Pc hardware and components

Components and applications of physical computing systems

Chassis (case)

  • the housing that organises and protects the components, it is important to consider the form factor when getting a chassis, this includes, size, shape and physical specs, it is also useful for aesthetics, noise reduction of the fans, cooling, and protection from dirt etc

Optical drive

  • a computer disk drive that reads on writes data from optical disks such as CDs or DVDs the optical drive rotates at a constant speed and the data is read using a laser which is spread out across the inserted disk using the lens embedded in the optical drives head

Motherboard

  • motherboards have different form factors, and are the main printed circuit board within a computer, they contain busses , as well as hold all the components eg CPU, RAM, heatsink, RAM, BIOS and all ports

Central processing unit

  • the CPU is the electronic circuitry that carries out instructions of a computer by performing arithmetic, logic, control, input/output operations that are specified when it gets instructions, it has features such as...
  • clock speed - CPU speed is determined by the speed of the clock, it sends out electrical impulses at regular intervals billions of times a second, these impulses cause an instruction to be carried out, more complex instructions may require multiple ticks
  • Cache - small memory that the CPU gets instructions from, cache is faster and smaller than RAM, it is used for data that the CPU needs to access frequently, or data that is currently being used.
  • Cores - a core is a processor with its own cache, newer computers have CPUs with many cores, this allows the PC to "multitask"
  • bit size- this refers to ow many bits can be handled at once

RAM

  • RAM, sometimes referred to main memory, is hardware that allows info to be stored and retrieved on a computer. the data can be accessed randomly instead of sequentially, this means access times are much faster, however RAM is volatile memory. RAM is fast, has a long life, doesn't need to be refreshed, has a high power consumption, and can be expensive
  • RAM should not be confused with ROM, which is non volatile, and used to store the bootstrap (instructions to setup the computer)

GPU

  • the GPU is an electronic circuit that speeds up the creation of 2D and 3D images, they can be integrated (built into CPU/motherboard) or dedicated (separate hardware)

Storage

  • secondary storage is non volatile, long term storage, it is larger, cheaper, and slower than the RAM, embedded systems do not usually need to have secondary storage
  • the three main types of secondary storage devices are Solid state dives, optical, and magnetic disks.

Fan

  • a hardware that circulates air from and to the system or its components, it can be on CPU, power supply, video card, or on he case

RAID

  • redundant array of independent disk card (RAID) is the combining of multiple Disk Drives to reduce data loss, as the disks work in unison, they are faster and more reliable as well as more secure and less prone to data loss

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ESP overview

  task number  focus  No. Of hours  Marks allocated  1  Trouble shooting and test planning  2 hours 30  22  2  Interview and communication  2 hours 10  12  3  Project proposal  4 hours  24  4  Post project review  3 hours 30  12    Task uno:  This focus on trouble shooting a fault based on a specified problems/issues and designing a test plan.   The troubleshooting document should include:  User details   Test dates  Computer specs and software  Proposed tests and expected outcomes   Record of diagnosis  The test plan should include:  Administrative details E.G. dates names.  Test dates   Hardwear specs and software   Actual and relevant tests carried out in a logical order including images/diagrams  Full and complete details of expected outcomes  Remedial action required   Task d...
Read more

Stakeholder roadmap

 A stakeholder roadmaps provides an overview of the main components of the project, it will include objectives, deliverables, milestones, resources, and timelines, and is used to show these to stakeholders as well as keeping stakeholders in the know of operations. unlike a project plan, it does not include day to day tasks or a detailed view of roles, only a quick overview to catch stakeholder interest Project timelines timelines show what phases of the project are complete, current, and to do they are used to keep track of different project tasks they include: start and end date of tasks the task duration who is assigned the task task dependencies (if it relies on another task being complete) they are important as they: a central area to display all tasks and project management phases provide a simple representation of the project to make it easier to understand allow team members to focus on important tasks help promote improved time and resource management  Linking pro...
Read more

hw 12/5

Test yourself 241  A botnet aims to take control of digital systems. It is a type of malware that allows a cyber security attacker to take control of someone's system without their knowledge.   The aim of a DOS attack is to make a network inaccessible to users. It does this by flooding the network with traffic which in turn slows its speeds down to a point where it is basically unusable.  One of the main differences between a DOS attack and a DDOS attack is a DDOS attack tends to use multiple devices to try and infiltrate a network. The types of networks that are usually under threat from these would be ones like websites, banks, and payment websites.   Some of the main websites that are targeted by DDOS attacks would be ones like banks and payment websites.   Test yourself 242 One way of trying to find a password is using a dictionary software. This goes through some of the most common passwords and trying them when trying to get access to the account....
Read more