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Information System Central Processing Unit CPU The Term Paper

Information System

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The CPU is generally a single microprocessor made from a wafer of semi-conducting material (usually silicon) containing millions of electrical components on it. Its main function is to process information entered through an input device, such as a keyboard, scanner, or joystick, or taken from memory. The CPU usually does this by performing arithmetic and logical operations on the data or information.

RAM

RAM is the acronym for random access memory and it is the physical or semi-conductor-based memory inside the computer circuitry stored in tiny computer chips that can hold millions of bytes of information. It can be read or changed by the user or the computer. It is thus different from read only memory (ROM) that can only be read but not changed.

Disk Storage

Memory also can be stored outside the circuitry of the computer on external storage devices, such as hard drives, which can store several gigabytes of information; magnetic floppy disks, which can store about 2 megabytes of information; compact discs (CDs), which can store as much information as several hundred floppy disks; and digital video discs (DVDs), which can store about 12 times as much data as a CD. The function of all these disk storage devices is to store data.

Upgrading an Older Computer

While upgrading an older computer, upgrading the hard disk will increase the storage capacity but will not increase the speed of a computer. Upgrading the RAM will add to the speed of the computer provided the processor is not too old. Upgrading the processor only will not make the computer faster if it has insufficient RAM. Generally speaking upgrading of RAM only (or the RAM and the processor) is a better option than upgrading the hard drive, since information can also be stored in external storage devices such as floppy disks and CD-ROMs. However, the cost of a new processor may be prohibitive if funds are limited.

Bibliography

Computer." Chapter on 'How Computers Work.' Article in Encyclopedia Encarta, 2003. CD-ROM version.

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