Computer Hardware

CIS2010 Spring 2010 Week 3

Jack G. Zheng
Jan 2010
 Overview

• What are the different type of

computers?

• What’s inside a computer? What are

the major components of computer
hardware?

• What are the prices of personal

computers and their major hardware
components?
 Computer Categories by Size

• Handheld
• Microcomputer (personal computer)
• Mainframe
• Supercomputer
 Handhelds
• Also known as mobile devices, they are
pocket size computing devices
o With limited computing power and
functionalities

• PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or

smart phones
o Palm
o iPhone
o Blackberry
o G1, Nexus One

• Game consoles
o PSP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone
 Microcomputer

• Size
o Desktop
o Mobile computers
 Notebook/laptop
 Tablet
 Netbook
 Smartbook?
 Wearable?
• Type
o PC: IBM compatible PC
o Apple Mac
o PC-Mac market share
 Large Scale Computer
• Mainframe computer
o A large scale computer used by
organizations for critical applications,
such as transaction processing, e-
commerce, enterprise resource
planning, and virtual computing.

• Blade and Rackmount

o Large scale modular computers (blade)
that are stacked and mounted to a rack

• Major producers
o IBM, HP, Dell, Sun
 Supercomputer

• The fastest, most powerful

computer, usually used for
scientific research
• Most supercomputers today
runs on Intel processors and
some variant of Linux
• Top supercomputer list
o http://www.top500.org
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOP500
 Computer Hardware Components

• Major categories

Input Processing Output

Communicatio
Connection Device and Interface n

Storage
Basic Hardware Components
 CPU / Processor

• CPU (central processing unit)

o Central command device
• Major manufacturers
o Intel: Pentium, Celeron, Core 2
• Major features
o Speed: Gigahertz (Pentium 4)
 Moore's law
o Dual-core: two processor packaged together
 Connection Devices
• Motherboard (main board)
o A circuit board used to hold may components
together and provide connectors to external
components

• Connector/port
o Connecting different devices
o Internal and external

• USB (universal serial bus)

o A unified and consistent connector for many
devices
o USB 2.0 (high speed)
 Storage Devices
Primary Storage Secondary Storage
Material Silicon Many kinds of

Signal processing Electronic Magnetic, optical,

electronic
Storage persistency Temporary, or Permanent
permanent

Speed Very fast Slower

Storage size Smaller Bigger

Price Relatively expensive Less expensive

Example RAM Hard drive, DVD,

SD Card
 RAM (Main Memory)

• RAM: Random Access Memory

o Temporary storage
o “640KB should be enough for anybody” –
Bill Gates (who constantly denies he said
it), 1981
o Today: 2GB recommended; 4GB more
popular
 Secondary Storage Devices

• Common types of devices

o Magnetic disks: hard drive/disk, floppy, ZIP,
etc.
o Optical: CD/DVD/Blu-ray
o Flash memory:
 Flash drive (jump drive)
 Memory cards: SD card, CompactFlash,
SmartMedia, xd-Picture Card, etc.
 Hard Drive/Disk
• Common features
o Capacity: 100GB to 2TB
o Physical size: 3.5”, 2.5” (for laptops)
o Brand: Seagate, Western Digital
• External hard drives
o Enclosed in a box and connected via USB
o Brands: MyPassport, FreeAgent
• Solid-State Drive (SSD) – new!
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive
 Optical Drive/Disk

• Optical drive
Capacityuses laser to read
Variations data
Uses
CD 700MB CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW Music, Data
recorded on optical disks
DVD 4.4GB DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD- Movie, Game,
RW Software
• Common features
Blu-ray 25GB HD Movie
o Type: read only (-ROM), write once (-R), re-
writable (-RW)
o LightScribe

• Format and capacity

 Flash Memory

• USB Flash drive (Jump drive)

o 1GB to 64GB

• Memory cards: used with digital devices

like camera, camcorder, phone, etc.
o Secure Digital (SD) card
o CompactFlash
o SmartMedia
o xd-Picture card
o … (many types)
 Exercise

