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Perform Mensuration and Calculation

This document defines various computer hardware terms related to storage and memory. It discusses different types of memory like ROM, RAM, caches and registers. It also describes various storage drives like floppy drives, hard drives, solid state drives, optical drives and flash drives. Finally, it covers different interfaces used to connect drives to computers like IDE, SATA, SCSI and different types of memory modules.

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Jose Bundalian
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130 views36 pages

Perform Mensuration and Calculation

This document defines various computer hardware terms related to storage and memory. It discusses different types of memory like ROM, RAM, caches and registers. It also describes various storage drives like floppy drives, hard drives, solid state drives, optical drives and flash drives. Finally, it covers different interfaces used to connect drives to computers like IDE, SATA, SCSI and different types of memory modules.

Uploaded by

Jose Bundalian
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 4

Perform Mensuration
and Calculation
Definition of Terms
• Bit - a fundamental unit of information having just
two possible values, as either of the binary digits 0
or 1.
• Byte - a unit of digital information in computing and
telecommunications that most commonly consists of
eight bits.
• Booting – starting (a computer) by loading an
operating system from a disk.
• Electronic storage - a device for recording (storing)
information (data).
• Firewire - Apple Computer's version of a
standard, IEEE 1394, High Performance Serial Bus,
for connecting devices to your personal computer.
• Hot-swappable - the connection and disconnection
of peripherals or other components without
interrupting system operation.
• Interface - the point of interaction or
communication between a computer and any other
entity, such as a printer or human operator.
• Laser - a device that emits light (electromagnetic
radiation) through a process of optical amplification
based on the stimulated emission of photons.
• Magnetic platter - a thin, high precision disk that is coated
on both sides with a high precision magnetic material and
which is used in a hard disk drive (HDD) to store data.
• Memory module - a narrow printed circuit board that
holds memory chips.
• Magnetic storage media - any storage medium in
which different patterns of magnetization are used
to represent stored bits or bytes of information
• Operating system - a set of programs that
manage computer hardware resources and
provide common services for application software.
• Optical storage media - any storage in which
data is written and read with a laser for archival
or backup purposes.
Acronyms
•HDD – hard disk drive
•IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics
MEMORY
Although memory is technically any form
of electronic storage, it is used most
often to identify fast, temporary forms
of storage. If your computer's CPU had
to constantly access the hard drive to
retrieve every piece of data it needs, it
would operate very slowly. When the
information is kept in memory, the CPU
can access it much more quickly. Most
forms of memory are intended to store
data temporarily.
The CPU accesses memory according to a distinct
hierarchy. Whether it comes from permanent storage
(the hard drive) or input (the keyboard), most data
goes in random access memory (RAM) first. The CPU
then stores pieces of data it will need to access,
often in a cache, and maintains certain special
instructions in the register.
Read-only memory (ROM) chips are
located in the motherboard. ROM chips contain
instructions that can be directly accessed by the
CPU. Basic instructions for booting the computer
and loading the operating system are stored in
ROM. ROM chips retain their contents even when
the computer is powered down. The contents
cannot be erased or changed by normal means.
Random access memory (RAM) is the
temporary storage for data and programs that are
being accessed by the CPU. RAM is volatile memory,
which means that the contents are erased when the
computer is powered off. The more RAM in a
computer, the more capacity the computer has to
hold and process large programs and files, as well
as enhance system performance.
Early computers had RAM installed in the
motherboard as individual chips. The
individual memory chips, called dual inline
package (DIP) chips, was difficult to install and
often became loose on the motherboard. To
solve this problem, designers soldered the
memory chips on a special circuit board called
a memory module.
Here are some types of memory modules:

Dual Inline Package (DIP)


Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM)
Single Inline Memory Module (SIMM)
RAMBus Inline Memory Module (RIMM)
Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module
(SODIMM).
SIMMs have 30-pin and 72-pin configurations. DIMM is
a circuit board that holds SDRAM, DDR SDRAM and DDR2
SDRAM.
The speed of memory has a direct impact on how much
data a processor can process because faster memory
improves the performance of the processor. As processor
speed increases, memory speed must also increase. For
example, single-channel memory is capable of transferring
data at 64 bits. Dual-channel memory increases speed by
using a second channel of memory, creating a data transfer
rate of 128 bits.
Double Data Rate (DDR) technology
doubles the maximum bandwidth of SDRAM.
DDR2 offers faster performance while using
less energy. DDR3 operates at even higher
speeds than DDR2; however, none of these
DDR technologies are backward- or forward
compatible.
Even with a wide and fast bus, it still takes longer for
data to get from the memory card to the CPU than it
takes for the CPU to actually process the data. Caches
are designed to alleviate this bottleneck by making the
data used most often by the CPU instantly available.
Registers are memory cells built right into the CPU that
contain specific data needed by the CPU, particularly
the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU). An integral part of
the CPU itself, they are controlled directly by the
compiler that sends information for the CPU to process.
STORAGE DRIVES
Storage drives read or write information on magnetic or
optical storage media. The drive can be used to store data
permanently or to retrieve information from a media disk.
Storage drives can be installed inside the computer case,
such as a hard drive. For portability, some storage drives
can connect to the computer using a USB port, a FireWire
port, or an SCSI port. These portable storage drives are
sometimes referred to as removable drives and can be used
on multiple computers. Here are some common types of
storage drives: Floppy drive, Hard drive, Optical drive and
Flash drive.
A floppy drive, or floppy disk drive,
is a storage device that uses
removable 3.5-inch floppy disks.
These magnetic floppy disks can store
720 KB or 1.44 MB of data. In a
computer, the floppy drive is usually
configured as the A: drive. The
floppy drive can be used to boot the
computer if it contains a bootable
floppy disk. A 5.25-inch floppy drive
is older technology and is seldom
used.
A hard drive, or hard disk
drive, is a magnetic storage
device that is installed inside
the computer. The hard drive is
used as permanent storage for
data. In a Windows computer,
the hard drive is usually
configured as the C: drive and
contains the operating system
and applications.
The hard drive is often
configured as the first drive
in the boot sequence. The
storage capacity of a hard
drive is measured in billions
of bytes, or gigabytes (GB).
The speed of a hard drive is
measured in revolutions per
minute (RPM). Multiple hard
drives can be added to
increase storage capacity.
Traditional hard drives are
magnetic. Magnetic hard drives
have drive motors designed to
spin magnetic platters and the
drive heads. In contrast, the
newer solid state drives (SSDs)
do not have moving parts.
Because there are no drive
motors and moving parts, the
SSD uses far less energy than
the magnetic hard drive.
Non-volatile flash memory chips
manage all storage on an SSD,
which results in faster access to
data, higher reliability, and
reduced power usage. SSDs
have the same form factor as
magnetic hard drives and use
ATA or SATA interfaces. SSDs
can be installed as a
replacement for magnetic
drives.
Optical Drive
An optical drive is a storage device that uses lasers to read
data on the optical media. There are three types of optical
drives: Compact Disc (CD), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) and
Blu-ray Disc (BD).
CD, DVD, and BD media
can be pre-recorded
(read-only), recordable
(write once), or rewritable
(read and write multiple
times).
External Flash Drive
An external flash drive, also known as a
thumb drive, is a removable storage
device that connects to a USB port. An
external flash drive uses the same type
of non-volatile memory chips as solid
state drives and does not require power
to maintain the data. These drives can be
accessed by the operating system in the
same way that other types of drives are
accessed.
Google Drive is a cloud-based storage service
that enables users to store and access files
online. The service syncs stored documents,
photos and more across all the user's devices,
including mobile devices, tablets and PCs.
Google Drive integrates with the company's
other services and systems -- including Google
Docs, Gmail, Android, Chrome, YouTube,
Google Analytics and Google+. Google Drive
competes with Microsoft OneDrive, Apple
iCloud, Box, Dropbox and SugarSync.
Types of Drive Interfaces
Hard drives and optical drives are
manufactured with different interfaces that
are used to connect the drive to the computer.
To install a storage drive in a computer, the
connection interface on the drive must be the
same as the controller on the motherboard.
IDE – Integrated Drive Electronics, also called
Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) is an early
drive controller interface that connects computers
and hard disk drives. An IDE interface uses a 40-pin
connector.
SATA – Serial ATA refers to the serial
version of the ATA drive controller
interface. A SATA interface uses a 7-pin
data connector.
SCSI – Small Computer
System Interface is a drive
controller interface that can
connect up to 15 drives. SCSI
can connect both internal and
external drives. An SCSI
interface uses a 50-pin, 68-
pin, or 80-pin connector.

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