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    Hundreds Handout

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    Bec Diamond
    The document discusses various types of computer hardware. It describes hardware as the physical components of a computer that can be seen and touched, such as input devices like keyboards and mice, internal components like the CPU, motherboard and RAM, and external components like monitors and printers. It provides detailed descriptions and examples of common internal hardware components, external hardware components, less common hardware, and network hardware. It also discusses the functions of key internal components like the motherboard, CPU, RAM, power supply, and hard drives.

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    Hundreds Handout

    Uploaded by

    Bec Diamond
    79 views10 pages
    The document discusses various types of computer hardware. It describes hardware as the physical components of a computer that can be seen and touched, such as input devices like keyboards and mice, internal components like the CPU, motherboard and RAM, and external components like monitors and printers. It provides detailed descriptions and examples of common internal hardware components, external hardware components, less common hardware, and network hardware. It also discusses the functions of key internal components like the motherboard, CPU, RAM, power supply, and hard drives.

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    The document discusses various types of computer hardware. It describes hardware as the physical components of a computer that can be seen and touched, such as input devices like keyboards and mice, internal components like the CPU, motherboard and RAM, and external components like monitors and printers. It provides detailed descriptions and examples of common internal hardware components, external hardware components, less common hardware, and network hardware. It also discusses the functions of key internal components like the motherboard, CPU, RAM, power supply, and hard drives.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    79 views10 pages

    Hundreds Handout

    Uploaded by

    Bec Diamond
    The document discusses various types of computer hardware. It describes hardware as the physical components of a computer that can be seen and touched, such as input devices like keyboards and mice, internal components like the CPU, motherboard and RAM, and external components like monitors and printers. It provides detailed descriptions and examples of common internal hardware components, external hardware components, less common hardware, and network hardware. It also discusses the functions of key internal components like the motherboard, CPU, RAM, power supply, and hard drives.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 10

    COMPUTER HARDWARE

    Hardware represents the physical and tangible components of a computer, i.e. the components
    that can be seen and touched.

    Examples of Hardware are the following −

     Input devices − keyboard, mouse, etc.


     Output devices − printer, monitor, etc.
     Secondary storage devices − Hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.
     Internal components − CPU, motherboard, RAM, etc.
    List of Computer Hardware

    Here are some common individual computer hardware components that you'll often find inside a
    modern computer. These parts are almost always found inside the computer's housing:

     Motherboard
     Central Processing Unit (CPU)
     Random Access Memory (RAM)
     Power Supply
     Video Card
     Hard Drive (HDD)
     Solid-State Drive (SSD)
     Optical Drive (e.g. BD/DVD/CD drive)
     Card Reader (SD/SDHC, CF, etc.)

    Here is some common hardware that you might find connected to the outside of a computer,
    although many tablets, laptops, and netbooks integrate some of these items into their housings:

     Monitor
     Keyboard
     Mouse
     Battery Backup (UPS)
     Flash Drive
     Printer
     Speakers
     External Hard Drive
     Pen Tablet

    Here are some less common individual computer hardware devices, either because these pieces
    are now usually integrated into other devices or because they've been replaced with newer
    technology:

     Sound Card
     Network Interface Card (NIC)
     Expansion Card (Fire wire, USB, etc.)
     Hard Drive Controller Card
     Analog Modem

     Scanner
     Projector
     Floppy Disk Drive
     Joystick
     Webcam
     Microphone
     Tape Drive
     Zip Drive

    The following hardware is referred to as network hardware, and various pieces are often part of
    a home or business network:

     Digital Modem (e.g. Cable Modem, DSL Modem, etc.)


     Router
     Network Switch
     Access Point
     Repeater
     Bridge
     Print Server
     Firewall

    Network hardware isn't as clearly defined as some other types of computer hardware. For
    example, many home routers will often act as a combination router, switch, and firewall.

    In addition to all the items listed above, there's more computer hardware that I like to
    call auxiliary hardware, of which a computer might have none, or several, of some kinds:

     Fan (CPU, GPU, Case, etc.)


     Heat Sink
     Data Cable
     Power Cable
     CMOS Battery
     Daughterboard

    Some of the devices listed above are called peripheral devices. A peripheral device is a piece of
    hardware (whether internal or external) that isn't actually involved in the computer's main
    function. Examples include a monitor, video card, disc drive, and mouse.
    Motherboard

    The motherboard is the body or mainframe of the computer, through which all other
    components interface. It is the central circuit board making up a complex electronic system. A
    motherboard provides the electrical connections by which the other components of the system
    communicate. The mother board includes many components such as: central processing unit
    (CPU), random access memory (RAM), firmware, and internal and external buses.

    Motherboard

    Central Processing Unit


    The Central Processing Unit (CPU; sometimes just called processor) is a machine that can
    execute computer programs. It is sometimes referred to as the brain of the computer.
    CPU Diagram
    There are four steps that nearly all CPUs use in their operation: fetch, decode, execute,
    and writeback. The first step, fetch, involves retrieving an instruction from program memory. In
    the decode step, the instruction is broken up into parts that have significance to other portions of
    the CPU. During the execute step various portions of the CPU, such as the arithmetic logic
    unit (ALU) and the floating point unit (FPU) are connected so they can perform the desired
    operation. The final step, writeback, simply writes back the results of the execute step to some
    form of memory.

