HT1 computer systems

Question 1

Name some input devices

Answer 1

• microphone
• keyboard
• mouse

Question 2

Name some output devices

Answer 2

• headphones
• speakers
• monitor

Question 3

Name some storage devices

Answer 3

• CD
• floppy disks
• DVDs

Question 4

What are the 2 different type of software

Answer 4

• Systems

- Applications

Question 5

what is system software

Answer 5

system software is the computer programs that keep your computer safe, secure and organised

Question 6

what are the 2 types of system software ?

Answer 6

• operating systems

- utility programs

Question 7

What affects CPUs performance

Answer 7

• Number of core
• Cache size
• Clock speed

Question 8

How does number of cores affect CPU

Answer 8

Modern computers have many CPUs known as cores. Generally, the more cores a computer has, the faster it is at processing data and instructions as it can do many ‘jobs’ at the same time. A computer with one core is a single core processor , 2 is a dual. And so on.

Question 9

How does cache size affect CPU

Answer 9

The CPU cache is a special piece of really fast memory on the CPU. It stores frequently used data and instructions. As the cache is on the processor, it doesn’t have to travel as far to fetch the data/instructions that are stored in RAM, therefore making the processing of data appear quicker.

Question 10

How does clock speed affect CPU

Answer 10

Each time a piece of data or an instruction is fetched from RAM to the CPU this is known as one clock cycle .These cycles are measured in hertz/Gigahertz. A 1 gigahertz processor can carry out 1 billion of these ‘fetches’ per second. So, the more hertz your CPU runs at, the faster your computer will run.

Question 11

what is the largest part of the system software ?

Answer 11

operating system ( it is like the computers manager)

Question 12

What are the functions of an operating system?

Answer 12

File management 
User interface
Memory Management 
Peripheral Management 
Security