COMPUTER SYSTEM SERVICING 1

NAME: GRADE AND STRAND:

ADDRESS: CONTACT NUMBER:

Topic: SYSTEM’S SPECIFICATION (Module 6 – Quarter 1)/ First Semester

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

After going through this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Understand system’s specification;

2. Determine specification of one system’s hardware and software; and
3. Access the specification of hardware and software.

WHAT I KNOW

PRE-TEST: Essay
Directions: Read and answer the question.

Have you experience buying a gadget or do you experience thinking to buy a gadget? If yes, why do you want to buy a gadget
and what are the things have you considered in buying it? Give at least five (5) considerations. (Write your answer in the
answer sheet)

WHAT’S IN

TRIVIA: Do you know that the fastest microprocessor or CPU in the market is the AMD Ryzen 9 5950x at 799 dollars and the
second spot is the Intel Core i9-10900K processor at 488 dollars.

Do you hear the term “specifications” when buying a gadget or do you read
this term when you browse and search about a specific gadget or before downloading
software or application? So, what is the specification?

In computer terms, specifications are technical descriptions of the computer's

components and capabilities. It gives the details or description of hardware and software
speed, model and manufacturer. Hardware and software specifications should match the
computer system’s specification to perform the minimum and maximum potential of one’s
computer system.

Ways of checking computer’s specification

Ways of checking computer’s specification

To know the specification of your brand-new

computers like laptop or desktop you can refer to the user guide or
the label attached to its casing. In case you want to make sure the
specs of your computer you can do the following steps.

1. Access the specification using the setting in the startup menu.

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2. Accessing the specification using file explorer.

Whenever you purchase software or hardware for your computer, you should first make sure your computer
supports the system requirements. These are the necessary specifications your computer must have to use the software or
hardware. For example, a computer game may require your computer to have a Windows 7 or later version, a 2.0 GHz
processor, 512 MB of RAM, a 64 MB graphics card, and 500 MB of hard drive space. If your computer does not meet all of
these requirements, the game will not run very well or might not run at all.
Most hardware and software products have the system requirements printed on the side or bottom of the
product packaging. When you intend to purchase computer software or hardware, it is a good idea to first find out exactly what
your system's specifications are and write them down on a piece of paper. The important information to record includes:
1. Operating System
2. Processor Speed
3. Memory, a.k.a. RAM
4. Graphics Card
5. Hard Disk Space
6. I/O Ports

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 By recording these specifications from your computer, you will be able to make sure your computer supports the
products you are buying. In terms of installation, systems specification is a big consideration for a computer to run and work
properly in the most efficient way it could be.
The performance of a computer depends broadly on these four factors:
1. CPU/ Processor’s Speed and Architecture
2. RAM’s Speed
3. Graphic Card/ System
4. ROM’s Storage Capacity
CPU/ Processor
Central Processing Unit/ Processor is considered as heart or brain of computer system, it handles the arithmetic
and logical operation of the system or in simple term part of your computer that receives instructions, performs calculations, and
executes actions.

Things to consider in CPU’s speed:

1. Manufacturer – There is many processors’ manufacturer, two of these are Intel and AMD. They are on the top of the market
and both of their product has advantages and disadvantages. Intel is the first company to develop a processor and their processors’
capabilities are unquestionable, but it is a bit pricier than AMD. AMD offers a cheaper processor that is also efficient specifically
for gaming and video and image editing.
2. Product Line – Intel and AMD have their product line. Intel has Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9
processors. AMD have Athlon series, Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9. Intel Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, AMD Athlon and
Ryzen 3 are suitable in low level application or task like word processing playing song and watching videos. It also do not
consume too much power. Intel Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, AMD Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 is applicable for high level task
like image, video and audio editing.
3. Clock Speed - Clock speed is expressed in gigahertz, or GHz. It measure of how many clock cycles a CPU can perform per
second or how many calculations a processor can make each second. For example, a CPU with a clock rate of 1.8 GHz can
perform 1,800,000,000 clock cycles per second. To understand better the higher the clock speed the faster the processor.
4. Core - A CPU core is a CPU’s processor. In the old days, every processor had just one core that could focus on one task at a
time. Today, CPUs have been two and 18 cores, each of which can work on a different task.
5. Cache – It captures frequently used information from the main memory in a cache, which can you can then access without
having to go all the way back to the computer’s main memory every time you perform a task.
6. Thread - A thread is a unit of execution on concurrent programming. Multithreading is a technique which allows a CPU to
execute many tasks of one process at the same time. These threads can execute individually while sharing their resources.
7. CPU Architecture/Bit Version – The two different CPU architecture is the 32-bit processors and 64-bit processors. 32-bit
processors can transfer 32 bits of data per clock cycle while 64-bit processors can transfer 64-bits of data per clock cycle. The
difference about the two architecture processors is the number of calculations per second they can perform, which affects the
speed at which they can complete tasks.
“In conclusion, the higher the clock speed, core, cache, thread and CPU architecture the faster and efficient the
processor can compute and handle instructions and data.”

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Alternatively referred to as main memory,

primary memory, or system memory, RAM (random-access
memory) is a hardware device that allows information to be
stored and retrieved on a computer. RAM is a volatile memory or
it is a temporary memory and requires power to keep the data
accessible. If the computer is turned off, all data contained in
RAM is lost. To a large extent, the more RAM a computer has
the faster and more effectively it will operate. Computers with
little RAM must keep moving data to and from their hard disks
in order to keep running. This tends to make them not just slow
in general, but more annoyingly intermittently sluggish.

