INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

FUNDAMENTALS OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

GRADE: 10/____

NAME: ________________________________

COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS

Once you've determined the type of desktop system you want, whether a compact PC, or one which is excellent
at displaying graphics, you need to know what components to look for. The processor (CPU), memory and hard
drive will determine many of your machine's capabilities. Understanding those components will help you get the
performance you need, without paying for things you don't.

Processor

The CPU is one of your PC's most important components. The processor you choose is likely to have a major impact on your
PC's shape and size, and it will definitely influence its price.

Type (AMD or Intel)

Two companies, Intel Inc. and AMD manufacture most CPUs. Examples are Intel Celeron D and AMD Sempron (Entry level
Processors), Intel Pentium 4 and AMD Athlon (32 Bit) (Mid-Range Processors) and Xeon and AMD Athlon 64 bit (high-end
Processors).

Speed (GHz)
Generally, the higher the CPU clock speed, the faster the performance you may see--and the higher the price. A 3.4GHz Core
i7-2600 PC will trounce a 3.10 GHz Core i3-2100 system, but you'll pay nearly twice as much for the faster CPU. Another spec
to watch is cache size: More is better, here: Core i3 parts have 4MB caches, Core i5 parts have 6MB caches, and the Core i7
chips have 8MB caches.

If you play high-end games or edit hours of audio or video, you'll benefit from the Core i7. The lowliest Core i3 CPU can easily
handle basic computing tasks, so stay within a reasonable price range when possible.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

A type of computer data storage; in common usage, RAM basically represents the memory available to the programs running
on your computer (word processor, music player, internet browser, etc.).

Capacity (GB)
More RAM allows you to run more applications at once, without slowing down or freezing. Therefore, the more RAM there is
on your computer, the better. Newer computers usually have a minimum of 1 GB of RAM, but at least 2GB is recommended
for PCs running multimedia applications.

Type (DDR or SDRAM)

Double data rate (or DDR), let the memory transfer data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal, giving it the
capability to move information nearly twice as quickly as with regular SDRAM.

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At its most basic, DDR3 is the current standard for system memory, aka RAM or, to get more specific, SDRAM. SDRAM, or
synchronous dynamic random access memory, synchronizes the memory's responses to control inputs with the system bus,
allowing it to queue up one process while waiting for another. This way, computers could execute tasks much more quickly
than had previously been possible.

Speed (MHz)
DDR, DDR2, DDR3 memories are classified according to the maximum speed at which they can work. The real clock of the
DDR, DDR2, DDR3 memories are half of the labelled clock speed. Therefore DDR400 memories work at 200 MHz, DDR2-800
memories work at 400 MHz and DDR3-1333 memories work at 666MHz.

Word Size (bits)

The number of bits in a computer word is its word size. Word "size" refers to the amount of data a processor's internal data
registers can hold and process at one time. Business computers generally have word sizes of 32 or 64 bits. Computers
embedded in appliances and consumer products typically have word sizes of 8, 16 or 32 bits. The 16-bit computer requires
additional steps to deal with the 24 bits (16 bits first, then the remaining 8), whereas all 24 bits of the number can fit in the
32-bit register.

Hard Disc Drive

More commonly referred to as the hard drive, this is where your computer stores data such as music files, photos, videos,
and various documents.

Capacity (Bytes)
The storage capacity of hard drives is measured in bytes. The bigger your hard drive, the more files you can store. Nowadays,
most computers usually come with a hard drive of over 100 GB. A 1-terabyte (TB) drive has a capacity of 1,000 gigabytes (GB;
where 1 gigabyte = 1 billion bytes). Typically, some of an HDD's capacity is unavailable to the user due to use by the computer
operating system or for error correction and recovery.

Speed (rpm)
A hard disk drive (HDD) is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information using rapidly rotating discs
(platters) coated with magnetic material. The default hard drive speed for most PC laptops is typically 5400rpm - which is a
pretty slow drive. If you are getting a new laptop and plan to use Visual Studio on it, I highly recommend making sure you get
a 7200rpm drive instead. You will realize a significant performance benefit by doing this.

Fire Wire Fire Wire Sockets

FireWire is a method of transferring information between digital devices, especially audio and video equipment. Also known
as IEEE 1394, FireWire is fast -- the latest version achieves speeds up to 800 Mbps. You can connect up to 63 devices to a
FireWire bus. FireWire devices are hot pluggable, which means they can be connected and disconnected at any time, even
with the power on.

Expansion Slots Expansion Slot Openings

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Expansion slot openings are located on the back of the computer. They look like the ones shown in the picture above.
Alternatively referred to as an expansion port, an expansion slot is a slot located inside a computer on the motherboard that

allows additional boards to be connected to it. For example, if you

wanted to install a new video card in the computer you'd purchase a video expansion card and install that
card into the compatible expansion slot. Some Computer expansion slots:

AGP - Video card

ISA - Network card, Sound card, Video card

PCI - Network card, SCSI, Sound card, Video card

PCIe - Video card

Ports

Computer port is a connection point or interface between a computer and an external or internal device. Internal
ports may connect such devices as hard drives and CD ROM or DVD drives; external ports may connect (external)
modems, printers, mice and other devices.

Computer ports have numerous functions and connectors of varying designs. Types of computer ports include:

Serial Ports: These are most commonly used for connections to mice and modems.

Parallel Ports: These are most commonly used for printers.

Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) Ports: These are used to connect printers and up to seven total
devices, such as hard disks and tape drives, to the same port; they can support higher data transmission
speeds than serial or parallel ports.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Ports: As the name implies, these can be used to connect many devices
including all previously mentioned plus keyboards, scanners, external hard drives, USB drives (also
sometimes called thumb drives or portable USB drives), cameras, iphones and many other peripherals
and devices.

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