Transcript chap 6

Chapter 6
Understanding and Assessing Hardware:
Evaluating Your System
• To buy or upgrade? Evaluating your system:
– CPU
– RAM
– Storage devices
– Video output
– Sound systems
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To Buy or To Upgrade?
Things to consider:
• Moore’s Law (Gordon Moore,
Intel) - CPU increases x 2 every
1.5yrs (On YouTube Moore
said every 1yr and later, every
2yrs)
• also RAM incrs 60% per 1yr;
HDD (hard disk drive) incrs
50% per 1 yr
• Cost of upgrading vs. buying
• Time installing software and
files
• Needs and wants
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Evaluating the CPU
• How does the CPU work? (works together with RAM)
– 2 parts:
– Control unit
– Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
– Machine cycle (4 steps):
• Fetch – Decode – Execute – Store
– (Fetch from and store to RAM)
– Common speeds: desktop: 2- 4 GHz
– Ex: 3.8 GHz = 3.8 giga Hertz = 3.8 billion cycles per
second (clock cycles ~ instructions per sec)
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Differentiating CPUs’ power
• Clock speed (previous slide)
• Number of cores (next slide)
– Core: A complete processing section from a CPU embedded into the
same physical chip
– Number of threads
– hyperthreading: a secondary set of instructions can start in CPU before
the last set is finished
• Cache memory – small amounts of high speed expensive memory
on/near CPU that it to execute instructions better: Levels 1, 2, 3.
• Overclock the CPU – techies do! They manipulate their CPU to make
it run faster that manufacturer’s recommended speed. It voids
warranty.
• Omit - FSB – front side bus (think bus route b/c it is the route for
signals between CPU and RAM). Not listed on newest CPU spec list
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Multi-core processors
• Ex: In a Dual (2) core CPU,
one core executes the OS
and the other everything
else.
• With a multi-core processor
each task being executed
has the ALL of the CPU’s
resources and does not
share them with another task
as in the 3rd CPU pictured.
• 3rd picture shows
hyperthreading
Question: How many cores
on the 1st CPU? the 2nd?
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Evaluating the CPU – id your
system’s parts
• Identify your CPU in Windows 8:
– In File Explorer “folder” icon, go to the “This PC”
and then the Computer tab will appear. Click it
and System button
– Right click Windows icon, lower left of screen,
select System
In Win 7, right-click Computer folder, select
Properties (or click Sys Props button in Computer)
© 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Copyright © 2011
Pearson Education, Inc.
Publishing as Prentice
Hall
Some CPUs
CPUs for desktops diff than for laptops. See
Intel/AMD website for more models and spec
sheets.
desktop
Intel
Core i3, Core i5,
Core i7
AMD
Phenom X4
FX8150
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CPU spec sheet examples:
optional slide
• Example: Intel E6700 Core 2 Duo (64-bit):
• 2.66 Ghz speed
• 4 MB L2 cache
• 2C/2T (cores/threads)
• Bus/core ratio: 10
• 1066 MHz FSB (Front Side Bus)
Newer example: Intel Core i5-680 (64-bit):
• 3.6 GHz and w/ turbo 3.8 Ghz speed,
• 4MB Smart Cache,
• 2C/4T (cores/threads)
• bus/core ratio: 27
• 2.5 GT/s DMI (giga transfers per sec); no FSB # mentioned
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RAM (names for)
• Random access memory (RAM):
– Temporary storage (memory) also called Volatile
• Physical memory
• Memory modules fit on motherboard into
memory banks (slots)
• Module also called dual inline memory
modules (DIMMs)
– DDR2, DDR3
• DDR3 current version for most
PCs still
DDR == double data rate
© 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education,
Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
How Much RAM Do You Need?
• General rule: Buy as much RAM as you can afford.
