1.2 Flashcards
revise
processor
main role is to mange the functions of a computer system by processing data and instructions. (cpu)
motherboard
is the main circuit of a computer on which components such as the cpu and rom are connected too. (contains PCI slots for expansions cards and ports
power supply unit / psu
converts electricity from ac to dc which the system can use
volatile / non volatile
volatile= temporary(data lost whenever pc turns off
non volatile= saves the data even when not being powered on/ long term stored
random access memory (RAM)
RAM is volatile storage that stores all programs that are currently running. Also part of the operating system to be accessed by the cpu
read only memory (ROM)
ROM is non volatile storage that cannot be changed. ROM stores the boot program/ BIOS for when the computer is switched on.
The BIOS then loads up the operating system.
Cache memory
cache memory is volatile storage that stores data that is frequently accessed it is very quick to access because it is closer to the cpu and ram etc
Secondary storage.
Magnetic storage
most common form of secondary storage
floppy disk is obosolete and all replaced by solid state drives
magnetic storage charectisitics
large capactiy / cheaper then solid state
not durable and portable
relatively quick access speeds but slower than solid state drive
secondary storage
optical storage
uses a laser to project beams of light into a spinning disc allowing it to read date from a cd dvd or blu ray
make it slowest storage
traditionally internal (disk drives) external can be bought from devices such as laptops
optical storage advantages
thin and very portable
optical storage disadvantage
low capacity
not durable and very fragile break or scratch easily
slowest access speeds
SCSI / small computer interface
is a protocol for attaching external devices to a computer system
graphics card
proccesses graphical data and converts it into a displayable output on a monitor
SAS / serial attached SCSI
improved version of SCSI that enables many more external devices to be connected at the same time to a computer system
sound card
sound card converts analogue sound waves into digital data binary when inputting audio through a microphone
network interface card( NIC)
allows computers to connect to the internet and enables them to transfer data to other computers
fibre channel card
transfers data between servers across a network
allows quick transfer speeds and is primality used to connect data storage to servers in a large data centre
ports: usb
connect storage devices such as usb sticks or external hard drives. connects input devices etc
firewire port
transfers data at a high speed from devices such as camcorders external hard drives
sd port
enables data from an sd card to be transferred from a device like a camera to the computer
ethernet port
connects computers to network devices such as a modem or router allowing access to the internet
Micro SD port
allows data from a micro sd card to be transferred from devices such as smart phones tables and handheld games to a computer
SATA port
allows data transfer to external HDD or SDD or optical drives
