Computer Systems Hardware Flashcards
Rendering
Constructing the image on screen
CD ROM
Compact disc read only memory
Optical Drive
Allows you to use CDs, DVDs, BluRay - Use a laser to read/write the data
DVD
Digital versatile disk
KDD
mechanical spinning disk read/write head. Rotation speed: 5400-7200rpm (revolutions per minute
SSD (Solid State Drive)
An electronic drive. Uses EEPROM(flash memory) electronically erasable programmable - phone, USB, digital camera - 2 tapes: Connected by SATA or M.2 NVME plugs into motherboard directly, non volatile
Volatile
Volatile memory, in contrast to non-volatile, is computer memory that requires power to maintain the stored information. It retains its contents while powered on but when the power is interupted, the stored data is quickly lost
Bit
0 or 1 (8 bits = 1 byte = 64 bit data pass/bus)
Bus
Data path/channel
Latency
input/output operations per second
PCIe
Peripheral component interconnect express(type of bus)-data channel between devices
Motherboard
Connects all hardware to your processor, distributes electricity from your power supply
PSU - Power Supply Unit
Supplies electrical power to the PC’s components. Power measured in watts.. [No Power]
RAM - Random Access Memory
Stores data that is being used and part of the operating system. [Blue Screen]. (VRAM = Video RAM).
CPU - Central Processing Unit
Processes and executes instructions [Monitors not turning on]
Heatsink
Properly removes heat from device components to improve device performance
HDD
Store software programs, controls reading and writing of the hard disk that provides data storage
SATA Cable
Connects Hard disk to motherboard
Expansion slots
Allows you to add additional cards to your computer system
USB - Universal Serial Bus
Connect mouse, keyboard
HDMI
Provides an interface between any audio or video source
VGA
Connect PC to monitor or keyboard
Sound output
Connect speakers or headphones etc,
Primary Memory
Section of computer memory that the CPU can access directly. Cache, RAM
Secondary Memory
computer memory that is non-volatile, persistent and not immediately accessible by a computer or processor. HDD, Cloud, SSD
SIMM
Single inline memory module
DIMM
Dual inline memory module - Increase RAM - volatile memory
Dynamic RAM
Requires constant power - has to be refreshed constantly
SDRAM - Synchronous Dynamic RAM
Synchronised with the system clock - faster - DRAM not synchronised so its slower
Bandwidth
How much data can be transferred
RIMM
Rambus inline memory module
DDR - Double Data Rate
DDR2 - higher speeds/uses less power. DDR3 - twice as fast as DDR2/less power than DDR2
