ICT- Shallow tasks Input devices-Microphone- to allow the user to speak into the computer, and converts acoustic energy into electrical energy, which then leads to audio signal. Benefits- allows the user to talk to other people through the computer e.g. Skype callsLimitations- the microphone may need an external power source, and can sometimes not be clear, if it is cheaper. Touch screen- allows the user to interact with the computer by touching areas of the screen as it recognises touch, it is most commonly found on a smart phone.Benefits- Is much easier to use then a keyboard makes it more portable and you can use the touch screen on to go Limitations- will be harder to type over time as your hands will start hurting, the screen will become dirty and hard to use Scanner- allows user to digitalise images, physical copy to a digital copyBenefits- As the copy is becoming digitalised it can be saved and backed up if it is lost.
Limitations- images can take up a lot of memory space in the computer and if it is transferred to a digital copy, it may not be as clear. Output devices-Monitor- this displays the information from the computer to the user so it is clearer to see.Benefits- will be easy on the eyes of the user, will be much clearer the user to complete work. Limitations- the clearer and bigger monitors can be very expensive. Printer- used to create a physical copy of the user’s digital workBenefits- can create a visual copy of the digital workLimitations- very expensive to keep refilling the ink and the paper Speakers- Used to produce sounds for the user to hear from the computer and the deviceBenefits- everyone in the room can hear the computer sounds, and you do not need headphones so there are no cables. Limitations- the output could sometimes disturb other if they are working, and if the speakers are cheap the quality will be worse.
Communication devices-Telephone- The telephone is the most common type of communication, there are different types of phone, including landlines, which is used in households and business and mobile phones which most people in the UK have their own, telephones enable most people to contact each other. Email- Emails are another popular way of communication, as most people in the UK, have access to an email and it is fast an easy way of communication as you can send PDF files and pictures quickly for free to other people who have an email. Instant messenger- instant messenger is a fast way of communication, which can be used on a mobile and is one of the fastest ways to communicate with other people. VoIP- VoIP stands for voice over internet protocol where you speak into a microphone connected to your computer and the software installed converts it into a format that can be sent over the internet, however the person receiving the call must also have VoIP installed to listen ICT- Deep tasks Processors- A CPU is the part of the computer that processes all of the information in and out of the computer, it is the core of the computer, nothing will run without it, and it carries out the instructions of the computer programming. The speed of the CPU is measured in hertz and refers the number of cycles per seconds that the CPU runs at. Motherboards- The motherboard is the main circuit board in the computer; it has many sockets where the CPU, RAM and ROM cards are all connected. The motherboard is essential, as it is the one connecting all the computer parts together.Storages- there are many different types of storages in different devices for example;Solid State Drive- This is the memory based on silicon technology rather than magnetic technology, this has no moving parts and is much faster than the other memory methods, solid state memory includes RAM, ROM, EPROM and flash.
Flash drive- A flash drive is made up of millions of electronic cells and a computer can read and write data into a flash memory, it comes in many different forms such as the USB, thumb, and solid-state disks. Cloud storage- the cloud storage is a type of storage over the internet, a good thing about it is it is very mobile as it can be transferred onto other devices and it has a large storage and can pay to have more of it. Ports- there are many different ports on computers for example;USB- A USB port is a type of connector that links the devices, it is mainly used on PCs and laptops but is also found on other devices, USB can be used as a power device for charging this and in PCs for mice, keyboards, scanners and printers. Network cable- This passes data from one computer to another, it does this by a physical cable usually a standard 100Mb/s Ethernet cable this means that it will transfer very quickly.SATA- This is short for Serial ATA is used for connecting devices like optical drives and hard drives to the motherboard. Memory- RAM- Random access memory is the memory in the computer that is used to store computer programs while they are running, information in the RAM can be read and accessed quickly in any order.
However, RAM is emptied every time the computer is turned off. ROM- ROM is a memory chip where essential system instructions are permanently stored. However, the data in Rom is read only and cannot be changed. Moreover, compared to Ram when ROM is switched off it will not be lost.
Cache- This is used to speed up the way the application works, an example of this is on the internet explorer uses cache to store all the web pages that have visited recently. Expansion cards- is a PCB that fits into an expansion slot on a desktop computer. An expansion card is used to give a computer additional capabilities, such as enhanced video performance via a graphics card. there are different types of features these include; sound, network, graphics, storage controller, fibre channel.Power supplies- There is a power supply unit inside every computer which provides its power it is usually an on/off switch on the desktop or laptop, a typical desktop computer would usually have 400 watts of power
