Nursing Informatics

NCM 110
THE PARTS OF COMPUTER
 What Does Computer Mean?
 A computer is a machine or device that performs
processes, calculations and operations based on
instructions provided by a software or hardware
program. It has the ability to accept data (input),
process it, and then produce outputs.
 Computers can also store data for later uses in

appropriate storage devices, and retrieve

whenever it is necessary.

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4607/computer
 What Does Computer Mean?
 Modern computers are electronic devices used for a
variety of purposes ranging from browsing the web,
writing documents, editing videos, creating
applications, playing video games, etc.
 They are designed to execute applications and

provide a variety of solutions by combining

integrated hardware and software components.

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4607/computer
 Two basic component of computer

1. Hardware = Physical structure that houses a computer's processor,

memory, storage, communication ports and peripheral
devices. Each of these components have a different purpose,
which may be either accepting inputs, storing data or sending
outputs.

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4607/computer
2. Software = All parts of a computer that are not strictly physical, such as
data, programs, applications, protocols, etc., are broadly
defined as “software.” Although software has no material
form, it is no less critical to receive information, encode, store
and process it.
A. The 10 Major Components of
Computer Hardware
1. System Unit
-The main part of a microcomputer, sometimes called the
chassis. It includes the following parts: Motherboard,
Microprocessor, Memory Chips, Buses, Ports, Expansion Slots
and Cards.
 2. Motherboard / Mainboard /
System Board
-The main circuit board of a computer. It contains
all the circuits and components that run the
computer.
 3. CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- The processor is the main “brain” or “heart” of a
computer system. It performs all of the instructions
and calculations that are needed and manages the
flow of information through a computer.
 4. Primary storage
-(internal storage, main memory or memory) is the
computer's working storage space that holds data,
instructions for processing and processed data
(information) waiting to be sent to secondary
storage. Physically, primary storage is a collection of
RAM chips.
 Two (2) Types of Memory
a. RAM – (Random Access Memory) RAM is volatile,
meaning it holds data only when the
power is on. When the power is off, RAM's
contents are lost.
b. ROM – (Read Only Memory) ROM is non-volatile,
meaning it holds data even when the
power is ON or OFF.
 5. Expansion Bus
- A bus is a data pathway between several hardware
components inside or outside a computer. It does
not only connect the parts of the CPU to each other,
but also links the CPU with other important
hardware.
 6. Adapters
- Printed-circuit boards (also called interface cards)
that enable the computer to use a peripheral device
for which it does not have the necessary connections
or circuit boards. They are often used to permit
upgrading to a new different hardware.
 7. Power Supply Unit (PSU)
- Installed in the back corner of the PC case, next to
the motherboard. It converts 120vac (standard
house power) into DC voltages that are used by
other components in the PC.
 8. Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
- Also known as hard drive, is a magnetic storage
device thatis installed inside the computer. The hard
drive is used as permanent storage for data. In a
Windows computer, the hard drive is usually
configured as the C: drive and contains the
operating system and applications.
 9. Optical Drive
-An optical drive is a storage device that uses lasers
to read data on the optical media. There are three
types of optical drives: Compact Disc (CD), Digital
Versatile Disc (DVD) and Blu-ray Disc (BD).
10. Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
- Designed to optically access data stored on a
DVD.A laser moves back and forth near the
disk surface and accesses data at a very fast
rate.
 B. Input Devices
Accepts data and instructions from the user or from another
computer system.

Two (2) Types of Input Devices

1. Keyboard Entry - Data is inputted to the computer

through a keyboard.

Keyboard - The first input device developed for the

PC. Data is transferred to the PC over a
short cable with a circular 6-pin Mini- din connector
that plugs into the back of the motherboard.
 2. Direct Entry – A form of input that does not require data to be
keyed by someone sitting at a keyboard. Direct-entry devices
create machine-readable data on paper, or magnetic media, or
feed it directly into the computer’s CPU.

3 Categories of Direct Entry Devices

1. Pointing Devices - An input device used to move the pointer

(cursor) on screen.

