1.1.
1 Contemporary Digital Devices 1
Zin Mar Soe
Computers 2
I. Supercomputers
II. Mainframe computers
III. Minicomputers
IV. Micro computers
Computers 3
IBM Blue Gene
Mainframe
Micro Computer
Mini Computer
Classification of computers 4
Supercomputers
• Supercomputer is to perform various large computations of
mathematics.
• They can execute billions of instructions in just a second.
• They are the largest computers till today in the world.
• They are the fasted type of computers.
• They are most expensive type of computers.
• Supercomputers are used in nuclear weapon simulation, weather
simulations, etc.
Mainframe computers 5
• Mainframe computer is the storage of large amounts of data in them.
• They can execute millions of instructions at the same time.
• They are pretty large but smaller than the supercomputers.
• Mainframe computer’s speed is less than supercomputers.
• They are also more expensive but cheaper than supercomputers.
• Mainframe computers are used in finance, health, insurance, etc.
Minicomputers 6
• It is a smaller version of mainframe used for operating business and
scientific applications
• It uses multiple processors, so it supports multiple users at a time
• It is faster in speed and performance
• It is more powerful
• It is more costly and difficult to use
Microcomputer 7
• It is a personal computer designed for personal use
• It uses single microprocessor
• It is very slower in speed and performance
• It is less powerful
• It is more cost effective and easy to use
Personal computers 8
• Personal computers are microcomputer for individual use.
• They are common in homes and offices.
• They come in many different shapes and sizes.
• Types of Personal computers:
▪ Desktop
▪ Laptop
▪ Mobile phones
▪ Tablet
▪ Notebook
▪ Embedded computer
▪ Game console
Desktop
• Desktops have more space for components than laptops.
• A desktop computer refers to a general-purpose
computer that is made up of a separate monitor,
keyboard, mouse and processor unit.
• A desktop computer is always connected to a power
source.
• Some desktops are all-in-one that combine the monitor
with the PC hardware.
9
Laptop 10
• A laptop is a portable computer and small enough to
carry around.
• All the components (monitor, keyboard, touchpad)
are together on a single device.
• It has a rechargeable battery inside.
• It can also be connected wirelessly to the internet.
Notebook 11
• A notebook computer is extremely small and light versions of laptops.
• A notebook computer can be used for similar tasks to a laptop
• It has longer battery life and cheaper.
Single-board computers 12
• Single board computers (SBCs) are affordable computers used in
education, embedded computing projects and physical computing
projects.
• E.g. Raspberry Pi Zero
• Costs very little and uses a cheap micro SD card as its storage
• Embedded computing- computing hardware that is fixed into position
and carries out a specialist task
• Physical computing- interactive systems that can sense and respond to
the world around them
Mobile phones
• Mobile phones use a SIM card to
connect to a mobile phone
network.
• Two types of mobile phones:
specialist phones and smart
phones
13
Specialist phones 14
• Some mobile phones have specialist features to provide users with function that
meet particular user needs.
• E.g. some phones have an emergency button that is linked of emergency contacts.
• When this button is pressed, the phone will call each person on the list until
someone answers.
• Other phones meet users accessibility needs.
• E.g. Alto 2 talking phone for blind and partially sighted people. It has every
feature and function is spoken aloud.
• Other phones provide fewer, larger buttons and connections for hearing aids.
Smart phones 15
• Smart phones include Wi-Fi and mobile phone connectivity to make phone
calls and access the internet.
• Smart phones have operating systems (e.g. iOS, android) which allows
them to run multiple applications.
• It includes features such as cameras, media players,..
• Applications can be downloaded onto the smartphone to customize with
entertainment, educational and business features.
• It uses a touch screen and virtual keyboard to input information.
• It uses more power than other types of mobile phone.
Tablets 16
• Tablets are bigger than smartphones but have similar
features.
• They have an internet connection via a wireless
connection including 3G/4G.
• They uses touch screen technology.
• Applications can be downloaded and installed.
Embedded computers
• An embedded computer is designed for and
built into a specific application where it will
perform a limited range of dedicated functions
e.g. a single microchip that controls a DVD
player
• There may be very small devices built into a
single microchip and may control.
17
Multifunctional devices and convergence 18
• A smartphone is a type of mobile phone, which means that its primary
function is to make phone calls.
• It can also be used to take photographs or to function as a navigation aid,
music player, etc..
• Because a smartphone can perform such a range of different functions, it
is classed as a multifunctional device.
• A multifunctional device can perform many functions but not all the
function at the same time.
• E.g. a photocopy machine can photocopy, print, scan and fax. It can do
each of these functions separately not at the same time.
