PC HARDWARE AND NETWORKING

 

1. Computer Parts or Components

Computer components are the essential building parts of developing a functional computer system. The components that make up a computer are called computer components. The processor (CPU), memory, and input/output devices are every computer's three main building blocks.

There are 5 main computer components that are given below:

• Input Devices
• CPU
• Output Devices
• Primary Memory
• Secondary Memory

Input devices

A computer system's input devices are important because they allow users to enter commands and data. Keyboards, mice, scanners, and microphones are numerous examples of input devices.

• The keyboard is the most commonly utilized input device for inserting text and queries into a computer system.
• Mice are another common input tool used to move the cursor on a computer screen.
• Scanners are used for inputting physical documents or images into a computer system.
• Microphones are used to input audio data into a system for computing. They can be used for various tasks, including recording audio for podcasts, participating in video conferences, and creating voice memos for later use.

CPU

A computer machine's "brain" is its central processing unit (CPU). It executes the calculations and commands required for functioning of the computer device. The CPU comprises some components: the control unit, the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and registers.

• The CPU's control unit is a crucial component. It is in charge of reading and decoding instructions from memory. The right part of the CPU receives and executes these instructions from the control unit.
• The ALU, often known as the arithmetic logic unit, is another crucial CPU part. The ALU operates addition, subtraction, comparison calculations, and other logical and mathematical processes. These operations are carried out using binary logic, which limits operations to the 0 and 1 digits.
• Registers are compact, high-speed data and instruction storage spaces within the CPU. They are utilized to store data that is being processed by the CPU momentarily. Registers are used to accelerate data processing because they are much faster than other forms of memory, such as RAM.
• The CPU's clock speed is yet another crucial aspect that affects overall performance. The clock speed, measured in GHz (gigahertz), controls what number of commands the integral processing unit can process in a second.

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Primary Memory

The CPU has direct access to primary memory, sometimes referred to as random access memory (RAM). The data and instructions that are currently being processed are kept in primary memory. The data and instructions are accessed by the CPU from primary memory when a computer programme is running. The information is removed from primary memory once the programme is completed.

Primary memory is classified into two types: random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM).

• RAM is the most common form of primary memory and is used to store data and instructions that the CPU wishes to access frequently. RAM is volatile, which means that its contents are lost when the computer is turned off. But RAM can be effortlessly and quickly written to and read from, making it a really perfect storage medium for temporary data and instructions.
• ROM is a form of memory this is used to store data and instructions that don't change. ROM is non-volatile, which means that its contents aren't lost while the computer is turned off. ROM is used to keep firmware and the laptop's basic input/output machine (BIOS), that are required for the computer to boot up and function well.

Secondary Memory:

Secondary memory, also called auxiliary storage, is a type of computer memory that is used to store data and programs that aren't currently being utilized by the CPU. In contrast to primary memory, secondary memory is non-volatile, which means that its contents are not lost when the computer is turned off.

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There are several types of secondary memory devices, such as hard disk drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), optical disks (including CDs and DVDs), and USB flash drives.

Output Devices:

Output devices are hardware components of a computer system that are used to show or send data from the pc to the user or any other device. They enable customers to view and engage with the information and applications the computer is processing. Speakers, projectors, printers, and monitors are a few examples of output devices.

 

2. Types of Computer

We can categorize computer in two ways: on the basis of data handling capabilities and size.

On the basis of data handling capabilities, the computer is of three types:

Analogue Computer

Digital Computer

Hybrid Computer

1) Analogue Computer

Analogue computers are designed to process analogue data. Analogue data is continuous data that changes continuously and cannot have discrete values. We can say that analogue computers are used where we don't need exact values always such as speed, temperature, pressure and current.

Advantages of using analogue computers:

1. It allows real-time operations and computation at the same time and continuous representation of all data within the rage of the analogue machine.

2. In some applications, it allows performing calculations without taking the help of transducers for converting the inputs or outputs to digital electronic form and vice versa.

3. The programmer can scale the problem for the dynamic range of the analogue computer. It provides insight into the problem and helps understand the errors and their effects.

2) Digital Computer

Digital computer is designed to perform calculations and logical operations at high speed. It accepts the raw data as input in the form of digits or binary numbers (0 and 1) and processes it with programs stored in its memory to produce the output. All modern computers like laptops, desktops including smart phones that we use at home or office are digital computers.

Advantages of digital computers:

1. It allows you to store a large amount of information and to retrieve it easily whenever you need it.

2. You can easily add new features to digital systems more easily.

3. Different applications can be used in digital systems just by changing the program without making any changes in hardware

3) Hybrid Computer

Hybrid computer has features of both analogue and digital computer. It is fast like an analogue computer and has memory and accuracy like digital computers. It can process both continuous and discrete data.

