HARDWARE COMPONENTS
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CPU 1.
CPU stands for ________________
_______________ _______________. 2.
If comparing a computer system to a human, the
CPU would be the _______________. 3.
_______________ and _______________ are the
two biggest CPU manufacturers for the PC.
They have quite a history of competition including some impressive
lawsuits. 4.
The most important attribute in a CPU is the
clock ________________ or clock _____________ or clock ____________. However, since the mid-2000s, this has
become a less important way to compare CPUs of different brands. More on this later. 5.
The CPU’s frequency is measured in
_______________. This is the amount of
cycles per second. During each cycle,
the CPU generally executes a command. 6.
The short form for gigahertz is _____________
and the short form for megahertz is ______________. 7.
The term hertz means _______________ per
second. 8.
A CPU’s job is to _______________ the commands
that it receives. The commands are
lined up one after another waiting in line to get to the CPU. 9. Newer CPUs contain multiple ______________. Each one is able to run its own commands. Therefore, multiple commands can be executed at the same time (in parallel). The introduction of this new technology has made comparing CPU speeds more difficult. |
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MOTHERBOARD 1.
The motherboard is the hardware component
where all computer _____________ connect.
2.
PCB stands for ______________ ______________
______________. The motherboard is the
largest PCB in your computer. Other
PCBs connect to it via expansion slots. 3. The CPU, _______________ slots (for extra cards) and ______________ slots (for memory) are all on the motherboard. (The CPU and memory will be discussed in their own sections.) |
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RAM 1.
RAM stands for ____________ _______________
_______________. The “RA” refers to
the fact that any data on the chip can be access in the same amount of
time. An example of the opposite of
this would be a tape back-up where data at one end can be accessed quickly
but data at the other end requires the tape to be forwarded to that end
before accessing it. 2.
Each piece of RAM is called a ______________,
or a _____________, or a ______________. 3.
RAM, like the hard drive, is a form of
____________. While the hard drive
stores all of the computer’s data, RAM
stores system information that is soon likely to be used by the CPU. 4.
The reason that RAM stores a part of the hard
drive’s information is that RAM is ______________ memory. It would delay the CPU too much to
constantly make requests to the hard drive for information. Of course, the more RAM a system has, the
more likely that required information will be stored in the RAM. 5.
So if RAM is faster than a hard drive, why do
we even have a hard drive? There are
two reasons: · ·
6.
RAM is said to be ______________ memory because
it is erased if it stops being powered.
7.
RAM plugs into a slot that is on the
_______________. There are usually 2
to 4 slots for different RAM sticks to be plugged into. 8. The most common computer upgrade is to increase the amount of ______________ in a computer. This is often done by simply adding another stick into an empty slot. |
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HARD DRIVES 1.
When comparing a computer to a human, the hard
drive would be the human’s _____________ ______________. 2.
All _____________ is stored on the hard drive
in the form of _____________. This
includes your operating system files, your application files, music files,
game files, photo files, etc… 3.
If your hard drive fails, you lose all your
____________. In this sense, it is the
one truly irreplaceable part of your computer. You can order another identical hard drive,
but it won’t contain your files. 4.
_____________ , the abbreviation for hard
drive, stands for _____________ _____________ ____________. 5.
SSD, a newer type of hard drive that is faster
(but more expensive), stands for ___________ ____________ ____________. 6.
The primary attribute of a hard drive is its
____________. 7.
A hard drive’s size is measured in
____________. The prefix mega means
millions. The prefix giga means
billions. The prefix tera means
trillions. Mr. Campeau’s first hard
drive, in 1994, was 214 megabytes. 8. Here is a table showing the unit of measure and its abbreviation:
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VIDEO CARDS 1.
Another name used for a video card is
______________ card. Some people also
refer to it as GPU. 2.
The video card plugs in a(n) ______________
________________ on the motherboard. 3.
The video card _____________ data from the CPU
to a format that is understood by the monitor. It saves the CPU time by allowing it to
pass off some of the work. 4.
The video card has its own CPU called
_____________ which stands for __________ ___________ ___________. |