Main components of computer sytem Flashcards
What are some examples of input devices?
Keyboard
Mouse
Camera
Microphone
Sensor
Scanner
What are some examples of output devices?
Monitor
Printer
Speaker
Projector
Graph Plotter
What are some examples of secondary storage devices?
HDD
SSD
Pen drive
What are the 4 key compartments in internal hardware devices?
CPU
RAM
ROM
HDD/SSD
What is CPU?
CPU is the part of the computer that interprets and executes the commands from the computer hardware and software. CPU is also called the microprocessor.
What is RAM?
RAM is an internal chip where data is temporarily stored when running applications. This can be written to and read from
What is ROM?
ROM is a memory used to store information that needs to be permanent. Chips used for ROM can not be altered and can only be read.
Differences between RAM and ROM
RAM - ROM
Temporary - Permanent
Volatile - Non-volatile
Written and read - Read only, can’t edit
Used to store anything -
currently in use and can - Used to store BIOS
be increased in size -
Briefly explain what input devices are.
An input device is any hardware device that allows a user to enter data/ instructions into a computer directly. It can send data to another device but it can not receive anything. They are necessary for a computer to receive commands from its user and is fairly complicated because they have to ensure that the user can interact with the computer correctly.
Briefly explain what output devices are.
An output device is any hardware device that takes the output data from the computer and puts it into a human-readable format. It is capable of receiving data from other devices but can not send data on its own. They are needed by the computer to share the results if its processing with a human and are less complex than input devices.
Explain internal memory in detail.
RAM contents are lost when the computer is powered down and ROM contents are read-only. They are much smaller memories and have extremely fast data access time. . They are more expensive per byte, are fixed inside the computer and can be read directly into the CPU.
Explain backing storage in detail.
Backing storage devices hold their contents permanently and have a considerably large capacity to store data, Though they have much slower data access time, they are also cheaper. Backing storage are removable and can not be directly addressed by the CPU.
