Physical environments 2-Hardware and peripherals Flashcards
Characteristics of motherboard
*Backbone of the computer
*It is a large circuit board that connects the components of the system together
*provides power
*allows data transfer between component
*stores the BIOS chip that controls the boot process
Features of motherboard
*Socket type- determines which processors work with motherboard
*Expansion slots-allows for additional components like graphic/ sound cards
*Ports- for things like USB, ethernet
What size and shape does a motherboard be?
*Come in different shapes and sizes
What is the most common motherboard in servers and pc?
*the ATX form factor
*there are different variants such as E-ATX (larger) common in high-end gaming
*micro-ATX (smaller) used in budget computers
Characteristics of processors (CPU- Central processing Unit)
*brain of computer
*executes instructions that make up the programs
*faster CPU = better computer performance
Features of processors (CPU- Central processing Unit)
*CPU clock speed- measured in GHz, is how many cycles per second the processor can execute. Higher clock speed= more instructions the processor can handle
*Cores- individual processing units within a CPU. more cores= more tasks simultaneously = better performance
*Cache- memory built into the processor, stores frequently used data, more accessible
*Word Length- number of bits the processor can do at once. larger word length = more data processed in single operation = better performance.
What are the different architectures of CPUs?
*x86 = most commonly used in CPUs for pc and server
*ARM = for mobile devices. It is more efficient than x86, but has less power. commonly used in tablets and laptops
Characteristics of cooling
cooling system keeps the temperature of the components within safe limits
Features of cooling
*type of cooling system
*noise
*cooling capacity (how much heat it can dissipate)
*compatibility with the other components
What are the different types of cooling?
*Air cooling- using fans to move air over components
*Liquid cooling- using a liquid coolant to absorb heat
*Passive cooling- using heat sinks to dissipate the heat
Characteristics of main memory- RAM- Random access memory
*temporary storage area to hold data currently in use
Features of main memory- RAM- Random access memory
*Amount- more RAM = faster computer can access and process data because it can load more data into the RAM for the CPU. If there is not enough RAM, virtual memory would be used (an area of hard disk that is reserved as an overflow, but it’s slow)
*Volatility- when computer is turned off, all the data is lost
The main categories of RAM
*Dynamic- needs to be refreshed constantly to maintain the data. DRAM is slower than SRAM but is cheaper to manufacture.
^It is used in RAM because it can store more data for lower cost
*Static- doesn’t need to be refreshed. Faster than DRAM, but more expensive to manufacture.
^Usually used in the cache memory because it is faster and more reliable than dynamic RAM
*Cache- small, high speed memory. Used to access frequently used data and instructios
Characteristics of secondary storage
*type of memory that can be used to store data permanently
*it is non-volatile
ROM- Read-only memory
*Stores data that cannot be changed or edited- permanent
*used to store the firmware or basic instructions of the computer’s hardware
^This firmware tells computer how to start up and initialise the hardware components, such as hard drive, memory and other peripherals.
Features of secondary storage
*Capacity- higher than primary
*Speed- primary faster than secondary, but storage devices have different speeds depending on the type of device and tech used. E.g. SSDs are faster than HDDs because of using flash memory instead of spinning disks
Types of secondary storage devices
*Magnetic- includes HDD and magnetic tapes, works by using magnetic fields to read and write data. HDD is most common
^cheap and stores large amounts of data, but slower than Solid-state and susceptible to mechanical failure
*Solid state- including SSD and USB flash drives, use memory chips to store data
^faster and more reliable, but more expensive and limited lifestyle
*Optical- including CDs, DVDs and blu-ray disks, uses laser beams to read and write data.
^cheap and stores large amounts of data, but is slower than the magnetic or solid.
Internal vs external secondary storage
*Internal is commonly used to store operating system, software programs and frequently accessed data. common internal are HDDs and SSDs
*External- used for data backup, file storage, and transferring data between devices. Common external are USB flash drives, SD cards.
What are input devices (peripheral)
*allow us to enter data and instructions into the system.
Characteristics and features of keyboard (input device)
*standard device to enter text, numbers and symbols into a system
*can be wired or wireless
*can include additional features like multimedia keys, shortcut keys, and customisable macro keys
Characteristics and features of mouse (input device)
*common device to control movement of the cursor on the screen
*may have one button or more, a scroll wheel
*variety of shapes and sizes
Characteristics and features of touchscreen(input device)
*display device that is also input
*users interact directly with the screen by touching it with fingers or stylus
*common in mobile devices like smartphones and tablets
Characteristics and features of scanner (input device)
*converts physical documents, images and other media into digital format.
*uses various tech like flatbed, sheet-fed, handheld
*offer different levels of resolution and colour depth
Characteristics and features of webcam (input device)
*to capture videos and images in real-time
*often for video conferencing, online gaming and live streaming
*may include features such as zoom, autofocus and built-in microphones
