5.2 TYPES OF PC
In general, basic function of all the computers is same i.e. Computers accept data as
input, perform operations on these data and generates the desired output to the user.
However there are different kinds of computers available today. These computers differ
due to the differences in processing capability, storage capability, looks and sizes.
Different types of computers are used for different types and complexity of problems
solving. For example for simple internet access or for basic word processing , a simple
generic PC may be sufficient but for complex scientific computation such as atomic
energy plant control or weather forecasting, specialized computer is required. With the
advancement of technology, computers have also witnessed major changes and
developments and today computers are more powerful in terms of processing and storage
capabilities. To know in detail about a PC hardware components, it is imperative to have
knowledge about its configuration.
Configuration of a PC
Generally, when you think of purchasing a Computer, you first try to exactly know what
will be the hardware components such as processor, memory etc. of your computer. It
depends on several factors such as your computation needs, your budget, your_ Configuration of a
PC usually mean
the technical
details of the
System
preferences about brands etc. Before purchasing a PC you should be aware about the
different components of a PC and its typical configuration so that you can make a
suitable choice. When you visit a PC shop for purchase a PC, you clearly need to state
that what will be the storage capacity of your hard-disk, processor speed and its type, the
amount of RAM you want to have in your PC, different ports and connector etc. One
can either purchase a branded PC or may purchase individual components of PC and
assemble them to form a PC.
Configuration of a PC usually mean the technical details of the System. Many software's require that computer must have some minimum requirements so that the software can
run properly on that system, hence we need to check the configuration of the system.
Actually the term computer configuration means the technical specification of the
computer. In this specification details generally we include speed of the processor, RAM,
Hard-Disk Drive, Video card, etc. The configuration of one computer may vary from
others. Generally configuration of a computer depends on the user requirement for
example, a user who mostly works on multimedia software, graphics software, scientific
computation etc, needs more powerful computer rather than a normal PC user.
Processor
Clock speed is the
speed at which a
microprocessor
executes
instructions. Clock
speeds are measured
in megahertz (MHz)
(also known as,
millions of cycles
per second) or
Gigahertz (GHZ)
Processor plays major role in a computer. One should carefully decide about the type of
processor and its speed before making a choice. Currently Core 2 Duo processor are very
common in use, in which two processor used to be fit on a single chip. Also there are
Core 2 Quad are multi chip processors which offer twice the performance of a Dual Core
processors. The current Core processors include the latest Intel Core i7, Intel Core
i5 and Intel Core i3 etc. Pentium chip is one of the most popular brands of processor.
Now multi-core processors are available. A dual-core processors has two cores, a quadcore processor contains four cores and a hexa-core processor contains six cores. Multicore processors implement multi-processing which improves performance and speed of
executions. Pentium processor is a series of x86 compatible microprocessors
manufactured by Intel.
Generally you can find the speed of a processor during booting processes. For example, if
you see Intel Pentium (TM) III 1000 MHz, it indicates that the processor is of Intel
Pentium III processor and it is running at 1000 MHz or 1 GHz. One clock cycle is the
time it takes to perform one instruction. Processor will be faster if the clock cycle is
shorter and vice versa. The speed of a processor is directly related to the clock speed
which is the speed at which a microprocessor executes instructions. Clock speeds are
measured in megahertz (MHz) (also known as, millions of cycles per second) or
Gigahertz (GHZ).
If you want to know about the configuration of the computer you are working on, follow
these simple steps. There you will find a number of devices attached with the computer
with their details:
1. Right Click on my computer, available no your PC desktop,
2. Select Properties,
3. Go to General Tab, this will give you basic information about the computer. If you
want detail configuration,
4. Select Hardware Tab,
5. Select Device Manager Button.
Now let us learn about different types of PCs in terms of size, processing capacity etc.
5.2.1 Workstation
A workstation is a high-performance computer which is used for scientific and technical
tasks such as computer graphics, scientific simulation, computer-aided-design (CAD),
image processing, engineering calculations etc. It is generally used in such applications
which require a moderate amount of computing power. Hence, the configuration of
workstation used to be high. UNIX and Windows NT are the most common Operating
System for workstations. Workstations are generally single user system however they can
be connected together to form a LAN.
In the context of networking, workstations are sometime referred to as any
computer/terminal attached to a LAN. In networked workstation, system administrator
tracks and controls the activities of the user. The term workstation is also used for high
capacity mainframe computer terminal or a PC connected to a network and working in
client server mode. A workstations has superior processing and storage capabilities than a
normal PC , especially with respect to providing multitasking capability.