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RAM is measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB), as detailed on the storage page. Just how much RAM a computer
needs depends on the software it is required to run effectively. A computer running Windows XP will usually function quite
happily with 1GB of RAM, whereas twice this amount (such as 2GB) is the realistic minimum for computers running Windows
7.

Two Types of RAM

1. SRAM – It stands for Static Random Access Memory. Flip flops are used for retaining memory by SRAM. Four to six
transistors are used by flip flops for a memory cell. This memory can story information till the power supply is on. This
memory is faster than DRAM and is expensive. These are mainly used in processor’s cache memory .It does not require
refreshing, as it is quiet faster in comparison to some other types.

2. DRAM – It stands for Dynamic Random Access Memory. It makes use of a transistor and a capacitor to form a memory cell
standing for a single bit of data. They are not able to retain information for a longer time even if the power supply is on
throughout. Therefore, it needs refreshing dynamically and therefore is known as the dynamic type of memory. This is the most
common type of computer memory. It provides more memory per chip due to a lesser number of components in comparison to
SRAM. It is slower and less expensive than SRAM. This type of memory is primarily used for creating a large system RAM
space.

TYPES of DRAM
• Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) “synchronizes” the memory speed with CPU clock speed so that the memory controller
knows the exact clock cycle when the requested data will be ready. This allows the CPU to perform more instructions at a
given time. Typical SDRAM transfers data at speeds up to 133 MHz.
• Rambus DRAM (RDRAM) takes its name after the company that made it, Rambus. It was popular in the early 2000s and
was mainly used for video game devices and graphics cards, with transfer speeds up to 1 GHz.
• Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM) is a type of synchronous memory that nearly doubles the bandwidth of a
single data rate (SDR) SDRAM running at the same clock frequency by employing a method called "double pumping,"
which allows the transfer of data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal without any increase in clock
frequency.

“DDR1 SDRAM has been succeeded by DDR2, DDR3, and most recently, DDR4 SDRAM. Although operating on the
same principles, the modules are not backward-compatible. Each generation delivers higher transfer rates and faster performance.
The latest DDR4 modules, for example, feature fast transfer rates at 2133/2400/2666and even 3200 MT/s.”

Graphics Card

A graphics card is an expansion card for your PC that is responsible for rendering images to the display. High-end GPUs
are used for gaming, ray tracing, graphics production, and even mining cryptocurrency. A graphics card is sometimes commonly
referred to as a graphics processing unit or GPU.

Two major forms:

• An integrated GPU is built into the motherboard and cannot be upgraded or replaced. You'll find this in laptops and
inexpensive desktop PCs. These graphics typically have modest performance and don't perform well for tasks like games or
professional graphics production.
• A discrete GPU is mounted on a graphics card that slips into a computer's expansion slot on the motherboard. This kind of
graphics card is replaceable so it can be upgraded as newer graphics cards are developed and help keep a PC from
becoming obsolete.

ROM Speed and Capacity

Two of the main ROM used in a computer today are Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and SSD (Solid State Drive).
• Hard Disk Drive or HDD - is a magnetic disk where actual data is stored. It has a disk and actuator arm. The disk rotates
at high speed and the actuator arm will either read or write data from the disk. The magnetic disk can rotate at either 5400,
7200, or 10,000 RPM. The typical hard drive used in today’s computer operates at the 7200 RPM range. HDD also comes
in two physical sizes a 3.5 inches HDD that is used in desktops or servers and 2.5 inches HDD that is used for laptops.
HDD storage capacity is about 128 GB to 1TB.

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• Solid State Drive or SSD – has no moving parts, instead of magnetic disk it uses flash memory cheap to store data which
is very fast. Since it has no moving parts, they are very quiet and more energy efficient. SSD also comes in a different form
factor which is 2.5 inches SSD form factor and M.2 SSD form factor 2.5 SSD is connected to the motherboard using SATA
interface while M.2 SSD is plugged to M.2 Slot. SDD storage capacity is about 128 GB to 1TB.

In comparison, SSD is more resistant to physical shock than HDD. SSD is expensive than HDD because it performs
faster and efficiently than HDD.

Overall having a higher quality of Processor, RAM, Graphics Card, and ROM, the better quality of performance of one computer.
But remember in choosing the specifications of a computer depends on how you will use it, it either for simple task or complex
task. You don’t need to buy high-end components because the better the qualities of those, the higher the price it has. Also, if you
are upgrading your component and downloading and installing software it better to check the compatibility of it to main computer
system.

WHAT’S MORE

DIRECTION: Answer the following questions.

( P L E A S E W R I T E Y O U R A N S W E R O N T H E P R O V I D E D A N S W E R S H E E T. )

1. What is specification?
2. What are the four factors for having efficient computer performance?
3. Why it is important to know specification of computer system?

WHAT I CAN DO

DIRECTION: Using the table determine and write the specification of the computer shown in picture.

Specifications PC-A

1. Operating System

2. Processor

3. RAM

4. ROM

5. Graphics Card

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 ASSESSMENT

POST-TEST: Identification
Directions: Arrange the steps in ways for checking computer system’s specification. Write A-E in the box before
each picture.
( P L E A S E W R I T E Y O U R A N S W E R O N T H E P R O V I D E D A N S W E R S H E E T. )

WHAT I CAN SHOW

Which category in 21st Century skills do you think the core of our topic falls in? (Communication, collaboration, creativity,
critical thinking, productivity, leadership and technology literacy). Explain why.

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