CTU – San Francisco Campus

CompTech 122 – Computer Systems

Topic 4: Fundamentals of Computer System Hardware

FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTER SYSTEM HARDWARE

There are several types of computers that you may use directly or indirectly in your everyday life:

✓ Personal Computers (PCs)

Most likely you encounter and use for various applications, at home, in school, and office.
These are single – user, general purpose computers that normally fit on a desktop.

✓ Portable Computers – are smaller “on-the-go” personal computer that runs on

batteries. It is a computer that is designed to be moved from one place to another and
includes a display and keyboard. Portable computers, by their nature, are generally
microcomputers. Portable computers, because of their size, are also commonly known
as 'Lunchbox' or 'Luggable' computers. They can also be called a 'Portable Workstation'
or 'Portable PC'.

• Laptop, Notebook, and Net book Computers - A small, portable computer -- small enough
that it can sit on your lap that has a battery(rechargeable) to provide power even it is
unplug from the power source outlet.
• Palmtops - Palmtop computer is similar to a laptop computer, but smaller. It's small
enough to fit in the palm of your hand
• Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) - PDA is similar to a palmtop computer, except it is even
more compact, and typically has no keyboard, using a touch screen for all data input. Since
the screen is so small, many PDAs have a small stylus (plastic stick) that is
used to press things on the screen.

✓ Wearable Computer:
A Wearable Computer is a body-worn or in clothing integrated IT device that offers
hands-free operation through speech control. With a head- or body-mounted display
it provides access to data without blocking the user's field of view. Thus, wearable
computers can support work processes without interrupting the workflow. (e.g.
mining, archeology, space Exploration)

✓ Servers – are computers on a network that provide services to client computers –

services such as web, mail, file archive , etc. It is a physical computer (a computer
hardware system) dedicated to run one or more services (as a host), to serve the
needs of the users of other computers on a network. Depending on the computing
service that it offers it could be a database server, file server, mail server, print server,
web server, gaming server, or some other kind of server.

✓ Embedded Computers – Embedded computers are incorporated into other devices,

rather than being stand alone computers. Examples include digital cameras, mobile
phones, music players, specialist IT hardware (such as networking hardware), and
almost any kind of industrial or domestic control system. Also can be found inside
most commonly used devices to provide them with “intelligence” such as cell phones,
cars, VCRs, MP3 Players, Vending machines, cash registers, heart rate/beat monitors.
✓ Supercomputers – primarily used for engineering and scientific problem analysis as
well as for computerized graphics and special effects seen in films.

✓ Mainframes – are big, fast, and expensive that are used for large – scale data
manipulation, updating and communication. These computers are used in banks,
airlines, insurance companies, government agencies, military centers, and weather
stations – are simultaneously accessed by multiple users via terminals.

✓ NUC - which stands for Next Unit of Computing, is a small form factor computer kit
manufactured by Intel. Their motherboards measure four inches by four inches. They come with a
plastic case and a CPU fan, and an external PSU — the case has no room for an internal power
supply. They also come with VESA mounting brackets, so the NUC can be mounted to the rear of
an LCD monitor.

✓ Compute Stick - is a device the size of a pack of gum that turns any HDMI display into a fully
functional computer: same operating system, same high quality graphics, and same wireless
connectivity. All this in a PC on a stick that measures 4.5 inches from end to end, and is ready to
compute right out of the box.

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 BASIC COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM
1. Software – Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions
for telling a computer what to do and how to do it. In other words, software is a conceptual entity which is a set of computer programs,
procedures, and associated documentation concerned with the operation of a data processing system
Common Types of Software:
✓ System Software
✓ Application Software
✓ Programming Software

✓ An Operating System (OS) is software, consisting of programs and data that runs on computers manages computer hardware
resources, and provides common services for execution of various application software. Operating system is the most important
type of system software in a computer system. Without an operating system, a user cannot run an application program on their
computer, unless the application program is self-booting. Ex. Mac OS, Windows, Linux and etc.