Mouse - The most common 'pointing device' used in

PCs. Every mouse has two buttons and most
have one or two scroll wheels.
Touch screen- A display screen that is sensitive to
the touch of a finger or stylus. Used in myriad
applications, including ATM machines, retail
point-of-sale terminals, car navigation and
industrial controls. The touch screen became
wildly popular for smart phones and tablets.
Light Pen - A light-sensitive stylus wired to a video
terminal used to draw pictures or select menu
options. The user brings the pen to the desired
point on screen and presses the pen button to
make contact.
Digitizer Tablet - A graphics drawing tablet used for
sketching new images or tracing old ones. Also
called a "graphics tablet," the user contacts the
surface of the device with a wired or wireless
pen or puck. Often mistakenly called a mouse,
the puck is officially the "tablet cursor."
2. Scanning Devices
- A device that can read text or illustrations
printed on paper and translates the
information into a form the computer can
use.
3. Voice- Input Devices - Audio input devices also
known as speech or voice recognition systems
that allow a user to send audio signals to a
computer for processing, recording, or carrying out
commands. Audio input devices such as
microphones allow users to speak to the
computer in order to record a voice message or
navigate software.
 C. Output Devices
- Any piece of computer hardware that displays
results after the computer has processed the input
data that has been entered.

1. Computer Display Monitor- It displays information

in visual form, using text and graphics. The portion
of the monitor that displays the information is called
the screen or video display terminal.
 Types of Monitor
CRT Monitors - Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) were the
only type of displays for use with desktop PCs. They
are relatively big (14" to 16" deep) and heavy (over
15 lbs).
LCD Monitors - Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
technology has been used in laptops for some time.
It has recently been made commercially available as
monitors for desktop PCs.
LED Monitors (Light Emitting Diode) - A display and
lighting technology used in
almost every electrical and electronic product on the
market, from a tiny on/off light
to digital readouts, flashlights, traffic lights and
perimeter lighting.
2. LCD Projectors- utilize two sheets of polarizing
material with a liquid crystal solution between them.
An electric current passed through the liquid causes
the crystals to align so that light cannot pass
through them. Each crystal, therefore, is like a
shutter, either allowing light to pass through or
blocking the light
3. Smart Board - A type of display screen that has a
touch sensitive transparent panel covering the
screen, which is similar to a touch screen.
4. Printer - A device that prints text or illustrations
on paper.
Ink-Jet or Bubble-Jet Printer - bprays ink at a
sheet of paper. Ink-jet printers produce high-
quality text and graphics.
Laser Printer - Uses the same technology as copy
machines. Laser printers produce very high quality
text and graphics.
LCD and LED Printer- Similar to a laser printer, but
uses liquid crystals or light-emitting diodes rather
than a laser to produce an image on the drum.
Line Printer - Contains a chain of characters or
pins that print an entire line at one time. Line
printers are very fast, but produce low-quality
print.
Thermal Printer- An inexpensive printer that works
by pushing heated pins against heat-sensitive
paper. Thermal printers are widely used in
calculators and fax machines.
Speakers - Used to play sound. They may be built
into the system unit or connected with cables.
Speakers allow you to listen to music and hear
sound effects from your computer.
Classification of Computers
 Computers can be broadly classified into four
categories based on their speed, amount of
data that they can hold, and price (refer to
figure). These categories are as follows :
Supercomputers
 Among the four categories, the supercomputer is the fastest,
most powerful, and most expensive computer.
Supercomputers were first developed in the 1980s to process
large amounts of data and to solve complex scientific
problems. Supercomputers use parallel processing
technology and can perform more than one trillion
calculations in a second.
 A single supercomputer can support thousands of users at the
same time. Such computers are mainly used for weather
forecasting, nuclear energy research, aircraft design,
automotive design, online banking, controlling industrial
units, etc.
Mainframe Computers
 Mainframe computers are large–scale computers (but
smaller than supercomputers). These are very
expensive and need a very large clean room with air
conditioning, thereby making them very costly to
deploy. As with supercomputers, mainframes can also
support multiple processors. Users can access
mainframes by either using terminals or via PCs.
The types of terminals used with
mainframe systems:
 Dumb Terminals - Dumb terminals consist of only a
monitor and a keyboard (or mouse). They do not have their
own CPU and memory and use the mainframe system’s CPU
and storage devices.
 Intelligent Terminals - intelligent terminals have their
own processor and thus can perform some processing
operations. However, just like the dumb terminals, they do
not have their own storage space. Usually, PCs can be used as
intelligent terminals to facilitate data access and other
services from the mainframe system.
 Mainframe computers are typically used as
servers on the world wide web. They are also
used in large organizations such as banks,
airline companies and universities, where a
large number of users frequently access data
stored in their databases.
Minicomputers
 minicomputers are smaller, cheaper, and slower
than mainframes. They are called
minicomputers because they were the smallest
computer of their times. Also known as
midrange computers, the capabilities of
minicomputers fall between mainframe and PCs.
 Minicomputers are widely used in business,
education, hospitals, government organizations,
etc. While some minicomputers can be used only
by a single user, others are specifically designed
to handle multiple users simultaneously.
Microcomputers
 Microcomputers, commonly known as PCs, are very
small and cheap. PCs can be classified into the
following categories :

