Hardware Components Flashcards
What are the basic components of a computer model?
INPUT, PROCESSING, OUTPUT, COMMUNICATION, STORAGE
What is a motherboard?
The main printed circuit board in general purpose computers that allows communication between crucial electronic components.
What does a central processing unit (CPU) do?
Executes instructions that make up a computer program, performing arithmetic, logic, controlling, and input/output operations.
What is an arithmetic logic unit (ALU)?
A combinational digital electronic circuit that performs arithmetic and bitwise operations on integer binary numbers.
What is a floating-point unit (FPU)?
A component that operates on floating point numbers, often used for calculations requiring fast processing of very small or large real numbers.
What is the function of the control unit (CU) in a CPU?
Directs the operation of the processor, telling memory, ALU, and I/O devices how to respond to instructions.
What is overclocking?
The action of increasing a component’s clock rate to run it at a higher speed than designed, improving performance but generating more heat.
What is primary storage?
A medium that holds memory for short periods of time while the component has power.
What does BIOS stand for?
Basic Input/Output System
What is ROM?
Read Only Memory, containing boot firmware that tells the computer what to do at startup.
What is RAM?
Random Access Memory, a fast type of memory used to store working data and machine code.
What is SRAM?
Static Random Access Memory, used primarily for cache, utilizing multiple transistors.
What is DRAM?
Dynamic Random Access Memory, requiring constant refreshing with memory cells that include a paired transistor and capacitor.
What is SSD?
Solid-State Drive, stores data on flash memory chips, providing faster access than traditional hard drives.
What is a hybrid drive?
A storage device that combines a solid-state drive with a traditional hard disk drive for speed and capacity.
What is a modem?
A device that converts a computer’s digital data into analogue audio signals and vice versa.
What is virtual memory?
An OS-managed illusion of a large main memory by using part of secondary storage to act like RAM.
What is paging?
The OS retrieves data from secondary storage in blocks called pages.
What is thrashing?
A condition where a computer’s virtual memory resources are overused, leading to constant paging and slow performance.
What is a USB port used for?
To connect peripherals to a computer.
What is Thunderbolt?
A fast external connection technology providing speeds up to 10 Gb/s and power to peripherals.
What is a biometric device?
A security identification device that verifies or recognizes identity based on physiological or behavioral characteristics.
What are the types of cache?
- CPU cache * Disk cache * Browser cache * Proxy cache
Fill in the blank: A _______ is a small set of data holding places that are part of the processor.
register
