Computer Hardware/Software Flashcards
What is an input device? Give an example.
An input device is any piece of computer hardware that provides data. An example would be a mouse, keyboard, or scanner.
What is an output device? Give an example.
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing. An example would be a printer.
What’s the difference between an input and an output system?
Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it.
What does CPU stand for and what does it do?
CPU-Central Processing Unit; CPUs are the main calculating chip in a computer.
What are the two major companies that make CPUs?
AMD and Intel
Which of the major CPU companies is usually cheaper?
AMD
Which of the major CPU companies spends more on advertising?
Intel
What is the Blue Man Group and what line of product did they advertise for on Intel commercials?
The Blue Man Group was a music group that became a pop icon after advertising for Intel Pentium products.
What is a quadcore?
A quadcore CPU is a calculating chip that has four parts to it, making it able to process more data faster. The more cores, the better.
What are the two motherboard sizes?
ATX and MicroATX
What is the purpose of a heatsync and fan?
It cools down the CPU.
Why does a heatsync and fan have so many ridges on it?
There are so many ridges on a heatsync and fan because the more surface area on it, the more it can help cool the CPU down. More heat can disperse with more surface area.
What does GPU stand for?
Graphic Processing Unit
The _____ _____ holds the CPU to the motherboard.
CPU Socket
What is the difference between software and hardware?
Hardware are the physical parts of a computer while the software is the actual programs that the computer runs.
The _____ can be compared to as a human nervous system.
Motherboard
What is the purpose of a motherboard?
A motherboard is the interface to which everything connects to inside a computer.
True of False: AMD has a bigger market in the USA. If False, explain.
False, Intel pays more for advertising, so therefore, has a larger market of customers in the USA.
Give two examples of coolant computers use.
Liquid Coolant and Air Coolant (from fans)
What is the purpose of thermal paste?
Thermal paste connects the heatsync and fan to the CPU so the fan can cool the chip through heat conduction.
What is RAM and what does it do?
RAM is Random Access Memory and it stores the currently running programs.
How many gigabytes does a faster computer have, approximately?
about 16 gb
What is the advantage of having more gb of RAM?
The more gb of RAM you have, the faster the currently running programs will run.
What is the purpose of flash memory?
Flash memory saves long-term memory.
Cell phone memory, camera memory, and flash drives are examples of _____ _____.
Flash Memory
True or False: Optical drives is the general term for all drives. If True, give an example of one, and if False, explain.
True; example: CD ROM drive, blue ray drive, etc.
Disks inside an HDD spin at _____ rpm.
72
1 tb = _____ gb
1,000
What does HDD stand for?
Hard Disk Drive
What is the purpose of a hard drive?
A hard drive permanently stores long-term data or information.
_____ and _____ _____ work together to store the memory of a computer.
RAM; Hard Drives
_____ is the cable that connects the hard drive to the motherboard.
SATA
The two types of cables are _____ and _____.
Ribbon and SATA
What is the most commonly used type of cable now? Why did it take the place of the other kind?
SATA cable is most often used now. This is because it takes up less space in a computer and runs faster and more efficiently.
What are the two things sent through ribbon or SATA cables?
Power and Data
What does a power supply do?
A power supply has many wires coming out of it which makes it possible to perform its job of providing power to the computer.