devices outside of the CPU the data travels across external data busses. An ALU or arithmetic logic unit is what handles the calculations and comparison logic for computers. Pipelines split tasks into separate pieces where each task can be completed quickly and passed along. The more pipelines a processor has and the smaller the tasks are split, the more efficient a processor can operate.

Cache

Cache memory is a very fast memory storage type that is used for storing temporary data. Cache memory is designed to improve the efficiency of a processor allowing data to continuously flow. The more cache memory a system has the better performance it will have.

Clocking

Clock signals are generated by the motherboard that transfer data to and from the processor. Early computers sent data every clock cycle but as technology improves data is being sent 2, 3 , and 4 times for every cycle.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

GPUs and integrated GPUs are used to help reduce the bottleneck of processing information. Their main purpose is to help with graphics and other data processing, but that can be used to help speed up computers all around.

Processor Cooling

Keeping a processor cool is essential to its function and reliability because of this there are many tools in each computer to help keep it cool. Heat sinks and heat pipes absorb the heat that is produced and disperse it. Fans and liquid cooling systems can also be used to help disperse heat and keep the CPU at a safe temperature. Thermal paste is also often applied to CPUs to keep heat under control.

Chipsets

On every motherboard there are principle chips that work with the CPU to perform functions, the chips are collectively called chipsets. The layout and functionality of the motherboard depend on components that are compatible with a specific chipset. For example the amount and type of ram and processors depend on the compatibility of the chipset.

The chapter portrays pipelines as an unquestioned benefit, but can you think of any downsides to pipelining, or any scenarios where pipelining may not be effective? Pipelines are very helpful in speeding up the processes a computer performs, but it also makes the system much more complicated. Complex pipelines reduce the speed of clock cycles because more information is being transferred. They also create opportunities for complications because the use of pipelines make the system more complex, and thus presenting opportunities for things to go wrong.

Consider the tasks you typically use your personal computer for. Would you benefit more from increasing the amount of cache/RAM (faster access, but more expensive) or disk storage (slower, but cheaper)? I use my personal computer for a lot of tasks around video, like streaming and gaming. So I would benefit more from increasing the amount of cache memory and ram. This would allow my computer to process information quicker and allow for better performance.