Architecture of Computer System: Components, Memory, and Data Conversion

UNIT 37: ARCHITECTURE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Components of computer system and the interrelationship between them............................3
P2 Ways in which different types of memory is attached to the processor ................................8
LO 2...............................................................................................................................................11
P3 Ways in which data is converted and stored in computer systems.......................................11
P4 Boolean Logic Operations....................................................................................................20
LO 3...............................................................................................................................................21
P5 Use of different processor registers in fetch execute cycle .................................................21
P6 How polling and interrupts are used to allow communication between process and
peripherals .................................................................................................................................23
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................24
P7 Function of directX API and its pros and cons ....................................................................24
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................25
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................27

INTRODUCTION
The architecture of the computer is the view of the programmer regarding the computer,
it deals in the instruction set which is the language and the operand locations which are the
registers and the memory. There are various architectures of computer such as MIPS, x86, ARM,
PowerPC etc. The main thing which is to be done for understanding the architecture of the
computer is learning its language (Kubicek and et.al., 2019).
This report will shed light on the various aspects of the computer system which is an
amazing machine in performing any type of operations. It will highlight the components of the
computer system and the ways in which they will interact with each other. This will be followed
by describing the ways in which different types of memory are attached to the processor.
Furthermore, the ways in which different types of data are converted and stored in the computer
systems will be examined. The Boolean logic operations will be then evaluated. This will be
followed by illustrating the use of the different processor registers in the fetch executes cycle.
The report will also investigate the ways in which interrupts and polling are used for allowing
communication between the peripherals and processors. Lastly, the function of DirectX API will
be described along with mentioning its advantages and disadvantages.
LO 1
P1 Components of computer system and the interrelationship between them
The computer is basically a device which operates by making use of data or information.
It is also known as an electronic device which is responsible for accepting the input data, storing
the data and also performing the arithmetic and logic operations along with providing the output
in the desired format (Zhengbing and et.al., 2017). In order to perform all these tasks, the
computer consists of four major components which are as follows:
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Figure 1: Components of computer system
Source: Components of computer system, 2021
Input Unit
This is formed by the input devices which are connected to the computer and are used for
interacting with the computer system or the data and also helps in entering the data and
instructions to the computer. These are responsible for converting the input data and the
instructions into binary form such as ASCII which is accepted by the computer. The examples of
the input devices which form the input unit are mouse, keyboard, scanner etc.
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Figure 2: Input devices
Source: Input devices, 2021
Memory Unit
This unit is also known as storage unit. Before the actual processing of the data which are
entered, by making use of input unit needs to be stored on computer. The result is also stored
somewhere after processing before passing to the output units. All these functions are performed
by this storage unit and this also consists of two kinds of memory i.e., primary and secondary.
Primary Storage
This communicates directly with CPU and also enables the computer for storing the
temporary data and instruction. It is volatile which means it loses its content when the power
supply is off. Its example is Random Access Memory (RAM).
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Figure 3: Random Access Memory
Source: Random Access Memory, 2021
Secondary Storage
This is also known as Auxiliary Storage which supplements the main memory. This is
non-volatile memory which helps in transferring the data from one computer to another. These
also play the role of backup devices which helps in storing the valuable information. Its
examples are Optical disk, Magnetic Disk etc.
Figure 4: Secondary Storage Devices
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