# Important Hardware  ## Metadata - Author: [[codecademy.com]] - Full Title: Important Hardware - Category: #articles - Summary: Computers have key hardware that processes, stores, and moves data. The CPU (control unit, ALU, registers) does processing and uses RAM for short-term memory. Buses carry signals, hard drives store data long-term, and the motherboard and ports connect everything. - URL: https://www.codecademy.com/courses/fundamentals-of-operating-systems/articles/Important-Computer-Hardware ## Highlights - A Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions based on an input of binary data (0’s and 1’s). ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695f2kkygzqrz17k77gs3jz)) - The CPU consists of three main components: • Control Unit (CU) • Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) • Registers (Immediate Access Store) ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695fdw5h9eyhsfmzzta2tt6)) - It is important here to remember that data, to our hardware, is a series of binary, on and off, electrical pulses. These pulses are run through different wires, semiconductors, and components as a means to process and return data that is usable by the software. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695g9502qzmrj1qk7xznbjp)) - The *Control Unit (CU)* is the overseer of the CPU, responsible for controlling and monitoring the input and output of data from the computer’s hardware. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695gzaa8nm7v5957hqqc78f)) - The Control Unit is the component receiving instructions from the software and running the show. Its primary job is making sure that data is sent to the right component, at the right time, and arrives with integrity. Part of this job is keeping all the hardware working on the same schedule. It does this with a clock, which sends out a regular electrical signal to all components at the same time to coordinate activities. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695k06h93n3g4rxttra79x4)) - The *Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)* is where all the processing on your computer takes place. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695ngj4z0fad6hymzd50cvb)) - Nearly all functional processing occurs in this chip. As the name implies, the ALU’s functions can be divided into two primary areas: • Arithmetic operations that deal with calculating data (e.g. `5 * 4 = 20`) • Logic operations that deal with comparisons and conditionals (e.g. `25 > 10`) ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695p4sbaak2hw4fjgx0et9k)) - The *register*, or immediate access store, is limited space, high-speed memory that the CPU can use for quick processing. Registers are small pieces of memory right on the CPU. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695pg0ny86dp372gqfpac6k)) - They provide the CPU with a place to store and access values that are crucial to the immediate calculations the ALU is processing. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695psp4rcdx4q42h4crr6hb)) - other important components of hardware include Random Access Memory (RAM), buses (high-speed wires), as well as a hard disk and other non-volatile memory. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695rt6636m9dm0z32jqvs8g)) - *Random Access Memory*, or RAM, is additional high-speed memory that a computer uses to store and access information on a short-term basis. In general, a computer’s performance can be directly correlated to the amount of RAM it has available to use. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695s905y7fyaw8ac3jhsv51)) - RAM is considered primary volatile memory, which means it loses whatever is stored on it as soon as power is disconnected. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695sgg9e136kmjjnaqafqzn)) - Buses can be grouped into three functions: data buses, address buses, and control buses. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695te2n5ybgts28dnmjw8yn)) - *Data buses* carry data back and forth between the processor and other components. Data buses are bidirectional, which means that they transfer data both to and from other locations. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695v4wcf7z1qt30x3azwfv1)) - *Address buses* carry a specific address in memory and are unidirectional. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695z4vwv5s829jesnsfy0xf)) - *Control buses* are also unidirectional and are responsible for carrying the control signals of the CU to other components as well as the clock signals for synchronization. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k695zm8c8qtzk46xgwa7zyd8)) - Hard disks, or hard drives, are responsible for the long-term, or secondary storage of data and programs. This is an example of non-volatile memory, meaning that it will retain its information when we shut down our computer. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k69619eqedwx7458f5350345))