Computer components

Question 1

CPU

Answer 1

• known as processor or microprocessor
• in charge of executing a sequence of stored instructions called a program
• mobile phones, dvd players and washing machines have a CPU

Question 2

Motherboard

Answer 2

• circuit board which connects CPU to memory and all other hardware
• CPU sits on the motherboard
• buses = circuits on motherboard which connect CPU to other componenets
• bus transfers instructions and data around the system

Question 3

Give examples of storage

Answer 3

hard drive, solid state drive, flash drive, internal drive, removable drive, Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), portable and cloud

Question 4

Hard drive

Answer 4

• component of computer responsible for storing data, files and OS
• saves items as you create your documents
• software and files allow you to easily use and interact with your computer

Question 5

Solid State Drive

Answer 5

• mass storage device
• supports reading and writing of data
• maintains data in a permanent state without power
• no moving parts
• uses flash memory

Question 6

Flash Drive

Answer 6

• holds a variety of amounts of data such as 2GB or more
• external way of organising files
• transfers large amounts of data to another device

Question 7

Internal Drive

Answer 7

• 2 ports; 1 for data and 1 for power
• port uses either a SATA or ATA interface, which connects to the computer’s hard drive, allowing communication with the motherboard
• power port connected by a cable which carries the power the hard drive needs from computer’s power supply

Question 8

Removable Drive

Answer 8

• spins, reads and writes a removable medium such as CD, DVD, hard disk or floppy disk
• portable
• drivers have high storage capacities and are often used to back up computers or serve as a network drive

Question 9

Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS)

Answer 9

• method used in accessing computer peripheral devices which operates a serial means of digital data transfer over thin cables
• accesses mass storage devices

Question 10

Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)

Answer 10

• set of parallel interface standards developed by the ANSI for connecting printers, disk drives scanners and other peripherals to computers

Question 11

Portable

Answer 11

• back up files on a computer to retain files if the computer ever stops working

Question 12

Cloud

Answer 12

• service model where data is preserved, managed, backed up remotely and made accessible to users over a network

Question 13

Give examples of ports

Answer 13

USB, fire wire, SATA, network an fibre channel

Question 14

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

Answer 14

allows USB devices to be connected to each other with and transfer digital data over USB cables
- provide electric power though the cable to devices which need it

Question 15

Fire Wire

Answer 15

• method of transferring information between digital devices, typically audio and video equipment

Question 16

SATA (Serial AT Attachment)

Answer 16

• standard hardware interface for connecting hard drives, solid state drives and CD/DVD drives to a computer

Question 17

Network

Answer 17

• application software made serving as a communication endpoint which is used by the Transport Layer protocols of Internet Protocol suite

Question 18

Fibre Channel

Answer 18

• hardware pathway into and out of a node which performs data communications over an FC link.
• transmits data between computer devices at rates of up to 4 Gbps
• connects computer serves to shared storage devices

Question 19

Give examples of memory

Answer 19

RAM, ROM and Cache

Question 20

RAM

Answer 20

fast,
impermanent memory,
programs, apps and data are stored here (e.g. OS, apps and GUI)

Question 21

ROM

Answer 21

can’t be altered by either a program or user,
maintains memory without power,
stores instructions for computer to start up when it’s off

Question 22

Cache

Answer 22

place to store something temporarily,
stores program instructions which are often re-referenced by software during the process,
fast access to these instructions rises overall spreed of the software program

Question 23

Give examples of expansion cards

Answer 23

sound, network, graphics, storage controller and fibre channel

Question 24

Sound

Answer 24

• creates sound on a computer which can be heard through either speakers or headphones
• enhances the listening experience, so it’s mainly used by people who desire higher quality sound than those of motherboards

Question 25

Network

Answer 25

• acts as an interface between a computer and a network cable
• prepares, sends and controls data on a network
• converts data coming from the cable into bytes so it can be read by the computer’s CPU

Question 26

Graphics

Answer 26

• sort of display adapter or video card set up in most computing devices to show graphical data with high clarity, colour, definition and whole appearance
• delivers high quality visual display by processing and executing graphical data with advanced graphical techniques, de

Question 27

Storage controller

Answer 27

• installed in a computer’s PCI slot and is joined with the motherboard
• gives extra features to the motherboard in controlling all the connected internal and external devices

Question 28

Fibre channel

Answer 28

• transmits data between computer devices at data rates of up to 4Gbps
• connects computer servers to shared storage devices