Typical Configuration of a Workstation
Processor: Intel Core Processor (3.20 GHz)
Memory: 4GB 1333MHz
Hard Disk: 500GB,
RAM – 2GB
Here GHz is known as gigahertz. The speed of the processor is generally measured in
gigahertz. 1 GHZ equals to 1 billion cycles per second. Similarly MHz is called as
megahertz. 1 MHZ is equal to 1 million cycles per second. GB or Gigabyte is the
measurements of the digital data in a computer. 1 GB is equal to 1024 Megabytes (MB).
5.2.2 Desktop Computers
Desktop computer is popularly known as personal computer (PC). As the name suggest,
it is generally small in size and fitted on the top of a desk which can be used at a fixed
location. Most of modern desktop computer has separate screens and keyboards.
Generally in majority of the PCs, Microsoft Windows, LINUX and Mac OS x are used
as operating system. Desktop computers are available in many different forms from large
vertical tower cases to small form factor models. Advantages of desktop computer are
that it may be used for day to day computational and internet communication activities of
office, school etc. A PC provides more space for heat to escape. Also power
consumption of a PC is not very high. There are many brands of PCs are available in
Indian market and abroad including HP, HCL, Wipro, Compaq etc. A PC also can be
assembled as per specific requirements, instead of a particular brand.
A Configuration of Desktop computer
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 around 3.0 GHZ
RAM: 1 GB DDR II RAM
Hard Disk: 320 GB SATA hard disk drive
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (Intel GMA 950)
DDR stands for double data rate type 2 RAM which is an enhanced version of DDR.
SATA stands for serial advanced technology attachment which is a bus interface to
connect host bus adapters to storage device like hard disk. SATA has different
generations.
5.2.3 Laptop
Laptop is also a personal computer but intended of using it at a single place , it is small
size, portable and can be used anywhere. Portability is one of the main advantage of a
Laptop over a table PC. Another advantage of a Laptops is that it contain batteries which
are used for power supply. It make a laptop usable even if power is not available. In a
laptop almost all the components are attached as a single unit. Although some devices
like mouse, can be attached externally through ports. The basic components of laptop are
similar in function to the desktop computers. Most of modern desktop computer has
separate screens and keyboards. Generally in majority of the PCs, Microsoft Windows,
LINUX and Mac OS x are used as operating system. Laptops are much more power
efficient than desktops. The major disadvantage of Laptop is that its upgradeability is
limited as compared to desktops. There are many brands of Laptop are available in Indian
market and abroad including HP, HCL, Wipro, Compaq, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony
etc.
A Configuration of Laptop is given below:
Hard Disk- 320 GB SATA HDD Processor – Intel Pentium processor P6200 (2.13 GHz, 3 MB) RAM-3 GB Memory: 1 GB DDR3 RAM (DDR3 RAM can transfer data twice the rate, hence it has higher bandwidth than DDR2 RAM)
5.2.4 Netbook
Netbooks are special type of Laptop which is very light and small. Due to its size and
weight it is very portable and one may carry it very easily. Dissimilar to Laptop , it does
not require a separate carry bag for it. Netbook are suitable for general purpose
computing works and for accessing the Internet. They also use less powerful hardware
than most laptops. Due to limited processing capabilities Netbooks are less expensive
than laptops. Due to its size and portability Netbooks are becoming very popular for
education and business works. Works related to word processing, presentation, internet
access, multimedia etc can be easily carried out on a Netbook. Generally in Netbooks,
Windows, Linux, and Android operating system are used along with others. There are
many brands of Netbook available in Indian market and abroad including Acer, HP, Dell,
HCL , Apple, Sony etc.
A Configuration of Netbook is given below:
Processor – Intel Atom
Memory: 1 GB DDR2 RAM
Hard Disk- 80 GB
5.2.5 Tablet PC
Typical Configuration of a Tablet PC
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor SU9300 (1.20GHz)
Memory: 5GB (1x1GB on board, 1x4GB DIMM) DDR3 1066MHz
Hard Drive: 80GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
If we elaborate the detail of the processor mentioned above, SU9300 is the processor
number, number of cores in this processor is 2 and number of threads is also 2. Clock
speed is 1.2 GHz, ULV is a feature of some processors. ULV stands for Ultra low
voltage. ULV processors require less power.
In previous units of this block you have learned about CPU, I/O Devices and Memory
system of computer/PC. Now let us look into some other major hardware components
such as motherboard and video card of a PC.