✓ Application Software (App)- also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform
singular or multiple related specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, and graphics
software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with documents. Applications may be bundled with the
computer and its system software, or may be published separately. Some users are satisfied with the bundled apps and need never
install one.

✓ Programming languages: Now this is a kind of computer software which is used exclusively by computer programmers. Unless we
are also programmers, we are unlikely to come across programming languages.

2. Hardware - is a comprehensive term for all of the physical parts of a computer, as distinguished from the data it contains or operates
on, and the software that provides instructions for the hardware to accomplish tasks.

3. Peopleware - is a term used to refer to one of the four core aspects of computer
technology, the other two being hardware and software. Peopleware can refer to
anything that has to do with the role of people in the development or use of
computer software and hardware systems, including such issues as developer
productivity, teamwork, group dynamics, the psychology of programming, project
management, organizational factors, human interface design, and human-machine-
interaction.

4. Communication (Network)
A computer network or data network is a telecommunications network that allows
computers to exchange data or information. In computer networks, networked
computing devices pass data to each other along data connections. Data is
transferred in the form of packets. The connections (network links) between nodes
are established using either cable media or wireless media. The best-known computer
network is the Internet.

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FIVE BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS
1. Input Operation – is a process of putting details or data/program in a computer.
2. Processing Operation - the processing of the encoded or embedded data in a computer.
3. Output Operation – use to give output of the processed data in a computer.
4. Storage Operation – use to store data in a computer.
5. Communication – communication in between two or more computers through a network.

Basic Computer Operation with their Corresponding Computer Hardware

1. Input Operation – Input Devices
2. Processing Operation – Processing Devices
3. Output Operation – Output Devices
4. Storage Operation – Storage Devices
5. Communication – Network Devices

INPUT DEVICES
All computer systems need to have input devices. There are different types of input devices, but this category includes anything that the
individual uses to give instructions to the computer. Keyboards, mice, joysticks, mini-keyboards, trackballs, digital cameras, microphones
and touch screens are all input devices. Every one of these devices converts the actions of the individual into electronic signals for the
computer system to interpret and process.

INPUT DEVICES
Web Cam /CCTV Camera - most cameras like this are used during live conversations. The camera transmits a picture
from one computer to another, or can be used to record a short video.

Keyboard - The keyboard is a way to input letters or numbers into different applications or programs. A keyboard also
has special keys that help operate the computer.

Mouse - The mouse is used to open and close files, navigate web sites, and click on a lot of commands (to tell the
computer what to do) when using different applications.

Digital Camera - A digital camera can be used to take pictures. It can be hooked up to a computer to transfer the
pictures from the camera to the computer. Some digital cameras hold a floppy disk, and the floppy disk can be taken
out of the camera and put directly into the computer.

Drawing Tablet - A drawing tablet is similar to a white board, except you use a special pen to write on it and it's
connected to the computer. Then the word or image you draw can be saved on the computer.

Microphone - A microphone is used to record sound. The sound is then saved as a sound file on the computer.

Scanner - A scanner is used to copy pictures or other things and save them as files on the computer.

Joystick /Game Controller - A joystick/ game controller is used to move the cursor from place to place, and to click on
various items in programs. A joystick is used mostly for computer games.

Touch Screen (ATM/Smartphone) - A touch screen is a computer screen or other screen that you can touch with your
finger to enter information. Examples of touch screens include a smart board, a microwave, a dishwasher, or an ATM
at a bank.

Bar Code Scanner - A bar code scanner scans a little label that has a bar code on it. The information is then saved on
the computer. Bar code scanners are used in libraries a lot.

