COMPUTER

SPECIFICATIONS
Evaluate the suitability of a given computer system for a specific purpose.

Prepared by: Ms. Y. Martluck

Learning Outcomes
WHAT IS COMPUTER
SPECIFICATION?
 Introduction to System
Specification
• Whenever you purchase software or hardware for your computer, you
should first make sure your computer supports the system
requirements.
• These are the necessary specifications your computer must have in
order to use the software or hardware.
• For example, a computer game may require your computer to have
Windows XP or later, a 2.0 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, a 64 MB
graphics card, and 500 MB or hard drive space. If your computer does
not meet all of these requirements, the game will not run very well or
might not run at all.
 Introduction to System
Specification
• It is just as important to check system requirements for hardware
devices.
• For example, if you buy a printer, it may require either Windows XP or
Mac OS X 10.3 or later. It may also require a USB port and 80 MB of
available hard drive space. If your computer does not have any USB
ports, you will not be able to physically connect the printer. If your
machine does not have Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.3 or later, the
printer drivers may be incompatible with your operating system. This
means your computer will be unable to recognize the printer.
 Introduction to System
Specification
• Most hardware and software products have the system requirements
printed on the side or bottom of the product packaging. When you
are shopping for computer software or hardware, it is a good idea to
first find out exactly what your system's specifications are and write
them down on a piece of paper.
• The important information to record includes:
1. Operating System (i.e. Windows XP, SP 2 or Mac OS X 10.3.8)
2. Processor Speed (i.e. Pentium 4, 3.2 GHz or Power PC G5, 2.0 GHz)
3. Memory, a.k.a. RAM (i.e. 512 MB)
4. Graphics Card (i.e. ATI Radeon 9800 w/ 256 MB video memory)
5. Hard Disk Space (i.e. 80 GB available)
6. I/O Ports (i.e. USB, Firewire, Serial, Parallel, SCSI, VGA, DVI ports)
 Introduction to System
Specification
• By recording these specifications from your computer, you will be able
to make sure your computer supports the products you are buying.
• In terms of installation, systems’ specification is a big consideration in
order for a computer to run and work properly for the most efficient
way it could be.
 BEFORE WE
CONTINUE, CAN YOU
ANSWER THESE
QUESTIONS?
 QUESTIONS

1. In your point of view, describe system specification.

2. How does it affect the performance of the computer?
3. What is the relevance of understanding system specification in
computer hardware servicing?
4. Why do you think that system specification is one of the most
important considerations during installation?
 Computer Hardware
Specifications
• Computer hardware specifications are technical
descriptions of the computer's components and
capabilities.
• Processor speed, model and manufacturer.
• Processor speed is typically indicated in gigahertz
(GHz). The higher the number, the faster the
computer.
• Random Access Memory (RAM), This is typically
indicated in gigabytes (GB). The more RAM in a
computer the more it can do simultaneously. Hard
disk (sometimes called ROM) space. This is typically
indicated in gigabytes (GB) and refers generally to
the amount of information (like documents, music
 Computer Hardware
Specification Example
 Computer Hardware
Specifications
• Processing speed - Processor speed measures
(in megahertz or gigahertz; MHz or GHz) the
number of instructions per second the computer
executes.
• The need for speed is most evident for schools
that offer advanced computing classes including
web design, animation and graphic design.
• The processor speed for schools that primarily
utilize “normal” sized programs for word
processing and introduction to computers, for
Types of CPUs
Number of CPU Cores
• The CPUs are differentiated by the number of cores it has.

• In the older days, CPUs only had one core which limited them to only a single
task.

• With the evolution in technology, the number of CPU cores were also
increased to make computers faster and more efficient.

• In today’s time, we have CPUs that have up to 100 CPU cores, each of
which works on a different task.

• A core works on one task while another core works on a different task.

• So, the more cores a CPU has, the faster and more efficient the computer
will be.
 Single Core CPUs
• Single core CPUs are the oldest computer CPUs.

• These CPUs can only focus on one operation at a time so

they were not very good at multi-tasking.

• This leads to a decrease in the performance of the computer

whenever more than one application was running.

• Although only one operation processes at a time while

keeping the next tasks waiting until the first task gets
finished.

• A single core CPU has only a single core on the chip running
a single thread at any one time.

