L04-Hardware
L04: Reflection
This lesson helped me break down what’s actually inside a computer. We went over the major hardware components like the CPU, RAM, hard drive, motherboard, and power supply. It made me realize that every part has a specific job that keeps the whole system running. We also talked about the difference between hardware and software. Hardware is the physical stuff you can touch, while software is the programs and systems that tell the hardware what to do. Understanding the purpose of both helped mesee how they work together to make a computer function.
Hardware Lab
L04: Hardware Discussion
Key Component:
A computer is like a human body, with each part playing a crucial role in making everything run smoothly. The brain of the system is the CPU handling all the calculations. To keep things running quickly, RAM acts like short-term memory, temporarily storing active programs and data for easy access. For long-term storage, SSDs offer lightning-fast speed and sizeable storage. Holding everything together is the motherboard, which is like your circulatory system, which connects the CPU, memory, storage, and other parts so they can communicate. Similar to how mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, the power supply unit, supplies electricity to keep things running. Then, of course, there are input devices like keyboards and mice that let you interact with the system, and output devices like monitors. With all the components we have the modern day computer system.
Component Function
The CPU once the sole “brain” of a computer responsible for managing every task from calculations to graphics, has seen its role shift with the rise of specialized processors. Originally, the CPU handled everything from display rendering to complex computations, but with the advent of the GPU, display processing moved to a more specialized chip. GPUs, designed for handling thousands of simultaneous operations, became essential for tasks like gaming, video editing, and now artificial intelligence. As according to most experts—Moore Law is dead—and with it, the rapid onset of specialized chips such as the TPU. Developed specifically for machine learning tasks, the chip is taking over deep learning model training and inference operations. This shift means the CPU is no longer the sole powerhouse but instead serves as a coordinator, delegating intensive tasks to specialized units. As a result, modern computing is defined by a collaborative architecture where a variety of chips hold specialized task to handle of variety of information.
