Basic Concepts of Hardware Flashcards
What does it mean when we say computers are modular?
They are made up of parts that can be upgraded independently.
What is the motherboard
A large piece of circuitry that connects the different components and peripherals and allows them to communicate
What is the CPU
Central Processing Unit - The part of the computer that does all of the processing
Where does the CPU plug in
The ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) Socket
Who makes CPUs for computers
Intel and AMD
Who makes CPUs for cellphones
ARM, Qualcomm and Apple
What does RAM stand for
Random Access Memory
What are the 5 facts about RAM
Volatile Where CPU keeps data The more RAM you have, the faster it works RAM is supplied in DIMM slots RAM is very expensive per GB
What are the 3 types of Storage devices
Magnetic Storage (Hard Disk Drives) Optical Storage (CD, DVD, Blu-Ray) Solid State Drives
3 Facts about HDDs
Mechanical and therefore slow
Large capacities at lower cost per GB than RAM
Delicate and can be damaged if moved while working
How does Optical storage work
Reflect laser light in different ways to represent 0s or 1s
What are 5 facts about Optical storage
Slower than Hard Drives
Limited in Storage Capacity
You can buy writeable blank discs to write data onto yourself
You can buy them with programs pre-written on them
They are being replaced by flash drives and portable hard drives
What is a characteristic of SSDs
They use electronic memory that allows them to keep their data even with no power
What are the 2 main means of connecting to a computer
USB
Firewire
What other ports does a computer need to have
A way to connect to a cabled network
A socket for headphones / speakers
A port to connect to a monitor
What are the 8 types of input devices
Keyboard Pointing Device Microphone Touch Screen Game controller Camera and video camera Scanner Pen Tablet
What are the 4 types of scanners
3D Scanners
Barcode Scanners
Magnetic Stripe Reader
Biometric Scanner
What are the 4 types of input data
Text
Images
Sound
Data from sensors
What are the 4 types of output devices
Monitor
Data Projectors
Printers
Speakers and Headphones
What is the response time of a monitor
The amount of time it takes for a pixel to change
What is the resolution of a monitor
The number of pixels used to form a picture
What is the contrast ratio of a monitor
The ratio between the darkest black and brightest white of the picture
What are the 3 types of printers
Laser
Inkjet
Dot-Matrix
What are laser printers best for
General purpose printing
What are inkjet printers best for
Printing photo quality images
What are Dot-Matrix printers best for
Printing invoices, bills etc.
What does the sound quality of computer depend on
The sound card
The speakers or headphones used
What are the 4 characteristics of Flash Drives
Electronic rather than mechanical
Faster than mechanical or optical storage
More expensive per GB than mechanical storage
Less likely to be damaged than Hard Drives and Optical Storage
What is the use of a memory card
Digital cameras store their data on a memory card
What are portable hard drives
They use the same magnetic media that is used in internal hard drives. Can connect via a USB. They have a much greater capacity than flash drives
What are the 2 types of portable hard drives
- 5” drives
3. 5” drives
What is the difference between 2.5” drives and 3.5” drives
- 5” have a lower capacity but they need less power and can run on the power supplied by the cable
- 5” drives have a greater capacity but need to access a power socket before you can use them
What are the 3 communication devices
3G Modems
ADSL Modems
Routers
What do 3G modems do
Allow you to connect to the internet using the cellular telephone network
What do Routers do
Devices that make communication between networks over the internet possible by directing data to its correct destination