• The term “Single Core” became common after the

emergence of the multi-core CPUs.

• Example; Intel 4004

 Dual Core CPUs
• Dual-core CPUs are the first of the multi-
core CPUs. A dual-core CPU is a single CPU
that has two cores and two
caches controlled onto a single chip thus
functioning like two CPUs in one CPU chip.

• Unlike single core CPUs where the

processor had to switch back and forth for
managing many tasks, dual-core CPUs can
handle multi-tasking much more easily.

• Dual core CPUs are faster than single-core

CPUs but not as fast as the quad-core and
other higher core CPUs.

• Example(s); AMD dual-core (this is the first

dual-core CPU was released by Intel in
 Quad Core CPUs
• Quad-core CPUs are the further refinement of the multi-
core CPUs succeeding Dual core CPUs.

• Like dual-core CPUs, quad-core CPUs can also split their

workload between its many cores. This allows, even
more, faster multitasking than dual-core CPUs.

• This does not mean that a single task will be four times
faster, but processing four tasks will be faster at a time.

• These types of CPUs are more useful for people that

need to run a lot of different programs at the same time.

• Quad-core processors came in 2006 as a successor to

dual-core processors.

• In the same way, there are CPUs with many cores like 6
cores, 8 cores, 10,12,14,16,18, and up to 72 cores which
are generally seen in server CPUs.
 Computer Hardware
Specifications Cont’d
• RAM - Computer memory or Random-Access Memory (RAM) is
your system’s short-term data storage; it stores the information
your computer is actively using so that it can be accessed
quickly. The more programs your system is running, the more
memory you’ll need.
• Secondary Storage (Hard Disk Drive) - Secondary memory
is where programs and data are kept on a long-term basis.
Common secondary storage devices are the hard disk and
optical disks.
 The hard disk has enormous storage capacity compared to main memory.
 The hard disk is usually contained inside the case of a computer.
 The hard disk is used for long-term storage of programs and data.
 Data and programs on the hard disk are organized into files.
 Computer Hardware
Specifications Cont’d
• A hard disk might have a storage capacity of 500 gigabytes (room for about 500 x
109 characters). This is about 100 times the capacity of main memory. A hard disk is
slow compared to main memory. If the disk were the only type of memory, the
computer system would slow down to a crawl. The reason for having two types of
storage is this difference in speed and capacity.
• Large blocks of data are copied from disk into main memory. The operation is
slow, but lots of data is copied. Then the processor can quickly read and write
small sections of that data in main memory. When it is done, a large block of
data is written to disk.
• Often, while the processor is computing with one block of data in main memory,
the next block of data from disk is read into another section of main memory
and made ready for the processor. One of the jobs of an operating system is to
manage main storage and disks this way.

• Types of Software – The different types of application and system software that
will be used with the computer hardware. Some computer hardware are not
Additional Information
• A processor higher than a "quad" (which means four
cores) is typically referred to as an octa-core processor,
meaning it has eight cores, allowing for even more
simultaneous processing power compared to a quad-core
processor.

• Other terms you might encounter for processors with

even more cores than an octa-core include:
• Hexa-core: Six cores
• Deca-core: Ten cores
• Dodeca-core: Twelve cores
Activity: State the core quantity for
each type of CPU listed.
• Hexa- Core
• Single- Core
• Deca- Core
• Dual- Core
• Quad- Core
• Octa- Core
• Multi- Core
• Dodeca- Core
Activity: State the core quantity for
each type of CPU listed.
• Hexa- Core: 6 Cores
• Single- Core: 1 Core
• Deca- Core: 10 Cores
• Dual- Core: 2 Cores
• Quad- Core: 4 Cores
• Octa- Core: 8 Cores
• Multi- Core: More than 12 Cores
• Dodeca- Core: 12 Cores
 Activity
• Split the students into pairs or small teams.
• Assign each team a specific use case - video editing,
graphic design, gaming, etc.
• Each team must use an online tool (like PCPartPicker) to
select components that meet the required
specifications for their assigned task.
• Choose appropriate CPUs, RAM sizes, storage types,
and additional components (graphics card, monitors,
etc.) within a budget ($1000 USD).
• Teams will create a presentation (3-5 slides)
showcasing their selected components, justifying their
choices based on the system requirements discussed.