Computer Components

Question 1

CPU

Answer 1

• known as processor or microprocessor
• in charge of executing a sequence of stored instructions called a program
• mobile phones, dvd players and washing machines have a CPU

Question 2

Motherboard

Answer 2

• circuit board which connects CPU to memory and all other hardware
• CPU sits on the motherboard
• buses = circuits on motherboard which connect CPU to other components
• bus transfers instructions and data around the system

Question 3

Give examples of storage

Answer 3

hard drive, solid state drive, flash drive, internal drive, removable drive, Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), portable and cloud

Question 4

Hard drive

Answer 4

• component of computer responsible for storing data, files and OS
• saves items as you create your documents
• software and files allow you to easily use and interact with your computer

Question 5

Solid State Drive

Answer 5

• mass storage device
• supports reading and writing of data
• maintains data in a permanent state without power
• no moving parts
• uses flash memory

Question 6

Flash Drive

Answer 6

• holds a variety of amounts of data such as 2GB or more
• external way of organizing files
• transfers large amounts of data to another device

Question 7

Internal Drive

Answer 7

• 2 ports; 1 for data and 1 for power
• port uses either a SATA or ATA interface, which connects to the computer’s hard drive, allowing communication with the motherboard
• power port connected by a cable which carries the power the hard drive needs from computer’s power supply

Question 8

Removable Drive

Answer 8

• spins, reads and writes a removable medium such as CD, DVD, hard disk or floppy disk
• portable
• drivers have high storage capacities and are often used to back up computers or serve as a network drive

Question 9

Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS)

Answer 9

• method used in accessing computer peripheral devices which operates a serial means of digital data transfer over thin cables
• accesses mass storage devices