General Hardware Flashcards
What is hardware?
The physical components of a computer system
What are the 5 main categories of hardware?
Input, CPU, Output, Storage Devices and communication devices.
Give 2 examples of Input devices.
Mouse, Keyboard
Give 2 examples of Output devices.
Monitor, Printer
Give an example of a Primary Storage device.
RAM
Give 2 examples of CPUs.
Motherboard, Microchip
Give 2 examples of communication devices.
WiFi Card, Router
What are Peripherals?
Peripherals are the external devices that are plugged into or connected externally to a computer (e.g. Mouse or Printer)
What is RAM?
Random Access Memory: Very fast memory in which the CPU can store modules of the applications that are running at any one time.
What type of memory is RAM?
Volatile memory
What are the 2 types of RAM (give the differences)
Static RAM (SRAM, which is faster) and Dynamic RAM (DRAM, which is slower, and has to be ‘refreshed’ every clock cycle to retain its data)
How is DRAM overclocked?
By changing the refresh rate
What is ROM?
Read Only Memory, a memory type that can only be read but not written to
What is BIOS?
The Basic Input Output System, which gives the computer the basic information to run (it’s config settings)
Give an advantage of ROM?
ROM cannot be changed, meaning essential data is retained.