• Windows 8 min: 2 GB
• Need RAM for operating system, application
software, and data all to run at same time; Sample
RAM requirements:
Application
Minimum RAM Required
Windows 7
1000 MB
Microsoft Office Professional 2007
Internet Explorer 8
iTunes
Adobe Photoshop Elements
256 MB
128 MB
256 MB
512 MB
Total RAM required to run all
programs simultaneously
2,152 MB or 2.15 GB
© 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Adding RAM
• Easy to do and reasonably priced
• Increases system performance (May need to add more if
your system is slower over the years)
• Check your RAM amount: go to Computer Tab in File
Explorer, in This PC window
• To upgrade, look up your RAM type and requirements in
documents at your computer’s manufacturer support
page online. Or try www.crucial.com look up tool using
your computer’s model
– Type of module (i.e. DDR3)
– Maximum total limit, maximum limit per slot
– Maximum limit for your operating system
• Common size: 4-24GB (expandable to 24 GB)
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Omit: Virtual Memory
Virtual memory was covered in chapter 5!
• Memory bound (sys that runs out of RAM space)
• Virtual memory (also page file)– When system runs
out of RAM, hard drive space is resorted to.
• Drawback = speed is slowed. That is, RAM
operates in nanosecs (1/billion= 1/1,000,000,000) and
Hard Disk Drive operates in millisecs (1/1000)
• Increasing RAM can avoid this problem
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HDD and SSD
• HDD – hard disk drive
– Common storage capacity: 500 GB, 640GB,
1 TB, 2 TB – 8TB (Terabytes)
– Access time (in milliseconds) - time to
locate and make avail for processing
– Spindle speed is measured in revolutions
per minute (rpm) typical: 5400 rpm, 7200
rpm, 10,000 rpm
• SSD – solid state drive
– expensive
– similar technology to the USB drive
(i.e. chips, flash memory)
– no heat, no noise, no spinning discs
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How a Hard Disk Works
• Composed of iron oxide coated platters stacked on a
spindle
• Data saved to the disk: pattern of magnetized spots (0s
and 1s)
• Read/write heads access each platter surface
• Check your C: Drive size: Right-click C: drive, Properties
Access arms
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Optical Storage
• Optical media: Store data as tiny pits burned into
a disc by a laser; nonpits=lands
– Prerecorded
• CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, BD-ROM
– Recordable
• CD-R, DVD-R, BD-R
– Rewritable (rewrite again and again)
• CD-RW, DVD-RW, BD-RE
• A DVD-RW burner will burn CDs and DVDs;
• A Blu-ray burner will most likely burn CDs and
DVDs
© 2009 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education,
Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
Video Card
• Process binary data into
images
• Attaches to motherboard as
expansion card (on lower
end PCs, it may be
“integrated” on
motherboard)
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Video Card
•
•
•
•
•
Contains its own RAM, video RAM or VRAM
VRAM types: GDDR3, GDDR5
Serious gamers use cards with more VRAM
Contains its own graphics processor (GPU)
To determine specs of your video card
(graphics card) -- go to screen resolution
settings screen in Control Panel, click
Advanced button
• Ports on video card: DVI (LCD monitor) and
HDMI (TVs etc)
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Sound card
• Attach to motherboard as
expansion card (on lower
end PCs it may be
“integrated” on
motherboard)
• Process digital data into
sounds
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Evaluating System Reliability
• Performance:
– Is slow
– Freezes
– Crashes
• Upkeep and maintenance:
– System tools
– Control panel
– Update software, and hardware drivers
(Windows update can include Microsoft’s other
software)
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Upkeep and Maintenance
• System tools:
– Disk defragmenter
– Disk cleanup
– Add/remove programs
– Run anti-virus and anti-spyware scans
– Updates Windows
– Update programs
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The Last Resort
• If problems persist: First…
– Try reinstalling the software application that is the
probable cause
– Create a restore point
• Drastic measures…
– Reinstall (“recover”) the operating system. Or take
it into to shop! In Windows 8 this can be done
with the “Windows Refresh” tool. It is imilar to the nondestructive recovery we talked about in the Windows Unit. See
“Maintain your PC” notes on Windows Unit page of perel website.
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