Advantages of using hybrid computers:

1. Its computing speed is very high due to the all-parallel configuration of the analogue subsystem.

2. It produces precise and quick results that are more accurate and useful.

3. It has the ability to solve and manage big equation in real-time.

4. It helps in the on-line data processing.

 

On the basis of size, the computer can be of fOUR types:

1) Supercomputer

Supercomputers are the biggest and fastest computers. They are designed to process huge amount of data.

 A supercomputer can process trillions of instructions in a second. It has thousands of interconnected processors.

Supercomputers are particularly used in scientific and engineering applications such as weather forecasting, scientific simulations and nuclear energy research. The first supercomputer was developed by Roger Cray in 1976.

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Characteristics or applications of supercomputers:

1. It has the ability to decrypt your password to enhance protection for security reasons.

2. It produces excellent results in animations.

3. It is used for virtual testing of nuclear weapons and critical medical tests.

4. It can study and understand climate patterns and forecast weather conditions.

2) Mainframe computer

Mainframe computers are designed to support hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously. They can support multiple programs at the same time. It means they can execute different processes simultaneously. These features of mainframe computers make them ideal for big organizations like banking and telecom sectors, which need to manage and process high volume of data.

Characteristics of Mainframe Computers:

1. It can process huge amount of data, e.g. millions of transactions in a second in the banking sector.

2. It has a very long life. It can run smoothly for up to 50 years after proper installation.

3. It gives excellent performance with large scale memory management.

3) Workstation

Workstation is a single user computer that is designed for technical or scientific applications. It has a faster microprocessor, a large amount of RAM and high speed graphic adapters. It generally performs a specific job with great expertise; accordingly, they are of different types such as graphics workstation, music workstation and engineering design workstation.

Characteristics of workstation computer:

1. It is a high-performance computer system designed for a single user for business or professional use.

2. It has larger storage capacity, better graphics, and more powerful CPU than a personal computer.

3. It can handle animation, data analysis, CAD, audio and video creation and editing.

4) Microcomputer

Microcomputer is also known as a personal computer. It is a general-purpose computer that is designed for individual use. It has a microprocessor as a central processing unit, memory, storage area, input unit and output unit. Laptops and desktop computers are examples of microcomputers. They are suitable for personal work that may be making an assignment, watching a movie, or at office for office work.

Characteristics of a microcomputer:

1. It is the smallest in size among all types of computers.

2. It is designed for personal work and applications. Only one user can work at a time.

3. It is less expansive and easy to use.

4. It does not require the user to have special skills or training to use it.

5. It is capable of multitasking such as printing, scanning, browsing, watching videos, etc.

 

3.Characteristics of Computer System

                       

1. Speed:

Executing mathematical calculation, a computer works faster and more accurately than human. Computers have the ability to process so many millions (1,000,000) of instructions per second. Computer operations are performed in micro and nano seconds. A computer is a time saving device. It performs several calculations and tasks in few seconds that we take hours to solve. The speed of a computer is measure in terms of Gigahertz and Megahertz.

 

2. Diligence:

A human cannot work for several hours without resting, yet a computer never tires. A computer can conduct millions of calculations per second with complete precision without stopping. A computer can consistently and accurately do millions of jobs or calculations. There is no weariness or lack of concentration. Its memory ability also places it ahead of humans.

 

3. Reliability:

A computer is reliable. The output results never differ unless the input varies. the output is totally depend on the input. when an input is the same the output will also be the same. A computer produces consistent results for similar sets of data, if we provide the same set of input at any time we will get the same result.

 

4. Automation:

The world is quickly moving toward AI (Artificial Intelligence)-based technology. A computer may conduct tasks automatically after instructions are programmed. By executing jobs automatically, this computer feature replaces thousands of workers. Automation in computing is often achieved by the use of a program, a script, or batch processing.

 

5. Versatility:

Versatility refers to a capacity of computer. Computer performs different types of tasks with the same accuracy and efficiency. A computer can perform multiple tasks at the same time this is known as versatility. For example, while listening to music, we may develop our project using PowerPoint and WordPad, or we can design a website.

 

6. Memory:

A computer can store millions of records. these records may be accessed with complete precision. Computer memory storage capacity is measured in Bytes, Kilobytes (KB), Megabytes(MB), Gigabytes(GB), and Terabytes(TB). A computer has built-in memory known as primary memory.

 

7. Accuracy:When a computer performs a computation or operation, the chances of errors occurring are low. Errors in a computer are caused by human’s submitting incorrect data. A computer can do a variety of operations and calculations fast and accurately.

 

8. No I.Q. :

 Computer does not have any intelligence. We have to give it instructions what to do and how to do. Moreover, it can respond to only those instructions which are already fed into it.

 

9. No Feeling:

 Computers do not have any feeling; they do not have any sense of joy, love, success, failure etc.