    Random Access Memory


    Random access memory (RAM) is fast-access memory that is cleared when the computer is
    power-down. RAM attaches directly to the motherboard, and is used to store programs that are
    currently running. RAM is a set of integrated circuits that allow the stored data to be accessed in
    any order (why it is called random). There are many different types of RAM. Distinctions between
    these different types include: writable vs. read-only, static vs. dynamic, volatile vs. non-volatile,
    etc.
    RAM

    Firmware
    Firmware is loaded from the Read only memory (ROM) run from the Basic Input-Output System
    (BIOS). It is a computer program that is embedded in a hardware device, for example a
    microcontroller. As it name suggests, firmware is somewhere between hardware and software.
    Like software, it is a computer program which is executed by a microprocessor or a
    microcontroller. But it is also tightly linked to a piece of hardware, and has little meaning outside
    of it. Most devices attached to modern systems are special-purpose computers in their own right,
    running their own software. Some of these devices store that software (“firmware”) in a ROM
    within the device itself

    Power Supply

    The power supply as its name might suggest is the device that supplies power to all the
    components in the computer. Its case holds a transformer, voltage control, and (usually) a cooling
    fan. The power supply converts about 100-120 volts of AC power to low-voltage DC power for the
    internal components to use. The most common computer power supplies are built to conform with
    the ATX form factor. This enables different power supplies to be interchangeable with different
    components inside the computer. ATX power supplies also are designed to turn on and off using a
    signal from the motherboard, and provide support for modern functions such as standby mode.

    Removable Media Devices

    If your putting something in your computer and taking it out is most likely a form of removable
    media. There are many different removable media devices. The most popular are probably CD and
    DVD drives which almost every computer these days has at least one of. There are some new disc
    drives such as Blu-ray which can hold a much larger amount of information then normal CDs or
    DVDs. One type of removable media which is becoming less popular is floppy disk.

    Internal Storage

    Internal storage is hardware that keeps data inside the computer for later use and remains persistent
    even when the computer has no power. There are a few different types of internal storage. Hard
    disks are the most popular type of internal storage. Solid-state drives have grown in popularity
    slowly. A disk array controller is popular when you need more storage then a single hard disk can
    hold.

    Hard Disk Drive


    A hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data on
    rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces. Just about every new computer comes with a hard
    disk these days unless it comes with a new solid-state drive. Typical desktop hard disk drives store
    between 120 and 400GB, rotate at 7,200 rpm, and have a media transfer rate of 1 gigabit/s or
    higher. Hard disk drives are accessed over one of a number of bus types, including parallel
    ATA(also called IDE), Serial ATA (SATA), SCSI, Serial Attached SCSI, and Fibre Channel.
    Hard Drive

    Solid-State Drive
    A solid-state drive (SSD) is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent
    data. An SSD emulates a hard disk drive, thus easily replacing it in any application. SSDs have
    begun to appear in laptops because they can be smaller than HDDs. SSDs are currently more
    expensive per unit of capacity than HDDs which is why they have not caught on so quickly.

    Disk Array Controller


    A disk array controller is a device which manages the physical disk drives and presents them to the
    computer as logical units. It almost always implements hardware RAID. RAID (Redundant Array
    of Independent Drives) is a technology that employs the simultaneous use of two or more hard disk
    drives to achieve greater levels of performance, reliability, and/or larger data volume sizes. A disk
    array controller also provides additional disk cache.

    COMPUTER SOFTWARE

    Software is a set of programs, which is designed to perform a well-defined function. A program


    is a sequence of instructions written to solve a particular problem.

    SOFTWARE EXAMPLES PROGRAM?

    Antivirus AVG,McAfee YES

    Device drivers Computer drivers NO

    There are two types of software −


     System Software
     Application Software
    System Software
    The system software is a collection of programs designed to operate, control, and extend the
    processing capabilities of the computer itself. System software is generally prepared by the
    computer manufacturers. These software products comprise of programs written in low-level
    languages, which interact with the hardware at a very basic level. System software serves as the
    interface between the hardware and the end users.

    Some examples of system software are Operating System, Compilers, Interpreter, Assemblers,
    etc.

    Here is a list of some of the most prominent features of a system software −

     Close to the system


     Fast in speed
     Difficult to design
     Difficult to understand
     Less interactive
     Smaller in size
     Difficult to manipulate
     Generally written in low-level language
    Application Software
    Application software products are designed to satisfy a particular need of a particular
    environment. All software applications prepared in the computer lab can come under the
    category of Application software.
    Application software may consist of a single program, such as Microsoft's notepad for writing
    and editing a simple text. It may also consist of a collection of programs, often called a software
    package, which work together to accomplish a task, such as a spreadsheet package.

    Examples of Application software are the following −

     Payroll Software
     Student Record Software
     Inventory Management Software
     Income Tax Software
     Railways Reservation Software
     Microsoft Office Suite Software
     Microsoft Word
     Microsoft Excel
     Microsoft PowerPoint

    Features of application software are as follows −

     Close to the user


     Easy to design
     More interactive
     Slow in speed
     Generally written in high-level language
     Easy to understand
     Easy to manipulate and use
     Bigger in size and requires large storage space

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