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Basay, Rodilyn G. BSCE-2 GE-TFL TTH 3:00-4:30 PM 02-18-2020: Personal Computer

The document discusses different types of computers including personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes, and supercomputers. It defines each type of computer based on their size, power, and intended use. Personal computers are small and inexpensive for individual use, minicomputers support up to 200 users, mainframes can support hundreds to thousands of users simultaneously, and supercomputers perform immense calculations quickly. Examples of each type are provided.

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Rodilyn Basay
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43 views

Basay, Rodilyn G. BSCE-2 GE-TFL TTH 3:00-4:30 PM 02-18-2020: Personal Computer

The document discusses different types of computers including personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes, and supercomputers. It defines each type of computer based on their size, power, and intended use. Personal computers are small and inexpensive for individual use, minicomputers support up to 200 users, mainframes can support hundreds to thousands of users simultaneously, and supercomputers perform immense calculations quickly. Examples of each type are provided.

Uploaded by

Rodilyn Basay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basay, Rodilyn G.

BSCE-2 GE-TFL TTH 3:00-4:30 PM 02-18-2020

Computer- A computer is a machine that can be programmed to manipulate symbols. Its


principal characteristics are:

 It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner.


 It can execute a pre-recorded list of instructions (a program).
 It can quickly store and retrieve large amounts of data.

Therefore, computers can perform complex and repetitive procedures quickly, precisely and
reliably. Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery (wires, transistors,
and circuits) is called hardware; the instructions and data are called software

Computer Types

Computers can be generally classified by size and power as follows, though there is considerable
overlap:

 Personal computer: A small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor.


 Workstation: A powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like a personal
computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and, in general, a higher-quality
monitor.
 Minicomputer: A multi-user computer capable of supporting up to hundreds of users
simultaneously.
 Mainframe: A powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds or
thousands of users simultaneously.
 Supercomputer: An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions of
instructions per second.

Personal computer

It can be defined as a small, relatively inexpensive computer designed for an individual user.
In price, personal computers range anywhere from a few hundred pounds to over five
thousand pounds. All are based on the microprocessor technology that enables manufacturers
to put an entire CPU on one chip. Businesses use personal computers for word processing,
accounting, desktop publishing, and for running spreadsheet and database management
applications. At home, the most popular use for personal computers is for playing games and
recently for surfing the Internet.
Example: tower model, desktop model, notebook computer, and laptop computer.

Minicomputer

It is a midsize computer. In the past decade, the distinction between large minicomputers and
small mainframes has blurred, however, as has the distinction between small minicomputers and
workstations. But in general, a minicomputer is a multiprocessing system capable of supporting
from up to 200 users simultaneously.

Example: a production department can use Mini-computers for monitoring certain production
process. Popular minicomputers are K-202, Texas Instrument TI-990, and SDS-92.

 Mainframe

Mainframe was a term originally referring to the cabinet containing the central processor unit or
"main frame" of a room-filling Stone Age batch machine. After the emergence of smaller
"minicomputer" designs in the early 1970s, the traditional big iron machines were described as
"mainframe computers" and eventually just as mainframes. Nowadays a Mainframe is a very
large and expensive computer capable of supporting hundreds, or even thousands, of users
simultaneously. The chief difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe is that a
supercomputer channels all its power into executing a few programs as fast as possible, whereas
a mainframe uses its power to execute many programs concurrently. In some ways, mainframes
are more powerful than supercomputers because they support more simultaneous programs. But
supercomputers can execute a single program faster than a mainframe. The distinction between
small mainframes and minicomputers is vague, depending really on how the manufacturer wants
to market its machines.

 Example: Banks educational institutions & insurance companies use mainframe computers to
store data about their customers, students & insurance policy holders. Popular mainframe
computers are Fujitsu’s ICL VME and Hitachi’s Z800.

Supercomputer

Supercomputer is a broad term for one of the fastest computers currently available.
Supercomputers are very expensive and are employed for specialized applications that require
immense amounts of mathematical calculations (number crunching).

Example: weather forecasting requires a supercomputer. Other uses of supercomputers scientific


simulations, (animated) graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research, electronic
design, and analysis of geological data (e.g. in petrochemical prospecting). Perhaps the best
known supercomputer manufacturer is Cray Research.

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