Processor - The heart of the computer, responsible for control, calculation and logic, ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) - Carries out all of the calculations and compares values (to see if they are greater than/smaller than etc.), MCU (Memory Control Unit) - coordinates/organises the memory and the processor, Register - the pieces of Computer memory in the processor that hold the current instructions, Cache - an area of memory just outside of the processor central core - used to store instructions that are likely to be needed by the processor soon, Backing Storage - a more permanent place to store files and data, non-volatile (means it doesn't lose data when the power gets turned off), RAM - bridges the gap between the Cache and the Backing Storage (faster and smaller capacity than Backing Storage, larger capacity but slower than Cache), used for temporarily holding open programs and files, volatile, Heat Sink - works like a radiator - pulls heat out of the processor by conducting heat, then uses a large surface area to radiate the heat away, Processor Fan - assists the Heat Sink in cooling components, drawing heat away, Ethernet cable - used for physically connecting computers together, WiFi - used for wirelessly connecting devices together, Network Card - needed to allow a computer to connect to other devices in a network - physically or wirelessly, Graphics Card - helps out the processor by carrying out graphics processing (what you see on the screen) - often has its own processor and memory, Motherboard - connects all of the components together so that they can communicate with the processor and each other, Data Bus - a pathway between components, along which data travels,

Year 8 Computer Architecture

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