ITEC Hardware

Single core processor:

1 core = usually 1 ALU + 1 control unit Single core processor = 1 core Note the number of cores isn't a measure of the computer's speed!

Unicode

A common encoding standard that is capable of representing 16 bit encoding standard.

Embedded Computer:

A computer that is integrated (a part of) a larger device or system Examples: A digital watch A programmable thermostat or even a coffee pot! Anti-lock breaks and ignition systems in vehicles Typically these have small operating systems referred to as Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) with limited capability

Traditional Hard Drive/ Hard Disk

A computer's primary storage device. Uses fixed disk platters to store data and information. Primary storage device in a variety of digital devices including laptops and servers.

Define a Computer

A digital device that: Accepts input Processes data into information Stores data Provides information output

All-in-One Computer:

A neat, clean look for a desk or office A large monitor without the large system unit Not easily upgradable - not a popular with computer experts or serious gamers

Bluetooth

A short-distance wireless communication technology that uses relatively short-wavelength radio waves to transfer data. Because it uses short-wavelength radio waves, signals easily pass through walls, furniture, etc. Most transmissions remain strong up to 10 feet away and then start to reduce in signal strength.

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

A type of interface that enables communication between digital devices. Allows for data transfer between devices and for devices to be electrically charged. Sometimes referred to as thumb drives, flash drives or jump drives.

Gigahertz

Abbreviated GHz and is equal to one billion cycles (or instructions) per second. 3.8 GHz is 3.8 billion instructions per second.

Megahertz

Abbreviated MHz and is equal to one million cycles (or instructions) per second. 1 MHz is one million instructions per second.

Gigabyte - (GB)

About 1 billion bytes - One gigabyte is equal to 341 digital images (3 MB average file size.

Megabyte (MB)

About 1 million bytes - One megabyte is equal to about 875 pages of text.

Kilobyte (KB)

About 1 thousand bytes - One kilobyte is equal to about one page of text.

Terabyte (TB)

About 1 trillion bytes - One terabyte is equal to about 349,000 digital images (3 MB average file size) or 40 single-sided Blu-ray discs.

Solid state drives (SSD)

All-electronic storage devices. Used in a variety of products, smartphones, cameras, and tablet computers. No moving parts, which makes them faster and more durable than hard drives.

Wireless Port

Allow for the transmission of data between fixed and mobile devices using short-range radio waves or light waves. Bluetooth transmissions remain strong up to 10 feet away and then start to reduce in signal strength. Infrared requires line-of-sight transmission.

Thunderbolt Ports

Allow for up to 6 different peripherals to be connected to one device.

Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)

Allows for the interface and connectivity of digital musical devices to computers. Capable of carrying digital music signals and are common in today's music scene.

Hard Drive Capacity

Amount of storage you have available to save data and information. Usually measured in gigabytes (billions of bytes) and terabytes (trillions of bytes). Computer applications such as Microsoft Office and multimedia files need a lot of storage capacity.

Desktop computers - great for:

Business Families with children that might drop laptops Gamers and computer experts - desktop allow for flexibility and expansion

Multicore processor:

CPU with two or more cores (ALU + control unit) Capable of "hyperthreading" Hyperthreading = executes multiple instructions simultaneously

Cache

Cache is high-speed storage usually located directly on the CPU. Cache is smaller but faster than RAM. Cache is used to quickly access repeated instructions.

DVD-RW

Can have data erased and re-written a number of times.

A DVD-R

Can have data written to it one time.

Processor:

Central processing unit (CPU) "Brains" of the computer 2 main components: Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) Control Unit

Overclocking:

Changing processor setting so computer runs faster than recommended by the manufacturer Can overheat the computer Voids warranties Some serious gamers and computer experts overclock. It requires additional CPU cooling

Motherboard

Circuit board that holds the computer's central processing unit

2-in-1 Computer:

Combines the mobility of a tablet with the power of a laptop Full operating system Solid-state hard drive - very fast with strong battery life Less storage than a traditional laptop

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

Common encoding standard. Capable of representing 26 uppercase and lowercase letters used in the English language, numbers, and many different symbols. Can represent a total of 256 characters.

Server:

Computer system in a network that is shared by multiple users. Also referred to as host computers Three common types of servers are Network, Web, and File

Bit

Computers communicate using their own language. This language is called binary. Binary language consists of two digits - 0 and 1. Each 0 or 1 is called a______. Smallest unit of data a computer can process.

Web server - controls access to resources on the Web

Controls access to resources on the Web

Network server

Controls access to resources such as printers and applications on a network

Storage Device

Digital devices need to store information temporarily and indefinitely. Allow for the storage of data and information that can be retrieved for future use. Data remains intact when the computer is turned off.