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PROCESSING DEVICES
One of the things that make computers so powerful and useful to people today is their processing. Thanks to processors, computer
systems can execute many tasks much faster than humans. In home personal computer systems, the processing is done by a part called
the central processing unit, or CPU. The higher the speed of your CPU, the faster your computer system will process information.
SYSTEM UNIT
System Unit - The system unit, also known as a "tower" or "chassis," is the main part of a desktop computer.
It includes the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and other components. The system unit also includes the case that
houses the internal components of the computer.
• Motherboard – the main circuit board of a computer system.
• Microprocessor – the brain of the computer system.
• Memory Chips (RAM) – Primary storage device.
• Expansion Slots – accommodate expansion cards and other peripherals.
• Power Supplies – supply proper voltages to the devices of the computer system.
• Cables – carries the current (data or signals) for all the devices of the computer system.
• Computer Case – protect the internal devices of the computer system from foreign objects.
• Video Card – installed at AGP or PCIe slots on the motherboard used for video outputs and graphics configurations.
• Sound Card – installed at PCI on a motherboard for sound outputs of the computer, it has line in, line out and microphone jacks.
• LAN (NIC) Card – installed at PCI slot on the motherboard used for communication or connectivity (networking) of two or more
computers.

VIDEO CARD SOUND CARD NETWORK INTERFACE CARD (NIC) RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM)

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT CPU MOTHERBOARD (MOBO) POWER SUPPLY UNIT (PSU) COMPUTER CASE

OUTPUT DEVICES
To provide results to the individual using the computer system, each computer system must also have output devices. An output device
is anything that the computer system uses to communicate information to the individual. Some output devices are monitors, speakers,
printers, some joysticks, braille screen readers, plotters, film printers, head-mounted displays, holographic displays and routers. Some
devices, such as touch-screen monitors, can be both input and output devices.

Monitor - A monitor is the screen on which words, numbers, and graphics can be seen. The monitor is the most
common output device.

Projector - A multimedia projector is a compact, high resolution, full-color projector capable of projecting text,
images, video and audio content. Typically the projector will feature inputs for a computer, DVD player, VCR, CD
player and storage device.

Printer - Printers can print words, numbers, or pictures. It is a peripheral which produces a representation of an
electronic document on physical media such as paper or transparency film. Many printers are local peripherals
connected directly to a nearby personal computer. Network printers have built-in network interfaces can serve any
user on the network. Individual printers are often designed to support both local and network connected users at
the same time.

Speaker - A speaker gives you sound output from your computer. Some speakers are built into the computer
and some are separate.

Headphones - Headphones give sound output from the computer. They are similar to speakers, except they are
worn on the ears so only one person can hear the output at a time. Headset is a combination of headphone and
microphone.

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STORAGE DEVICES
If your computer system could not store information, it would not be very useful. Today's home computer systems come with numerous
types of storage, both magnetic and electronic. All information is stored as a combination of ones and zeros. Examples of magnetic storage
devices are floppy disks and hard drives. Examples of electronic storage devices are CD-ROMs, DVDs, memory sticks, flash cards in
cameras, USB drives and optical drives. Like the ROM, the secondary computer storage is also non-volatile. The information stored on
these devices is retained, even if the computer has been switched off. The primary storage device is the Random Access Memory (RAM).

STORAGE DEVICES

Hard Drives
The hard drives are one of the most important of the secondary types of computer data storage devices, the
hard drive types. Data is stored on the hard drives in the digital format on the hard drives. In the initial days of
the computers, hard disks were like removable mass storage devices. However, with time they started coming
as a part of the central processing unit of the computer. However, now there are external hard drives available
as well.
Types of HDD are:
• PATA (Parallel Advance Technology Attachment) or IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)
• SATA (Serial Advance Technology Attachment)
• SSD (Solid State Drives)
• SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)

Floppy Discs
This is a magnetic storage device, which is set in square plastic shell. They are available in different sizes, like 8 inches,
5 ¼ inches and 3 ½ inches. In the initial days floppy discs were very popular, however, with the advancements they got
over shadowed by the other computer storage devices.
Compact Discs
Previously compact discs (abbreviated as CD) were used only for recording and storing audio files.
Subsequently along with audio, video and other data is also stored on them. These discs can store data for
long time. The data is stored on the CDs in optical format. Backup can be stored on the CDs.

Compact Disc (CD) - CDs store information. The CD can then be put into another computer, and the
information can be opened and added or used on the second computer.
Note: A CD-R or CD-RW can also be used as an OUTPUT device.

