Computer Hardware
Emma Morris, 8P
Intro to Computer Architecture
Hard Drive (HDD/SDD)
A device that reads and writes hard disks or floppy disks. It contains a motor which rotates the disk at a constant rate. There is more storage room in a HDD drive; however an SSD drive is 34% faster.
Touch Screens
An input and an output device that allows the user to interact with computer by touching the display screen. The user can swipe or touch the screen to view or click on something on the screen.
Monitor
An electrical device for displaying images (a cathode ray-tube) and associated electronics connected to a computers video output. A monitor can be in black and white or in full colour; however, full colour is better as it allows you to see more details.
Optical Drive
Optical drives retrieve and/or store data on optical discs, like CDs, DVDs and BDs (Blu-ray discs) which hold and store a lot more information than the usual portable media options like the floppy discs.
CPU
A CPU or central processing unit which controls all the other parts, like the brains of the computer. Usually, the CPU consists on the control unit, the RAM, the arithmetic and logic unit, etc.
RAM
A random access memory is a form of data storage on a computer. When the computer is turned off, the data is lost. A random access device allows data that is stored in the computer to be accessed directly in a random order. They are easily confused.
Motherboard
The main printed circuit board (a thin board to which electronic components are fixed) in an electronic device that contains sockets that will accept additional boards or daughterboards as they are known as.