Byte

Eight bits grouped together are called a _______. Each number, special character, and letter of the alphabet is represented by a unique combination of bits. For example, an ampersand (&) is represented as 00100110.

Petabyte (PB)

Equals 1,000 terabytes - One petabyte is equal to about 358,000,000 digital images (3 MB average file size) or about 42,000 single-sided Blu-ray discs.

Infrared Data Association (IrDA)

Establishes the protocols for infrared communication transfer. Longer wavelength waves don't easily pass through walls or furniture (line-of-sight only). Wireless connection that uses Infrared (relatively long) radio waves to transmit data. Often used with a wireless mouse, keyboard, remote control, etc. Don't easily pass through walls or furniture. These devices are for line-of-sight only.

Computer Memory

Found in microchips that are located on the motherboard. Memory refers to a variety of memory types. Memory is comprised of solid state electronics which makes it fast and energy efficient since there are no mechanical moving parts.

Smartphone:

Handheld computer with cellular networking capability. Screensize and computing power - main limitations Use mobile versions of applications (apps) Durable, solid-state technology - emphasize battery life Popular phones: Apple iPhone series - uses iOS Samsung Galaxy series - uses Android operating system Google Pixel - uses Android OS

Tablet characteristics:

Highly mobile Touchscreen Separate keyboard and mouse can be added Hardware and RAM can't be upgraded Smaller operating system (OS)

Laptop characteristics:

Hinged folding computer Integrated monitor, keyboard, and touchpad Full operating system Sime laptops provide the capability of upgrading memory

Machine cycle:

How a computer processes instructions Four basic steps: 1.Fetch instruction 2.Decode instruction 3.Execute instruction 4.Store instruction

Differentiating computers:

Identifying computer types - increasingly difficult Tablets often come with keyboards, more like laptops 2-in-1s - Laptops with detaching keyboards All-in-ones - basically huge tablets

Identify the four basic computing functions (Information Processing Cycle)

Input - Computers accept data from many sources including keyboards, camera, microphones - even other computers! Process - Computers compile and transform data into useful information Output - Computers display information in many forms - images, video, audio Store - Computers have the ability to store data for future use

Processor manufacturers:

Intel NVIDIA AMD

Computer Bus

Is a channel over which information flows. Think of it as a highway on which data travels in a computer. -Address bus -Data bus

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

Is a storage area in a digital device that is installed by the digital device manufacturer. Can't be altered or removed. Information that is commonly stored in ROM includes a digital device's boot instructions.

Optical drive

Is a type of computer drive that writes and reads data using lasers. Work by rotating an inserted disc. The rotating disc is then read with a laser beam within the optical drive's read/write head.

Memory Cache

Is high-speed memory used by the CPU to store frequently accessed data and instructions. Memory cache is referred to by levels. L1 cache is small and integrated into the CPU. L3 cache is larger and next to the CPU.

Disk Cache

Is high-speed memory used by the hard drive to store frequently accessed data.

Screen size

Is the actual viewable area of a display device. Is measured diagonally from one corner of the screen's viewable area to the other.

Native resolution

Is the maximum resolution of the display device. A laptop with 1920 (horizontal pixels) x 1080 (vertical pixels) has 2,073,600 total pixels.

Examples of computers:

Laptops Desktop All-in-Ones Tablets Smartphones Mainframes Servers Gaming consoles Embedded devices

Tablet computers:

Light yet powerful - great for travel, reading, email, and games With a separate keyboard, tablets gain much of a laptop's functionality Smaller OS - programs available may be limited to mobile version

Control Unit

Locates, analyzes, and executes each program instruction residing in memory

Location of Computer system unit

Location depends on the type of computer: Desktop - in tower or chassis Laptop - beneath keyboard Smartphone - behind touchscreen

Media players:

Media players allow you to listen to audio files such as music, podcasts, read books, and watch videos Often referred to as personal media Players (PMP) due to their transportability and customization. Popular Personal Media Players include the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPod The term Personal Media Player is now being used to describe streaming media players such as Google Chromecast and Apple TV

Why buy a laptop?

Mobile - can be carried to class Full Operating System - will run all applications Memory can sometimes be upgraded as necessary Plenty of storage space

Mainframe computers:

More powerful than servers and are used by organizations to process large amounts of data Mainframe computers are very expensive costing from $100,000 to over $1 million dollars

How much RAM?

Most smartphones come with at least 2 gigabytes of RAM installed. Most laptops come with at least 4 gigabytes of RAM installed.

