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.