IT is Gr8! 1.1. Hardware Flashcards
factors influencing performance of a computer
CPU
Memory capacity
Cache
Storage speed
Network speed
Graphics processing ability
Bus performance
examples of mobile technologies
laptop and netbook
smartphone
tablet
e-reader
how can you connect a laptop to the network if there is no WiFi
attach 3G modem - work anywhere
what happened to netbooks?
never performed satisfactorily
pretty much vanished
advantages of laptops
powerful CPU
full-scale OS
expandable - use any range of existing computer peripherals
disadvantages of using a laptop
size - too large to be carried around all the time like mobile
battery life - too short to be useful as mobile
not always ‘on’ - sleep
no built-in cellular data - not always connected
advantages of using a smartphone
always ‘on’
always connected - built-in cellular data
convergence device
small size
built-in sensors
longer battery life
disadvantages of using a smartphone
mobile OS - not same full-scale productivity
input can be difficult
not easily expandable with peripherals
advantages of using a tablet
larger screens + bigger keyboards
longer battery life than laptops
disadvantages of using a tablet
mobile OS - same physical disadvantages as smartphone: not full-functioning, less capable, limited by capabilities of OS
full desktop OS - same physical disadvantages of laptop - battery, not always on
Two categories of e-readers
Single-purpose design
Tablet-based design
Single-purpose design
Kindle
Display text
Low powered
No other software
Tablet-based design
Kindle Fire
Full, colour, multimedia
Other software - not much developed
Advantages of dedicated (single-purpose) e-reader devices
Cheaper than other mobile tech
Smaller and lighter than tablet
Longer battery life
Easy to read in sunlight
Disadvantages of dedicated (single-purpose) e-readers
Single-purpose device
Extra item to carry
Is a laptop a mobile device
No, but it is portable
Advantages of mobility
Convenience
- combine functions (carry fewer)
- not time/location restricted
- achieves/produces more in less time
Future of computer trending towards
Always on
Always connected
Powerful
Convergent
Mobile (or even wearable)
What is always on?
Mobile technology - display off to save power
Fast + responsive
Ways to stay always connected
WiFi/cellular data (3G,4G,LTE) to INTERNET - access more than what on device storage
How does mobile tech compare to computers in terms of power?
Have mulit-core, 64 bit CPUs
Not as good
convergence
trend whereby separate technologies and functions from multiple devices are combined into a single multi-purpose device
Effect of convergence
Miniaturisation - mobile tech
Mobile means
Something that does not need to remain in one place or attached to wired connections such as power or communication cables
Examples of wearable technologies
Google Glass
Apple Watch
Smartwatches
Dont need to remember to bring - always on you
Constraints of mobile tech
Battery life
Speed and availability of communication
Size
What is the biggest limiting factor in mobile tech?
Battery life
Why is battery life shorter?
more powerful device - greater need for electricity - bigger battery/device
More powerful CPU - uses more electricity
Name one thing that uses a lot of power
Connection to network - uses radio-based communication tech
Also sensors, GPS, etc.
What does limited battery life mean for a device?
Access to chargers / spare batteries
Run out of power during day
Choose how to use device to limit use to conserve power
Trade-off of computing power and power consumption
How does speed and availability of communication limit mobile tech?
poor cellphone reception
How does size limit the capabilities of mobile tech?
- small/light/easy to carry
- powerful
- lasting batteries
Batteries and computing components take up physical space
How to understand performance of computer
How each part affects and relates
General rule
Faster - latest tech - more expensive
Factors that affect the performance of a computer
CPU
Memory
Cache
Storage
Network
Graphics processing ability
Bus performance
Aspects of CPU that affects computer performance
Speed
Cores
What is speed measured in
GHz
How does speed of CPU affect performance?
Higher speed - process more instructions in given amount of time
How many CPUs in 4 core units?
4
What does multi-core processing allow for?
Separate programs simultaneously
Better performance
Multiple clients simultaneously
Cheapest and simplest way to improve computer performance
Memory
Speed of memory
Faster than storage
Keeping in memory faster than retrieving to/from storage
core
a single complete working CPU circuit - relevant because modern chips are ‘multi-core’ and contain more than one ‘core’ in a single physical CPU ‘chip’
e-book
electronic version of a book, read by using an e-reader or other e-book software
e-reader
single-purpose device designed to allow you to read e-books (and have a portable library of e-books)
laptop
a complete computer in a case that includes a screen, keyboard, pointing device, WiFi and a battery to power the device when away from a fixed power source
netbook
a low-power, low-spec version of a laptop (i.e. with small screen, and less RAM, storage and processing power) designed for very basic computer tasks such as web browsing and e-mail (hence the name netbook). Largely discontinued, replaced by tablets
power users
users who need highend computer specifications for their job or special interest. They may also need specific hardware related to the task, and will typically use most of the advanced functions of the software they use
smartphone
basically a mobile phone/computer with an OS, but only as large as an ‘ordinary’ cellphone. It can run apps (programs) and has sensors built into the hardware (e.g. GPS, accelerometers, camera) to extend its usefulness as a multi-purpose device
smartwatch
a watch that offers additional computing power / sensors as well and can interface with your smartphone / tablet / computer
SOHO
an acronym for Small Office Home Office, used to describe smaller business organisations and to differentiate them from large corporations
tablet
a larger (7” and up) version of a smartphone; runs the same OS and has all the same technologies (except the ability to be used as a phone); with the added advantage of a larger screen area for greater productivity
Memory
where computer stores data or instructions it is working on
What is a cache?
Use of a limited amount of faster media to speed up access to data and instructions stored on a slower media
When is cache used?
Temporarily stores recent/frequent accessed data
Where is cache typically stored?
CPU or hard drive
How does storage affect performance?
Lower access time better - average time it takes to read or write data
Very effective way to improve computer performance
Replace HDD with SSD
SSDs characteristics
Very expensive
Smaller
What to do if you can’t afford an SSD for your whole computer?
Hybrid - SSD for OS and data on HDD
How is network speed measured
Megabits/Gigabits per second (G/Mps)
Higher network speed means
More data transferred in same amount of time
How to improve graphics processing ability
Better graphics card
- speed and no. of processing cores on GPU
- speed and amount of memory
- speed of coms with motherboard
What is graphics processing ability specifically useful for?
Graphics-intensive tasks - image editing, 3D, gaming
What does bus performance refer to?
Speed at which data is moved between the CPU and other parts of the computer system (esp. memory, GPU, storage)
Speed of bus performance measured in
Mhz/Ghz
Number of lanes
Least significant factor in computer performance
Bus performance
How to increase bus performance
New motherboard
Need faster other stuff to make use of
Recommendations for hardware based on
Use
Different computer uses
Home/personal
SOHO
Entertainment
Power users
SOHO uses
Accounting/billing
DB
Admin
Workstation
Power users
Gamers
Architects
Engineers
Video editing professionals
Scientists
HIGH END COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS - hardware and advanced functions of software
Most NB system unit specifications
CPU
Memory
Storage
What is most commonly what needed to be upgraded
Memory - for all
Storage specs based on usage
Home/personal : never fill
Entertainment : large
Power : series of hard drives
Series of hard drives acting as one unit
RAID : redundant array of inexpensive disks
SSDs provide
- faster boot up
- better system performance
DVD drive
Optical drive that can play, read and write CD and DVD discs