Clock speed:

Number of instructions processed per second by the CPU Sometimes called clock rate Modern processors - billions of instructions each second (GHz) Usually measured in gigahertz (GHz) 1 Gigahertz (GHz) = 1 billion per second

Computer system unit:

Part of the computer that houses the motherboard and CPU

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

Performs mathematical tasks

External storage devices

Reside outside the computer itself. Examples include external hard drives and USB or thumb drives.

Desktop characteristics:

Separate system unit (chassis) Peripherals System unit - allows for easy hardware upgrades Large footprint

Protocol

Set of rules for communication between devices that determines how data is transmitted and received. Many protocols that are used to help streamline the communication of all digital devices. WiFi uses the 802.11.

Ports

Slot or hole that matches the cord or expansion card being connected to the port.

Pixels

Smallest element in an electronic image. The more ________ in an image, the better the image quality.

USB drives

Solid-state flash memory to store information on an internal memory chip. Allow for fast data transfer, are inexpensive, and durable.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

Standard interface for audio-video connectivity. Allows for the transmission of high-definition audio and video signals.

All-in-One characteristics:

Stationary device (like a desktop) Computer within a large monitor Separate keyboard and mouse Usually a touchscreen monitor (like a big tablet) Full operating system

Internal storage

Storage that is integral to the computer itself. This is called the computer's hard drive.

Downward compatibility

The ability of hardware or software to work with data and information produced by older product or software. EX: Most DVD and Blu-ray drives.

Word Size

The amount of data a processor can hold and process at one time. Today's processors generally of 32 or 64 bits. A 64-bit processor can process information faster than a 32-bit processor.

Bus width

The amount of data that can be transmitted at a given time. The wider, the more information that can travel, which creates faster transmission speeds. Measured in bits.

SSD Capacity

The amount of storage you have available to save data and information. Usually measured in gigabytes (billions of bytes). The more capacity you need, the more money it will cost. One of the most determinant factors of price when buying a tablet or smartphone.

Resolution

The clarity of an image. Monitors and other display devices is measured in pixels. The more pixels in a display device, the higher the _____________. SD 720x480 Full HD 1920x1080 Quad HD 2560x1440 4K 3840x2160

Central processing unit (CPU)

The computer's main microprocessor

Graphics

The depiction of image data on a display or output device. Usually created by a separate processor within the computer known as the graphics processing unit (GPU).

Video Card

The graphics adapter performs graphics processing and creates video output. Sometimes refereed to as a graphics card or graphics adapter.

Boot Process

The loading of an operating system into the main memory of a device. The boot process consists of 4 steps. 1.The device is powered on and the CPU activates BIOS. 2.The Power-On Self-Test is executed. 3.The OS is loaded into RAM. 4.The OS checks the registry settings and loads saved configuration settings.

Supercomputers:

The most powerful type of computer. Supercomputers can evaluate complex data very quickly Many of the supercomputers in the United States are owned by the government

Computer hardware:

The physical parts of a computer The system unit (called the tower or the chassis) Printer Monitor Keyboard Mouse Router

Processor:

The processor is one of the most important hardware components that make up your computer. The processor is located on the motherboard or main circuit board of the computer. Central processing unit (CPU) "Brains" of the computer 2 main components: Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) Control Unit

Connectors

The specialized end of a cord, plug, or expansion card that connects into a port.

Processor speed

The speed of a digital device's processor is determined by a number of factors. -Clock speed -Bus width

Ripping

To copy the data from the disk and writing it onto your computer's hard drive.

Burning

To write data onto a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disk.

FireWire Ports

Type of Thunderbolt port. Commonly found on Apple computers and devices.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Type of memory found on the motherboard of a digital device. RAM is electronic and has no moving parts. RAM is also called main memory, which means the memory available to programs to execute tasks. RAM is a temporary storage area and is cleared when a device is powered off.

Blu-ray

Type of optical media used in optical drives. Blu-ray discs can store up to 50 GB of data. Most Blu-ray drives are capable of reading CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs.

Digital versatile discs (DVD)

Type of optical media used in optical drives. DVDs can store up to 8.5 GB of data. Most DVD drives are capable of reading CDs and DVDs.

File server

Used for data storage

Hertz

Used to measure frequency, or how often something occurs. Abbreviated Hz. The speed of most modern processors is measured in Gigahertz, or billions of computer operations each second. It is named for Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, the first person to provide proof of electromagnetic waves

WiFi

Wireless local area network. Play on the old audio term High-Fi. Transmission site is called a Hotspot. Uses the 802.11 protocol - 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz radio waves.