5.1 Components of physical computing systems and their applications

What is the chassis?

the case or the housing of a computing system (PC|)

What functions does the chassis actually have?

Aesthetic - more pleasing to look at rather than all the components

Noise reductions - the case can reduce the noise of the fans

Cooling - keeps air flowing through the system

Protection - protects internal components

What is an optical disk drive? (ODD)

an input device that reads and writes data from disks such as CDs and DVDs using laser beaming technology

What is the motherboard and what components are on it?

the main circuit board within a computer and contain components such as:
-CPU

-RAM

-Connectors

What is the central processing unit and what operations can it perform? (CPU)

a circuit that carries out the instructions of a program by performing the arithmetic, logical, control, input/output

What are the characteristics of the CPU?

-Clock that ticks when carrying out an instruction

-Cache is similar to RAM but it is faster

-Has multiple cores (a processor with its own cache)

What is cache?

temporary data storage that stores copies of data that you keep often which help them load quickly the next time you need them

What is random access memory? (RAM)

Hardware that allows information to be stored and received on a computer

What are characteristics of RAM?

-Also known as volatile memory

-Fast and has long life

-High power consumption

-Expensive

What is read only memory? (ROM)

Used to store instructions for the computer and phone and it is non volatile

What is the graphics processing unit? (GPU)

electronic circuit used to speed up the creation of 2d and 3d images

What does it mean if something is volatile?

if the computer loses its power, all data is lost

What are some characteristics of a hard drive?

-Uses rotating disks

-Magnetic storage

-Slower speeds then SSD

-Internal or external

-Cheaper

What are some characteristics of a SSD?

-No moving parts

-Stored electrically not magnetically

-Faster speeds than a hard drive

-More expensive then HDD

What is the speed of a computer fan measured in?

measured in revolutions per minute (RPM) the higher the louder the fan

What does the CPU fan do and where is it located?

on top of processor to keep hot air from reaching it

What does the power supply fan do ?

blows hot air away from the supply power and out of the computer case

What does the video card fan do?

prevents heat on the video card which is useful for games, videos and other high GPU uses

What is redundant array of independent disks card? (RAID)

combining multiple disk drivers into a single unit

What is a RAID responsible for?

-reduce data loss and improve performance

-as disks work in unison they are much faster and if one fails system can survive

-Improving overall performance