Computer Hardware - a bit more 'detail':
Here's the list of 'popular' or 'normal' hardware
components from the previous page:
- CPU or 'processor unit' - which is typically housed in
a small box
- Monitor or Display (an output device) - this is the way
the computer gets information to you
- Keyboard & a mouse ("input") devices - this is the
way the comptuer gets information from you
- Network Connection - the way you and/or your computer (usually
on your behalf, but sometimes not) shares information with other people and/or
computers
- 'peripherals' - (typically) output devices - items such
as printers, plotters (output) tape-drives (input or output), external
hard(disk) drives (storage), external 'removeable media' devices -
hard / floppy / Optical (CD-ROM / CD-RW / CD-R / DVD / DVD-R) drives
Let's break-down each of these items into some 'components' for purposes
of describing or defining vocabulary items that we need to communicate efficiently:
The "CPU" or "Processor" is typically
from one of these companies:
- Intel - examples: 8086, 80386, 80486, Pentium, Pentium II, PentiumIII
- Motorola - examples: 68030, 68040, PowerPC 604 / 708 / G3 / G4
- IBM- Same as Motorola for Macintoshes & workstations - proprietary
for Mainframes
- Sun - examples: MicroSparc, Sparc, SparcII
- DEC - examples: Alpha
- MicroLogix - examples: proprietary for (primarily) SGI
The CPU is the part that does 99% of the calculations, it is very highly
specialized to handle data (numbers) as well as text, and in some cases has
special circuits & commands to handle graphics functions - this is especially
true in gaming computers.
Other parts of the 'CPU Cabinet' or housing or box - probably (but not absolutely)
include these components:
- Processor-Memory - the 'working-space' that the
CPU uses to work on things (akin to the desktop or workbench for a human-worker)
- a chip or chips that control / manage the monitor(s)
& keyboard & mouse
- a chip or chips that control the network connection
(typically 'Ethernet'(hardware) for running TCP/IP software-protocol)
- a chip or chips that generate a 'clock' signal (so
everything in the computer is synchronized on how it
- works and what does what in what time-"slice"
- a chip or chips that
Monitor or Display:
This is a fairly simple to understand - but highly complex device - that
most people are quite familiar with - in many cases because it has some 'similarities'
to the common television. However,, the similarity is that it displays
images. That is where the similarity ends.
The monitors of today - on most common computers have several characteristics
that separate them from televisions:
Color Display - rarely less than 800 x 600
"pixels" (dots)
Analog or digital input-signal
the key to remember is that this is an OUPUT Device - it is ONLY used to
display (output) information, it has NO INPUT capability (unless-of-course
it is a 'touch-screen' - but we'll assume for the moment that is a horse
of a different color?!)
Keyboard & Mouse:
these are fairly obvious - the key to remember is that they are INPUT DEVICES
- used to INPUT information INTO the computer.
Networking:
This component isn't covered in other places - and it is typically an 'INPUT
/ OUTPUT' item - and it is typically a 'hybrid' item - since the network connection
to any computer consists of BOTH hardware (typically something called a "NIC
" = Network Interface Card AND the 'software part of the Operating System'
to run it - so though it can be thought of as BOTH hardware and software
- many people 'lump-it-in' with the hardware side.
Modems are also typically thought of as network items - they are BOTH 'INPUT
/ OUTPUT' - and they are also thought of as a Network device...
Peripherals:
There's very very little 'restriction' on the sorts of things you can hang-off-of
a computer - but almost all fall into one of three categories:
- Input - graphics tablets, real-world-monitoring
attachments (temperature / pressure / etc)
- Output - plotters, printers, cutters (fabric, metal, wood),
motor-controllers (telescpe, antenna, etc.)
- Storage - tape, hard disks, floppy disks, removeable disks,
optical disks (CD-x / DVD-x , etc.)
last updated: Wednesday_17_April_2002; revID:
1a