Computer Hardware

Clock Speed

(also referred to as clock rate), the speed at which the processor performs the operations required to run a digital device and instructions executed by the digital device. measured in hertz (Hz)

Machine Cycle

- Fetch (instruction from memory) - Decode (instructions into commands) - Execute (commands) - Store (results in memory)

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)

- a standard interface for audio-video connectivity -allows for the transmission of high definition audio and video signals

Tablet Computer Characteristics

- highly mobile -touchscreen technology is the main input method -Unlike laptops, cannot be upgraded -smaller OS than laptop computers, making them less powerful

Why buy a tablet?

- light yet powerful: popular for reading email, gaming and travel - By adding a separate keyboard, it gains much of a laptop's functionality - Smaller OS limits what programs it can run

Why buy a laptop?

- portable device that had more computing power than a tablet or phone - Come with the capability of having more memory added

CPU (central processing unit)

-A processor is the brains of the computer where most calculations take place. -Most important component of a digital device -Without a processor, the digital device would not function.

Bluetooth

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

Parts of the CPU

ALU, Main Memory, Control Unit (ALU and Control Unit considered part of the processor)

Megabyte (MB)

About 1 million bytes-equal to about 875 pages of text

Kilobyte (KB)

About 1 thousand bytes: equal to about one page of text

Terabyte (TB)

About 1 trillion bytes 349,000 digital images

Two Parts of a Bus

Address Bus Data Bus

Computer Bus

Channel over which information flows

What's a computer?

Digital Devices that: - Accept Input - Process and store the input - Provide output

Megahertz (MHz)

Equal to one million cycles (or instructions) per second.

Petabyte (PB)

Equals 1,000 terabytes equal to about 358,000,000 digital images or about 42,000 single-sided Blu-ray discs

Types of Cache

L1: small and integrated into the CPU L3: larger and next to the CPU Disk Cache: high-speed memory used by the hard drive to store frequently accessed data

Laptops

Mobile hinged and folding, clamshell-type computers with a integrated keyboard. Come with a full operating system and remain a top-selling personal computer

ALU

Performs the following mathematical tasks: - arithmetic -comparison (equal to, less than, greater than) - Logic: and, or and not

How much RAM?

Smartphones: at least 2 GB of RAM Laptops: 4 GB of RAM

Hertz

Used to measure frequency. Speed of most modern processors is measured in Gigahertz

Hotspot

WiFi transmission site

Optical Drives

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 ________ read/write head.

WiFi

a wireless local area network play on the old audio term High-Fi Most computers, tablets, smartphones, and gaming platforms are wifi capable

Gigabyte (GB)

about 1 billion bytes-equal to 341 digital images

Solid State Drives (SSD)

all-electronic storage devices. - used in a variety of products, smartphones, cameras, and tablet computers. - have no moving parts which makes them faster and more durable than hard drives

Wireless Ports

allow for the transmission of data between fixed and mobile devices using short-range radio waves or light waves - Most bluetooth transmissions remain strong up to ten feet away and then start to reduce in signal strength - infrared requires line-of-sight transmission

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

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

DVD-RW

can have data erased and re-written a number of times

DVD-R

can have data written to it one time

Unicode

common encoding standard that is capable of representing all of the world's languages 16 bit encoding standard

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)

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

Memory

comprised of solid state electronics which make it fast and energy efficient since there no mechanical moving parts.

Binary Language

computer language consists of two digits: 0 and 1

Traditional Hard Drive

computer's primary storage device - uses fixed disk platters to store data and information - primary storage devices in a variety of digital devices including laptops and servers

Byte

eight bits grouped together each number, special character, and letter of the alphabet is represented by a unique combination of bits

Gigahertz (GHz)

equal to one billion cycles (or instructions) per second.

IrDA (Infrared Data Association)

establishes the protocols for infrared communication transfer longer wavelengths don't easily pass through walls or furniture a wireless connection that uses Infrared (relatively long) radio waves to transmit data often used with a wireless mouse, keyboard, remote control, etc. line of sight only.

hyperthreading

executing two or more sets of instructions at the same time

RAM (random access memory)

found in microchips that are located on the motherboard type of memory, is electronic and has no moving parts also called main memory, which means the memory available to execute tasks Temporary storage area and is cleared when a device is powered off.

multicore processor

has two or more cores that are responsible for processing. - has the ability to execute two or more sets of instructions at the same time

Cache

high-speed storage usually located directly on the CPU Smaller but faster than RAM Used to quickly access repeated instructions

Control Unit

locates, analyzes and executes each program instruction residing in memory. - essentially, it tells the computer's memory, ALU and input and output devices how to respond to a program's instructions

Native Resolution

maximum resolution of the display device

Storage Device

needed to store information temporarily and indefinitely. - allow for the storage of data and information that can be used for retrieved for future use. Data remains intact when the computer is turned off.

Single Core Processor

one arithmetic logic unit and one control unit

FireWire

ports for a type of thunderbolt ports - thunderbolt ports allow for up to 6 different peripherals to be connected to one device. commonly found on apple computers and devices

Overclocking

refers to running the processor faster than recommended by the manufacturer -can increase performance and speed, but can also void the manufacturer warranty.

Word size

refers to the amount of data a processor can hold and process at one time Today's processors generally have ones that are 32 or 64 bits

Core on a CPU

refers to the components on the chip that are needed for processing

Protocol

set of rules for communication between devices that determines how data is transmitted and received. many of these to help streamline the communication of all digital devices

Port

slot or hole that matches the cord or expansion cord being connected you always plug into one of these.

Connector

specialized end of a cord, plug, or expansion card that connects into a port the end that connects to a port

Processor Speed

speed of a digital device's processor is determined by - Clock speed - Bus Width

Desktop Characteristics

stationary devices that consist of a separate case called the system unit -peripheral devices, such as a monitor, keyboard, and a mouse are connected to the system unit. - system unit houses main components. Some refer to system unit as computer's chassis. - Because of its size, its system unit allows for relatively easy hardware upgrades

ROM (read-only memory)

storage area in a digital device that is installed by the digital device manufacturer most cannot be altered or removed. Information that is commonly stored here includes a digital device's boot instructions

External Storage

storage devices reside outside the computer itself. e.g. USB drives, optical drives

Internal Storage

storage that is integral to the computer itself. Called the computer's hard drive

AMD

technology is featured inside every major next generation gaming console and home entertainment system

Downward Compatibility

the ability of hardware or software to work with data and information produced by older product or software (Most DVD and Blu-ray drives have this)

Screen size

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

Bus Width

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

Hard Drive Capacity

the amount of storage you have available to save data and information - Usually measured in gigabytes (billions of bytes) and terabytes (trillions of bytes)

SSD capacity

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

Resolution

the clarity of an image measured in pixels The more pixels in the display, the higher the ____________

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 referred to as a graphics card or graphics adapter

Boot Process

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

Pixel

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

Bit

the smallest unit of data a computer can process (each 0 or 1)

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

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

type of interface that enables communication between digital devices. allows for data transfer between devices and for devices to be electrically charged uses solid-state flash memory to store information on an internal memory chip allows for fast data transfer, are inexpensive and durable

Blu-ray discs

type of optical media can store uop to 50 GB of data

DVD (digital versatile discs)

type of optical media used in optical drives Can store up to 8.5 GB of data Most of their drives are capable of reading CDs as well.

802.11 Protocol

wifi uses this protocol. Ensures that devices enabled with WiFi can connect to any Wifi network. 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz radio waves

Intel Corporation

world's largest manufacturer of processors