Computer Architecture

1. Computer Architecture

Computers use bits (0 or 1) to represent data and commands

• bit - 0 or 1
• byte - 8 bits
• KB - 1024 bytes
• MB - 1024 KBs
• GB - 1024 MBs
• TB - 1024 GBs
• etc...

1.1. Storage

Arranged from slowest to fastest and largest to smallest possible size:

• HDD | SSD - Non-volatile (retains data without power)
• RAM - Volatile (loses data without power)
• Cache - Order of CPU looking for data in cache (L1 -> L2 -> L3 -> RAM)

1.2. CPU

CPU Functions

• Fetches, decodes, and executes instructions
• Can read/write from RAM/Disk/Cache data

Memory Access

CPU accesses memory in this order:

1. L1 Cache
2. L2 Cache
3. L3 Cache
4. RAM

Faster access, but smaller capacity as you go up the list