Computers - Ch. 2

motherboard

C P U ROM, RAM, and cache Slots for expansion cards Sound/Video cards Network interface cards (N I

central processing unit

C P U or processor "Brains" of the computer Controls all functions of the computer's components Processes all commands and instructions Billions of tasks per second

Strictly defined, a computer is a data processing device that performs four major functions:

1. Input: It gathers data, or allows users to enter data. 2. Processing: It manipulates, calculates, or organizes that data into information. 3. Output: It displays data and information in a form suitable for the user. 4. Storage: It saves data and information for later use.

connectivity port

Ethernet port Up to 10,000 Mbps

cloud storage

Files stored on the Internet Some amount is free Can purchase additional storage

portable storage

Flash drive Flash memory card

Local storage devices

Hard drives are nonvolatile storage devices. An internal hard drive resides in the unit and holds all permanently stored programs and data. External hard drives reside outside the unit and connect via a USB or FireWire port. Solid-state drives have no moving parts, so they're more efficient, run with no noise, emit little heat, and require little power.

An input device enables you to enter data and instructions into your computer. Examples include:

Keyboard Touch screen Stylus Virtual keyboard

types of display screens

Liquid crystal display (L C D) Light-emitting diode (L E D) Organic light-emitting diode (O L E D)

output device

Monitors Printers Speakers and earphones

Other input devices include:

Mouse Touch pad (trackpad) Game controllers

cold boot

Process of turning on a computer that has been powered off completely

CPU performance measures

Processor speed measured in hertz (H z) Megahertz (M H z) or gigahertz (G H z) Number of cores Single Dual Quad Ten

universal serial bus USB

Transfer speeds of 10 Gbps

thunderbolt

Transfer speeds up to 20 Gbps - fastest

sleep mode

all documents in RAM stay in RAM when the computer is put to sleep

hibernate

it stores all the documents from RAM on the hard drive.

printers

nkjet Affordable High-quality color Quick and quiet Laser Faster printing speed Higher-quality printouts More expensive

warm boot

restart computer

HDMI port

used for high definition audio and video.