Computer Hardware

THE INS’ AND OUTS’ OF COMPUTING DEVICES

Overview

 Computer Hardware Components

 Miniaturizing Components
Computer Hardware Components (Part 1)

 CPU and System components

 Memory
 Input Devices
 Output Devices
 Storage Devices
 Network and Communication Devices
CPU & System Hardware

 The CPU is the part of the computer (Brain) that handles most of the number crunching
and calculation that is ran as machine code which was translated from software code.
 The GPU (or Video Card) handles the remainder of the input data which it then calculates
and displays on a monitor or display device
 Motherboard is the main circuit board of your computer and is also known as the
mainboard or logic board. Attached to the motherboard, you'll find the CPU, ROM,
memory RAM expansion slots, PCI-Express slots, and USB ports. It also includes
controllers for devices like the hard drive, DVD drive, keyboard, and mouse.
CPU & Hardware CONT
Memory (RAM & ROM)

 RAM – Random Access Memory, what is RAM exactly? In a nutshell, it’s a high-speed
component that temporarily stores all the information a device needs both right now and
imminently (basically short term memory that is volatile). Accessing data in RAM is
insanely fast, unlike hard drives that are slower but provide long-term storage.
 ROM – Read Only Memory ROM is a storage medium that is used with computers and
other electronic devices. As the name indicates, data stored in ROM may only be read. It
is either modified with extreme difficulty or not at all. ROM is mostly used
for firmware updates. Another example of ROM is EEPROM, which is a programmable
ROM used for the computer BIOS
Memory CONT
Input Devices

 What is input?
 Data or instructions entered into memory of a computer or device
 Input Device is any hardware component that allows users to enter data and instructions
 Two types of input
 Data – Unprocessed text, numbers, images, audio and video
 Instructions – Programs, Commands, User response
Input Devices CONT

 Examples of input devices include keyboards, mouse, scanners, digital cameras,

gamepads, controllers and microphones.
Output Devices

 What is output?
 Data that has been processed into a useful form
 Output device is any hardware component that can convey information to the user.

• Example of output devices: Display device (monitor) and Printer

 Storage Devices

 What is a storage device?

 A storage device is any type of computing hardware that is used for storing, porting or extracting data files and objects. Storage
devices can hold and store information both temporarily and permanently. They may be internal or external to a computer, server
or computing device.

 Example of storage devices and mediums:

 Hard Drive Disk
 Compact Disc (CD)
 DVD and Blu-ray Discs
 USB Flash Drive
 Secure Digital Card (SD Card)
 Solid State Drive (SSD)
 Cloud Storage
Network & Communication Devices

 A network consists of multiple devices that communicate with one another. It can be as
small as two computer or as large as billions of devices (also know as a Wide Area
Network (WAN)). While a traditional network is comprised of desktop computers,
modern networks may include laptops, tablets, smartphones, televisions, gaming
consoles, smart appliances, and other electronics.

 A communication device is a hardware device capable of transmitting an analog or

digital signal over the telephone, other communication wire, or wirelessly. Examples of
these devices are routers that connect you to the internet
Miniaturizing Components (Part 2)

 What is miniaturizing - Miniaturization entails increasing the number of transistors that

can hold on a single chip, while shrinking the size of the chip.
 System on Chip (SoC) - A system on a chip (SoC) combines the required electronic
circuits of various computer components onto a single, integrated chip (IC). SoC is a
complete electronic substrate system that may contain analog, digital, mixed-signal or
radio frequency functions. Its components usually include a graphical processing unit
(GPU), a central processing unit (CPU) that may be multi-core, and system memory
(RAM).
Because SOC includes both the hardware and software, it uses less power, has better
performance, requires less space and is more reliable than multi-chip systems. Most system-
on-chips today come inside mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
SoC
Questions and Disscussion