Multifunctional devices and convergence 19
• As they develop, devices like smartphones often adopt technologies
and features from other types of device. This is called convergence.
• Convergence blurs the distinction between different types of devices.
E.g. smartphones and tablet devices are very similar.
Storage Devices 20
❖ Random access memory (RAM)
▪ RAM holds operating system (OS) when running, data and programs that are
currently in use.
▪ It is volatile memory
▪ It is temporary because contents disappear when powered down.
▪ Data can be written to and read from.
❖ Read only memory (ROM)
▪ ROM holds firmware and bootstraps.
▪ It is non-volatile.
▪ It is permanent and it is not lost eve if you shut down your computer.
▪ Data can be read but not written to.
Difference between RAM and ROM 21
• RAM is volatile, ROM is non-volatile
• RAM is temporary, ROM is permanent.
• RAM tends to be much greater in capacity than ROM
• RAM holds data and programs for processing, ROM holds firmware and
bootstraps.
Secondary storage devices 22
• It is not directly accessible by the CPU
• It is non-volatile storage
• It is permanent until they are erased or over written
• It holds data and software for processing.
• There are 3 types of secondary storage devices:
1. Magnetic storage
2. Optical storage
3. Solid-state storage
Magnetic storage 23
• Storage device has platters.
• Platters divided into tracks.
• Disk is spun, reads and write data using electromagnets.
• Has a read, write arm that moves across storage media.
• Use magnetic fields to control magnetic dots of data.
• Magnetic fields determine binary value.
• E.g. Fixed hard disk drive (HDD), tape cassette, floppy disk
Magnetic tape
24
• Magnetic tape was originally designed to record sound, but it is now also
used to store data.
Optical storage 25
• Devices that reads data by shining a laser beam on the surface of plastic
disks.
• All optical media is recordable and is known as CD-R or DVD-R.
• Some CDs and DVDs can be rewritten (CD-RW, DVD-RW) and some Blu-ray
media can be written then erased and rewritten (BD-RE).
Optical Storage 26
• There are different types of optical storage: CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray
1. CDs
• Can store up to 700 MB of data.
• Use a red laser.
• Can only be single layer.
Optical Storage 27
2. DVDs
• Look very much like CDs.
• Use a higher frequency red laser than CDs, which allows DVDs to store more
data.
• Can have more than one layer.
Optical Storage 28
3. Blu-ray disks
• Devices used a blue-violet laser.
• Can have more than one layer.
• They can store 25 GB on a single-sided disk and double-sided disks can store
50 GB.
Similarities between CDs and DVDs 29
• Both need a red laser to read, write data
• Both are spun to be read
• Both are optical storage
• Both are non-volatile
• Can be read only (R) or read write (RW)
Difference between a CD and a DVD 30
• DVD can be dual layer, but CD can only be single
• DVD has higher storage capacity
• DVD has a shorter wavelength laser
• DVD are spun faster
• DVD have a higher data transfer rate
Differences between a DVD and a Blu-ray 31
• DVD uses red laser whereas Blu-ray uses blue/violet laser
• DVD has a smaller storage capacity but Blu-ray has a larger storage capacity
• DVD has a slower transfer rate but Blu-ray has a faster transfer rate
Solid-state storage 32
• It doesn’t have moving parts
• Flash memory is used to store data.
• Data can be written to and from many times.
• They are used in many portable devices such as tablets and smartphones.
E.g. Fixed SSD, memory stick, SD card
Flash media 33
• More energy efficient than hard disks as they do not have moving parts.
• Data is flashed onto chips
• For the same reason, they are also less likely to fail when they are move
around. This makes them suitable for use in portable device.
Similarities between an HDD and an SSD 34
• They are both non-volatile
• They are both secondary storage
• Both are not directly accessible by the CPU
• Both have a high capacity of storage
• Both have read and write abilities
Differences between an HDD and an SSD 35
• HDD has moving parts but SSD does not.
• HDD uses magnetic storage whereas SSD uses flash memory
• HDD is slower to access data than SSD
• HDD has higher power consumption than SSD
• HDD has larger in physical size than SSD
• HDD is available in a large storage capacity than SSD
Advantages of SSD over HDD 36
• It is more durable
• It has a faster read, write
• It is more portable
• It uses less energy
• It runs at a cooler temperature
Advantages of HDD over SSD 37
• More read, write cycles
• Cheaper per unit of data stored
• No requirement for portability, it does not need to be moved
• Read, write speed is sufficient even though it is slower than solid-state
• Trusted technology since it has been traditionally used for many years
Off-line storage 38
• It is non-volatile
• Can be easily disconnected from the computer
• It is not directly accessible by the CPU
• E.g. CD, memory stick, Removable HDD, Removable SSD
