I just want to share some common terms which are widely used. However, computer system is a complex architecture which was built by great intelligence.
Let’s start!
RAM: There are two types of storage devices available in computer system and Computers save data in two ways: on the hard drive and in Random Access Memory (RAM) or internal memory. RAM is one of the device which decides your computer performance. Any data saves on RAM is not permanent. It gets lost when you restart the computer. It is a fast memory which use to execute programs. First program loaded into RAM, so that the processor can accesses the program data very easily. The image of RAM is given below.
CACHE :- It is also one type of memory which is faster than RAM. It is a permanent storage of data which is stored by processor to access frequently using data very quickly. It is very less compare to RAM. It is also improve your system performance.
Optical Drive: CD-ROM drive is an optical drive which reads and writes data on standard compact discs. We can store any type of information on CDs like games, software, songs, movies etc. It is used as secondary storage devices and very useful for backup. Now-a-days we have several different types of optical drives. DVD drive, Blu-ray drive etc. You can use any drive based on your computer configuration. The image of general optical drive is given below.
CPU :- It is a Central Processing Unit. It is like a brain of computer. It performs all types of processing in your computer. It manages resources, perform Input/output operations etc. There are many different types of processors available in the market like Pentium, Dual core, AMD etc. Most new Windows based programs use a Pentium processor or a AMD Athlon XP. New Macs use a different type of CPU called Power PC.
Disk Drive:- It is nothing but Floppy disk drive (FDD). It uses to read and save information on portable diskettes, also called floppy disks. You can use floppy disks to save information or to load new software onto your computer. However, now very less people are using it. But it is very useful in certain situations like, if you wants to make a bootable disk or if your computer’s boot sector corrupted. The image of FDD is given below.
Hard Disk Drive(HDD):- It is a permanent storage devices. All your data and operating system is stored on hard drive. It is a non-volatile device which means after you shut down your computer, data will not lost. We use different storage sizes of hard disk drives like 320GB, 120GB etc.
1 GB = 1024 MB
1 MB = 1024 KB
1 KB = 1024 Bytes
1 byte = 8 bits.
Keyboard:- Keyboards are one of the most classic input device. It is a collection of electronic switches. Using these switches we can give instructions, commands to computer one character at a time. Keyboard in computer system is the device which contains maximum number of moving parts. This device is a primary way of inputting data.
Megahertz (MHz):- This is the clock speed of the microprocessor. This defines the speed and ability of a processor. The higher the number, the quicker the information is processed. Hertz is a unit of frequency but it uses with processor as a pulse rate.
Memory:- It is generally used with RAM but it is a circuitry or device that holds information in electrical or magnetic form. And various memory units are presented earlier.
Modem: This is device which modulates and demodulates the signals which are shared between two computers connected in a network. It connects two computers through phone line. Generally, it is used to connect internet. Many computers are coming with internal modems. Very often we use external modem.
Monitor:- It is a Video Display Unit (VDU). And one of the basic output unit in a computer system. It allows you to see what you are doing on computer and enables user interaction with the hardware of computer. Most computers come with 14 or 15-inch monitors. This size is good for most people's needs. Larger 17 or 21-inch monitors also are available, but may cost more. Myself, I prefer the 17-inch.
Motherboard:- Motherboard is a main circuit board in computer system. All devices like Monitor, keyboard, Optical Drive, CPU etc connects to Motherboard. It is also called as Main Board. There are different types of motherboards available in market. However, here is the simple image of motherboard.
Mouse:- It is a pointing device which is use in a computer system to perform processing very easily. It is very convenient device which helps to move objects, selecting any text etc. However, we can perform the tasks of Mouse with the help of keyboard but it will not be much user convenient. We need to remember all the key combinations to use keyboard instead of Mouse.
Printer:- A printer is the computer component that lets you create copies of the information stored in your computer on paper. The printed material is often called hard copy, to differentiate it from the data stored on a disk, or held in the computer's memory. It converts the digital image or documents to hard copy. There are four types of printers on the market: dot matrix, inkjet, bubble jet and laser. The definition of each printer is given below.
Laser printers:- These combine a magnetic roller with powdered ink called toner to transfer high-quality characters or images onto a page.
Inkjet printers:- These have small nozzles that actually spray fast-drying ink onto the page to form characters or images.
Dot-matrix printers:- These use a print head to strike an inked ribbon against paper, like a typewriter, creating characters out of a series of dots.
Scanner:- Using the scanners we can transfer scanned information to the system. Scanner is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting or an object. It converts the hard copy of the image to a digital image. Scanner is an optional device i.e. it is of use only if you are very keen on doing photo editing and other such related work. The scanner is used for loading images from some book, magazine or photograph into the storage device of your personal computer i.e. the hard disk. It is important to use some photo editing application with the scanner.
Sound Card:- It is a device which reproduce music, sounds and voices in a computer system. It is very necessary device if you are purchasing a computer for multimedia. However, now-a-days Sound card is integrated on the mother board. We don’t purchase it externally. But if you want to use other upgraded sound card then you can purchase and inserted in one slot on your computer’s motherboard. It will be upgraded. One important point to be noted here is that, you must check your motherboard and CPU’s configuration before purchasing a new upgraded sound card. After purchasing, if it not supported by your computer then it will be a problem.
Video Card:- It is a device which collects the image information from CPU through System Bus and sends this information to Monitor to display an image. It is a part of computer system and generally integrated on the motherboard. However, if you want to upgrade the computer’s video card, you can do it by just purchase the upgraded Video card and inserted on AGP slot. It is a very easy process. Check Motherboard’s configuration before purchasing it. Generally, we need higher memory video card which use to play games.
WEB CAMERA:- WEBCAMS are the video devices which are connected to the computer through USB port. We don’t have any separate port for web cameras. There are variety of webcams available in the market which uses different technologies. They connect to internet very easily through Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Webcams, like most things, range from simple to complex. If you understand the essence of a simple Webcam setup, increasing the complexity is only a matter of adding functionality through software, custom code and/or equipment connections. Webcams come into market and people started using it in the year 1991, the first such camera, called the CoffeeCam, in the Cambridge University.
Well you have completed the quick course on computer terminology. I hope it will help you to purchase a new computer. Please give comment if you want some additional information.
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