Section 1:

Types and Components of Computer Systems

1.4 Types of computer

Types of Computers
Computers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Based on capacity, speed and
reliability computers can be divided into the following categories of computers
• Personal Computer (PC) / Desktop computers
• Mobile computers
• Laptop
• Tablet computer
• Smart phone
• phablets

Computer
Devices that accept information and
then manipulate it to produce a result

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Personal Computers / Desktop
• General purpose computer, which made up of separate monitor, keyboard,
mouse and processor unit.
• Uses Main use:
• Standalone computer • Office and business work
• used by one person at a time • Educational use
• Gaming device
• Self-sufficient • General entertainment
• Can operate without connecting to other computers
• Networked computer • Private internet
• part of a group of connected computers • Only accessible to
• Joined together on a network computers on the
network
• Used to share resources • Used to share private
• Designed to be used by multiple users information and email
etc.
• Used to access intranets

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Personal Computers / Desktop
Compare to laptop

Spare parts and connections tends to be Not portable → made up of separated

standardised → Low costs components
Better specification for a given price Complex and clutter up the desk space
Good dissipation of any heat build-up Necessary to copy files
Less likelihood of them being damaged Need a constant power supply
→ fixed in one location
More stable internet access (wired
internet connection)

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Laptop computers (notebook)
• A light, compact and portable PC
• Monitor, keyboard, pointing device and processor are all together in one single unit
• Contain a rechargeable battery Main use:
• Key features: • Office and business work
• Educational use
• Lightweight • Gaming device
• Low power consumption (long battery life) • General entertainment
• Processor shouldn’t generate too much heat (good cooling system) • Control and monitoring

• Use:
• standalone computers
• Used almost anywhere → small size, built-in battery
• networked computers
• Same purpose as networked PCs
• Share resources and information

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Laptop computers
Compare to PC’s

Very portable: all in one single unit Prone to theft → Easy to steal
Use low-power Limited battery life → heavy adaptor
No trailing wires Compact and can get hotter than
Take full advantage of WiFi desktop PC
able to link into any multimedia Keyboards and pointing devices
system sometimes be awkward to use
Upgrading issues

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Tablet Computer
• Small, hand-held, internet-enabled, mobile
computers • Features:
• use touchscreens
• High-definition, anti-glare displays
• ‘physical buttons’
• Front- and back-facing camera
• Switch PC on/off
• Lower weight, longer battery life
• Alter volume
• Bluetooth connection to printers and other
• Sensors
devices
• Cameras, microphones, accelerometers,
touch screens
• Flash memory and cloud storage facilities
• Sensor:
• Proximity sensor: to detect if the device is close to
• Accelerometer: detects movements and orientation
of device
• Speech-recognition systems

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Tablet Computer
Compare to laptops

Less storage space

Very fast to switch on
Not as powerful as laptop
Fully portable (Smaller and lighter)
Typing on a touch screen can be slow
Touchscreen technology → simple to use and error prone
Do not generate any heat (solid state Transferring file issues
technology)
Less supported file format
Longer battery life
Able to alert users even in standby mode

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Smart Phones
• More functionality
• Features
• High-definition, anti-glare display
• Camera (photo/ video)
• Lower weight and longer battery life
• Bluetooth connection
• Flash memory, cloud storage
• Sensors: proximity sensor, accelerometers
• Speech recognition
• OLED (organic light emitting diode) Touchscreens
• Li-Fi (similar to WiFi except communication uses visible light rather than radio waves)
• Use:
• Internet access
• Multimedia
• Running apps
• Making phone calls and messages, etc.

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Smart phones

small screens → difficult to read

Smallest of all computers and light weight Small keyboard
→ portable → difficult and slower in typing
Use to make phone calls, connect to Battery drain (web browsing and
internet while on the move photography)
Use of WiFi and mobile phone networks Memory size isn’t very large compare to
→ Connected almost anywhere laptops and PCs
Integrated physical keyboards Not all websites features are compatible
Reasonable battery life compared to Very small size → easier to misplace/
laptop. get stolen

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phablet
• Tablet + smartphone

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