The organisation and layout of a computer system, including all of its hardware components and connections, is referred to as computer architecture. It includes a computer system's hardware-level architecture, features, and behaviour. Let's investigate the many parts of computer architecture:

The central processing unit (CPU), also known as the "brain" of the computer, is a common term. It carries out most of the processing and carries out commands. The control unit (CU), arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and registers make up the CPU. From memory, it retrieves, decodes, and executes instructions.

Memory: To temporarily or permanently store data and instructions, computers use various types of memory. The principal types are:

The CPU can quickly obtain the data and instructions it needs for execution via random access memory (RAM). It is volatile, which means that when the power is switched off, its contents are lost.

Firmware and other permanent instructions are stored in read-only memory (ROM). When the power is off, it keeps its contents.

Cache: A compact, lightning-fast memory used by the CPU to quickly access frequently used data and instructions.

I/O (Input/Output) devices: They enable communication and data exchange between users and the computer system. Keyboards, mice, displays, printers, scanners, and network interfaces are examples of common I/O devices.

Storage devices: They are used to store data and programmes for the long term. Examples include optical drives (CD/DVD), USB flash drives, solid-state drives (SSDs), and hard disc drives (HDDs).

Buses: Buses are paths for exchanging data and command signals among various computer parts. They consist of the internal buses in the CPU as well as the system bus, which links the CPU, memory, and peripheral devices.

The collection of instructions that a CPU is capable of executing as well as how they are encoded are both specified by the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). It contains the registers, memory addressing schemes, supported data types, instruction set, and registers of the CPU.

System interconnect: This term describes the logical and physical links that allow different computer components to communicate with one another. It contains the motherboard, which is where the Processor, memory, storage, and I/O devices are located and connected. Other interconnects could be buses like USB or Ethernet for external devices and PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) for high-speed expansion cards.

Clock: The clock generates timing signals that coordinate computer system processes. It controls how quickly the CPU carries out commands and manages the system's data flow.

The foundational elements of computer architecture are those. Together, they carry out instructions, store and retrieve data, and make it easier for users and computers to communicate. A computer system's performance, power usage, and general capabilities are influenced by computer architecture principles.