• Shopping for personal computers online

o Desktop core system or laptops
 CPU
 Memory
 Hard disk storage
 DVD-RW
• Websites
o http://newegg.com
o http://dell.com
o http://hp.com
o Others you prefer
 Peripheral Device

• Peripheral devices are non-core computer

system parts
o Input devices: capture and transmit signals into computers
(analog to digital)
 keyboard, mouse, etc.
o Output devices: transmit signals out of computers for
human use (digital to analog)
 monitor, speaker, etc.
o Other attached devices
 External storage devices
 TV card
 Extension cards
 Input Devices
• Input devices: capture and transmit signals into
computers (analog to digital)
• Common input devices
o Keyboard
o Pointing devices
 Mouse, touchpad, etc.
o Scanner
 Image scanner, bar code reader, etc.
o Microphone
o Webcam
o Game controller
o Touch screen
 Keyboard

• How many keys are in a standard PC

keyboard?
 Pointing Devices

• Mouse
• Touchpad
• Trackball
• Pointing stick
• Optical pen
• Motion sensing
 Other Common Input Devices

• Touch screen
• Scanner
o Image scanner, bar code reader, finger print
scanner
• Microphone
• Webcam
• Game controllers
• Eye tracking
 Output Devices

• Output devices: transmit signals out of

computers for human use (digital to
analog)
• Common output devices
o Monitor
o Printer
o Display screen
o Projector
o Speaker
o Headphone
 Monitor
• Basic type
o CRT (cathode ray tube)
o Flat panel
 LCD (liquid crystal display)
 Plasma
 LED

• Features
o Wide screen (16:9)
o Viewable image (screen) size (inches)
 Physical size of the screen measured diagonally
 Common size: 17, 19, 22, 24 inches
o Resolution (pixels)

• Dual monitor setup

 Screen Resolution
• Resolution defines how many pixels the screen has
o A pixel is the basic displaying unit of a screen

• Normally denoted by “number of pixel per row” x “number of

pixel per column”
o Mainstream resolutions: 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1280x800,
1680x1050
o HD (720P): 1280x720
o Full HD (1080P): 1920x1080

• With higher resolution, a screen can display more viewing

details, but objects become smaller on screen

• Optimal resolution: each LCD monitor has an inherent resolution

for best display
 Printer

• Basic type
o Inkjet: home and office use
o Laser: intensive office use
o Dot matrix: still used for duplicated prints
 Other Common Output Devices

• Projector
• Speaker
• Headphone
• E-ink
 Other Emerging Fancy I/O Devices
• Many of them are studied in the discipline of HCI
(human computer interaction) and virtual reality

• Laser keyboard
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XJT-QEFpe0
• Microsoft Surface
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY
• Microsoft Project Natal
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2qlHoxPioM
• G-Speak (Minority Report UI style)
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyMVZqJk8s4
• Hologram
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thOxW19vsTg
 Exercise

• Shopping for personal computers

continued
o Monitor
o External drive and storage
o Webcam
o Speakers

• Websites
o http://newegg.com
o http://dell.com
o http://hp.com
o Others you prefer
 Key Points

• Understand different sizes of computers

• Know major categories of computer
components and the examples
o Input, output, processing, storage, connection
o Can correctly categorize a piece of hardware
device
• Understand major hardware devices and
their uses and common properties
o CPU, RAM, hard drive, optical drives and
disks, flash memory, keyboard, mouse,
monitor, printer, USB, etc.
 Good Resources

• Know and buy computer parts:

o http://newegg.com

• What’s inside: computer

o http://computer.howstuffworks.com
o http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pc1.htm

• Computer DIY
o http://compreviews.about.com/od/tutorials/

• IEEE history of computing

o http://www.computer.org/history/