Disk Drive - A disk drive can hold a CD or a floppy disk. It reads the information on the disk so that the computer
can use it.

Digital Versatile Disc

The format of storing data in the digital versatile discs (DVD) is similar to that of a compact disc. The difference lies
in the storage capacity. There is six times more storage space in the DVD’s as compared to the CD’s. Like the CD’s,
DVD’s are also used as backup device.

Blu-ray Discs
Blu-rays discs are abbreviated as BD, are used for high definition video storage. It is often used by gamers. Blu-ray discs are similar to the
CD’s and DVD’s in their looks. It is the memory space which makes all the difference between the CD’s, DVD’s and BD’s. Blu-ray disc is an
optical storage device.

Flash Memory
With a lot of research came the flash memory. This storage device for a computer is similar to the read only memory. However, there is a
big difference between the flash memory and the ROM. Data from the flash memory can be erased in a matter of few seconds from the
flash drives, which is not the case with the ROM’s. At the same time, the data can be changed as per the requirement

USB Flash Drive

The USB flash drives consist of a NAND type flash memory. It has an integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.
They are non-volatile and data can be rewritten on them. They are very small in size, but have very large memory
space. There are some of the USB drives, where 1 million erase and write cycles can be carried out. On the other
hand, some of them are known to retain data for as long as 10 years.

Memory Cards
The next of the computer storage devices examples are the memory cards. Data is stored in digital format on the
memory cards. They can be used in various electronic devices from hand held computers, mobile phones, cameras,
etc. They are also rewritable. Although they are small in size, they can store a high amount of data.

These are the computer storage devices. With the constant advancement in technology, new storage devices are
constantly getting added to the storage devices list. Along with the new devices, there is advancement that is been
carried out to increase the access rate and the capacity of the data stored.

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NETWORK DEVICES (Communication)
Networking hardware may also be known as network equipment or computer networking devices. Units which are the last receiver or
generate data are called hosts or data terminal equipment. All these terms refer to devices facilitating the use of a computer network.
Specifically, they mediate data in a computer network.

Routers
Routers are small physical devices that join multiple networks together. Technically, a router is a Layer 3 gateway device,
meaning that it connects two or more networks and that the router operates at the network layer of the OSI model.
Wired or wireless router

Network Switch
A network switch is a computer networking device that connects devices together on a computer network, by using a
form of packet switching to forward data to the destination device. A network switch is considered more advanced than
a (repeater) hub because a switch will only forward a message to one or multiple devices that need to receive it, rather
than broadcasting the same message out of each of its ports.

Modem
A modem (modulator-demodulator) is a device that modulates signals to encode digital information and demodulates
signals to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded
to reproduce the original digital data. Modems can be used with any means of transmitting analog signals, from light
emitting diodes to radio. A common type of modem is one that turns the digital data of a computer into modulated
electrical signal for transmission over telephone lines and demodulated by another modem at the receiver side to
recover the digital data.

NIC
A network interface card or controller NIC (wired or wireless), also known as a network interface card, network adapter,
LAN adapter, and by similar terms) is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer
network.

LAN
A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area
such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building, using network media. The defining
characteristics of LANs, in contrast to wide area networks (WANs), include their smaller geographic
area, and non-inclusion of leased telecommunication lines.

WLAN
A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices
using a wireless distribution method (often spread-spectrum or OFDM radio) within a limited area
such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building.
Wifi – Wireless Fidelity

WAN
A computer network that spans a relatively large geographical area. Typically, a WAN consists of two
or more local-area networks (LANs). Computers connected to a wide-area network are often
connected through public networks, such as the telephone system. They can also be connected
through leased lines or satellites. The largest WAN in existence is the Internet.

Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet
protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link several billion devices worldwide. It is an international network of
networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government packet
switched networks, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking
technologies. The Internet carries an extensive range of information resources and services, such as
the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), the
infrastructure to support email, and peer-to-peer networks for file sharing and telephony.

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