Computer Hardware

Fundamentals
ICS 3U1 Unit 1



Central
Processing
Unit

Memory

RAM
ROM
Input Devices
Output Devices

Secondary
Storage
Devices
Computer Hardware Functions
I/O Devices
Examples of input devices:
keyboard
optical character reader
microphone
Examples of output devices:
video screen
printer
loudspeaker

Ports and Connectors
Ports are categorized by their mode of transmission:
Parallel port
Standard parallel port (printers)
Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)
Serial port
Standard serial port (modem, mouse)
Musical instrument digital interface (MIDI)
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
Connectors
Male have one or more pins
Female have locators that match the pins on the male
Storage
Hard Drive
Floppy Drives
CD-ROM
DVD
R-CD-ROM
RW-CD-ROM
Zip Drives
Disk Capacities
Floppy: 1.4 MB

Hard disk: 20 GB 160 GB

CD 700 - 800 MB

DVD 4.7 GB - 17 GB

1 BYTE = 1 CHARACTER
1 KILOBYTE = 1000 BYTES
1 MEGABYTE = 1000 KB or 1,000,000 KILOBYTES
1 GIGABYTE = 1000 MB or 1,000,000,000 KILOBYTES
Magnetic Disk Storage
Disk Fragmentation
Fragmented disk shows
spaces where data has
been removed
Defragmenting has
placed all files in
contiguous spaces
Defragmenting a drive
will increase efficiency
for file retrieval
CD-ROM and Optical Disks
CD-ROM (compact disk ROM)
650 MB of information
DVD-ROM (digital versatile disk)
4.7 gigabytes
CD-R (compact disk-recordable)
Magneto-optical (MO)
230 MB, 650 MB, 1.3 GB
supports read and write operation.
Memory
RAM = Random Access Memory
The space available to a computer to use while
performing operations. The space is emptied out
when the computer is turned off.
ROM = Read Only Memory
The memory programmed by the manufacturer
containing system information.
Cannot be overwritten without special software.
Computer Units
Quantity/size/capacity
Kilo byte -- KB
one KB is 1024 (2
10
)
Mega byte -- MB
one MB is 1024KB = 1024x1024 (2
20
)
e.g., 4096MB = 4MB
Giga byte -- GB
one GB is 1024MB = 1024x1024x1024 (2
30
)
Tera byte -- TB
one TB is 1024GB = 1024x1024x1024x1024 (2
40
)
Operating Systems
The operating system acts as the interface between
the application and the computer system
The following are examples of operating systems.
Microsoft Windows, Unix, Linux, and Macintosh
Operating System Software
Role of Operating System Software is to:
perform common computer hardware functions
provide a user interface
manage system memory
manage processing tasks
provide networking capability
control access to system resources
manage files
Application Software
Application software consists of programs
designed to perform specific tasks or
applications.
Examples include, such as
Word processing programs
Spreadsheet programs
Database programs
Presentation programs
E-mail programs
Web browser programs
Networking
A network is defined as two or more computers
connected together
Peer-to-peer when a server is not involved.
Client-server when a server is involved.
Uses and Benefits of a LAN
Security through id and password
Shared peripherals
Shared storage
Shared Applications
Reliability and Resilience
centralized backup systems for data recovery
centralized virus protection
Conclusion
Hardware devices work together to perform input,
processing, data storage, and output.

Networks allow computers to share information and
resources.

There are two main categories of software: systems
software and application software.

An operating system (OS) is a set of computer
programs that controls the computer hardware to
support users computing needs.