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Computers & Digital Literacy · Grade 7

Computer Architecture and Systems Tradeoffs

Learners open up a computer one layer at a time: the processor's control unit, ALU and registers running the fetch–decode–execute cycle, what clock speed and cores really change, and why every computer needs both fast, volatile memory and large, non-volatile storage arranged in a hierarchy. The course ends with choosing and justifying computer setups for fictional users in the town of Cedar Valley.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 100 minutes
  • Computer architecture check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, trace code, highlight a text, match pairs, type a number and put in order
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What learners will discover

  • Name the jobs of the processor's control unit, ALU and registers, and trace a short program through the fetch–decode–execute cycle.
  • Explain what clock speed (GHz) and multiple cores change, and show with numbers why a higher clock speed is not always faster.
  • Distinguish RAM (volatile working memory) from storage (non-volatile) and explain what a cache does.
  • Order the memory hierarchy by speed, capacity and cost, and convert storage sizes, knowing that some systems count in 1,000s and others in 1,024s.
  • Recommend a computer setup for a user's workload and justify the speed, capacity and cost tradeoffs.

Lessons

  1. Inside the processor 7 steps4 practiceabout 26 min
  2. Clock speed, cores and real performance 9 steps6 practiceabout 26 min
  3. Memory: the desk and the filing cabinet 8 steps4 practiceabout 22 min
  4. The memory hierarchy, storage sizes and choosing a system 9 steps5 practiceabout 26 min
  5. Computer architecture check 9 questions at the end

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