Components of a computer system

• Pick out the pieces of hardware from the list: Graphics card, Operating system, Optical drive, internet browser

  Graphics card and Optical drive
• True or False : All hardware is found inside the computer


  False there is external hardware
• is a toaster an example of an embedded or non-embedded system


  Embedded
• what does CPU stand for


  Central Processing Unit
• what is the name of the register which stores the results of the ALU


  Accumulator
• which of these are found in the CPU: RAM, Program Counter, Hard Disk Drive


  Program Counter
• what is held in Cache memory


  Cache memory holds regularly used data and instructions
• The MAR and MDR are found in the CPU. What do MAR and MDR stand for


  Memory Address Register and Memory Data Register
• In which CPU register is the memory address of the next instruction stored


  Program Counter
• True or False? In the Von Neumann architecture, different memory units are used for data and instruction 


  False- data and instructions are stored in the same memory unit
• what does RAM stand for 


  Random Access Memory
• what is the different between volatile and non-volatile memory


  Volatile memory requires power to retain data, non-volatile memory does not
• what is meant by memory buffer


  A memory buffer is an area where data is temporarily stored until a device/process is ready for it
• what does it mean if a processor has a speed of 3.4GHz 


  It can carry out 3.4 billion cycles/instructions per second
• True or False: Each processor core can process data independently 


  True
• Give three improvements that a manufacturer could make to a processor that are likely to result in increased performance 


  increasing clock speed, increasing the number of cores and increasing the cache size
• which of the following are types of secondary storage: ROM, solid state drive, CD, RAM, cache, SD card 


  Solid state drive, CD and SD card
• what is secondary storage volatile or non-volatile memory


  Non-volatile - it keeps its contents without needing power
• identify whether each of these types of storage are magnetic, optical or solid state: USB Pen Drive, DVD, Hard Disk Drive


  USB pen drive is solid state, DVD is optical, Hard disk drive is magnetic
• Here are some types of storage:

  Hard Disk drives, Optical Discs, Magnetic Tape, Solid state drive

  Put them in order of typical storage capacity from smallest to largest

  Put them in order from cheapest per GB to most expensive per GB 


  Optical discs, solid state drives, hard disk drives, magnetic tape

  magnetic tape, optical discs, hard disk drives, solid state drives
• Name three commonly used operating systems 


  Windows, Android, IOS, Linux
• Which piece of software allows an operating system to make use of peripherals


  A device driver
• True of False: Fragmentation is when parts of a hard disk drive are chipped off


  False-its when data that should together is scattered around the HDD
• Name the type of utility software used to decrease the size of files


  Compression Software