 Desktop PCs
 Laptops
 Workstations
 Network Computers
 Handheld Computers
 Personal digit assistants (PDA)
 Cellular phones
 H / PC Pro devices :
Desktop PCs
 A desktop PC is the most popular model of
PCs. The system unit of the desktop PC can
be placed flat on a desk or table. It is widely
used in homes and offices.
Laptops
 Laptops are small microcomputers that can
easily fit inside a briefcase. They are very
handy and can easily be carried from one
place to another. They may also be placed on
the user’s lap (thus the name).
Workstations
 Workstations are single-user computers that
have the same features as PCs, but their
processing speed matches that of a
minicomputer or mainframe computer.
Network Computers
 Network computers have less processing
power, memory, and storage than a desktop
computer. These are specially designed to be
used as terminals in a networked
environment. For example, some network
computers are specifically designed to access
data stored on a network (including the
Internal and intranet).
Handheld Computers
 The mid 1990s witnessed a range of small personal
computing devices that are commonly known as
handheld computers, Palmtop computers, or Mini–
Notebook computers. These computers are called
handheld computers because they can fit in one hand,
while users can use the other hand to operate them.
Handheld computers are very small in size, and hence
they have small-sized screens and keyboards. Some
examples of handheld computers are

 Personal digital assistant (PDA)

 Cellular telephones
 H / PC Pro devices.
Motorola WT41N0 Rugged Mobile Handheld Computer WT41N0-T2S27ER lots

Lenovo - Legion Go 8.8" 144Hz WQXGA Gaming Handheld –

AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme - 16GB with 512 GB SSD - Shadow Black
Personal digit assistants (PDA) :
 Today, the PDA (shown in figure) is among
the most popular lightweight mobile devices
that are used. A number of PDAs available in
the market offer a collection of application
software for word processing, spreadsheets,
games, etc. PDAs are used to take notes,
organize telephone numbers, and store
addresses.
Cellular phones
 These days, cellular phones are web enabled
telephones that have features of both
analogue and digital devices. Such phones
are also known as smart phones because, in
addition to basic phone capabilities, they
also facilitate the users to access the Internet
and send e-mails and faxes.
H / PC Pro devices
 The H / PC Pro device see figure is based on a
new development in handheld technology.
The size and features of the H/PC Pro device
is more than PDAs but less than that of
typical notebook PCs. The H/PC Pro device
includes a full-sized keyboard, RAM with very
low storage capacity, and a slow-speed
processor. However, these devices do not
have a secondary storage disk.
Reference:
 https://www.computersprofessor.com/
2016/04/various-types-of-computers.html