Basic computer hardware and software

Basic Computer
Hardware and Software.
Guilford County SciVis
V103.01

Input Devices
 Input Devices:
devices that input
information into the
computer such as a
keyboard, mouse,
scanner, and digital
camera.

Output Devices
 Output: devices
that output
information from
the computer such
as a printer and
monitor.

Central Processing Unit
 CPU (Central Processing Unit) also called the
Microprocessor or “The Brain” of the
Computer.
 Processor speed: The speed at which a
microprocessor executes instructions. This is
usually measured in megahertz (MHz).
 Brands of Processors include:
 Pentium
 Celeron
 MAC
 AMD
 Cyrix

Central Processing Unit
 Computer chip: also called
the microprocessor may
contain an entire processing
unit.
 Computer chips contain
millions of transistors. They
are small pieces of semi-
conducting material (silicon).
 An integrated circuit is
embedded in the silicon.
Computers are made of
many chips on a circuit
board.

Data Storage Devices
 The hard-drive is a
mechanical storage device
typically located internally.
 Fast recording and
recovery of data
 Large storage capacity
 Magnetic
 Primary storage device for
data and programs
 Speed is measured in
R.P.M.’s

Data Storage Devices (cont’d)
 CD-ROM (compact disk
read only memory)
 Approximately 600
to 700 megabyte of
storage
 An optical device
read by a diode laser

Data Storage Devices (cont’d)
 Floppy diskette is
magnetic storage
device for small
amounts of data
(1.44MB).
 FLASH drive is a
compact and portable
electronic storage
device.
 USB (plug and play)
supported

Computer Memory
 Computer memory is binary (0 or 1) (on or off).
 The byte is the standard unit of measurement.
 A byte is composed of 8 bits (binary digits).
 Typical units of measurement:
 1 KB (kilobyte) = 1000 bytes
 1 MB (megabyte) =1000 kilobytes or 1 million
bytes
 1 GB (gigabyte) =1000 megabytes or 1 billion
bytes

Computer Memory
 RAM (random access
memory) stores data that
is processing. This type of
memory is erased when
the computer is turned
off.
 ROM (read only memory)
contains special
instructions for the
computer to operate.
 Cache memory increases
the speed of the processor
by recording and
anticipating instructions.

Graphic User Interface (GUI)
 GUI (Graphic User Interface) is a set of
images and icons seen on the desktop
used to operate a program.
 The GUI makes the programs loaded
on the computer easier to access
and use. Basic Windows GUI
 Icons are small pictures that
represent files, commands, or
windows.
 Windows is a GUI operating
system unlike UNIX, which
uses text commands.

Video Cards
 Video cards plug into the
motherboard and are
used to display video.
 VRAM is video memory
that enhances the
refreshment rate of the
image.
 Video cards have chipsets
that can increase the
speed of video display.

Ports and Peripherals
 Ports are an interface between the computer and
another peripheral device such as a disk drive,
mouse, printer, modem, monitor, camera, FLASH
drive or keyboard.
Examples:
Serial
Parallel
hot-wire
USB

Ports and Peripherals
 Peripherals are devices
that plug into a
computer and are not
housed internally.
Examples:
Printers
Scanners
Cameras

Resolution
 Resolution refers to the
number of pixels (picture
elements) in the monitor
image.
 Increased resolution uses
more computer resources
but increases the visual
clarity of the display.

Resolution
 Screen resolution is measured in
pixel per inch (ppi), and printer
resolution is measured in dots per
inch (dpi).
 Computer screen resolution is
approximately 72 ppi.
Width x Height (Pixels) Video
Display
640 x 480 Low Resolution
800 x 600 Medium Resolution
1600 x 1200 High Resolution

LAN and WAN
 LAN: are networks usually
in the same company or
building. The Local Area
Network is connected via
telephone lines or radio
waves. Most LANs connect
workstations.
 WAN: are systems of
LANs that are connected.
(Wide-area network)

Bandwidth and Baud Rate
 Bandwidth is how much
information can be
carried in a given time
period (usually a
second) over a wired or
wireless
communications link.
 Baud rate is the rate at
which information is
transferred in a
communication channel.

Multitasking and Multiprocessing
 Multitasking is the ability
to execute more than one
task (program) at the
same time. Only one CPU
is used but switches from
one program to another.
 In multiprocessing, more
than one CPU is used to
complete a task.
Example: network
rendering.

Multimedia
 Multimedia software
programs include sound,
pictures, video, text, and
hypertext to create
presentations.
Software includes:
PowerPoint
Macromedia Director
FLASH

File Management
 Different programs have different file extensions.
 Naming files - avoid the following characters in naming
files:
Examples:
 @
 *
 .
 Understand the parts of a path name.
Example: C:SciVismovie.avi
Drive designator Directory or folder File name File
extension

File Management
 Saving files - know the difference
between “save” and “save as”.
“Save” will save the open
document over the saved
document while “save as” creates
a new document if you rename
the document. Save often so
work will not be lost.
 Exporting – converts a native
format to a non-native file format
used in various software
programs. In vector programs,
file types may be exported.

File Management
 Merging files - in 3D
graphics, bringing an
outside file into an
open file (another
name for this may be
loading or replacing
objects in the
workspace).
 Importing files -
bringing a converted
non-native format file
into an open file.

Basic computer hardware and software

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