BALIWAG POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
Baliwag, Bulacan
CC101 – Introduction to Computing
First Semester | A.Y. 2021 – 2022
MODULE 4
Prepared by:
Marvic V. Ablaza, MM
Assistant Professor I
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INTRODUCTION
TO COMPUTING
Computer – Types
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LESSON 4
Computer Types
Computers can be broadly classified by their speed and computing power.
TYPE SPECIFICATIONS
It is a single user computer system having
1 PC (Personal Computer)
moderately powerful microprocessor
It is also a single user computer system, similar
2 Workstation to personal computer however a more powerful
microprocessor has.
It is a multi-user computer system, capable of
3 Mini Computer
supporting hundreds of users simultaneously.
It is a multi-user computer system, capable of
supporting hundreds of users simultaneously.
4 Main Frame
Software technology is different from
minicomputer.
It is an extremely fast computer, which can
5 Supercomputer execute hundreds of millions of instructions per
second.
PC (Personal Computer)
A PC can be defined as a small, relatively
inexpensive computer designed for an
individual user. PCs are based on the
microprocessor technology that enables
manufacturers to put an entire CPU on one
chip. Businesses use personal computers for
word processing, accounting, desktop
publishing, and for running spreadsheet and
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database management applications. At home, the most popular use for personal
computers is playing games and surfing the Internet.
Although personal computers are designed as single-user systems, these systems are
normally linked together to form a network. In terms of power, now-a-days high-end
models of the Macintosh and PC offer the same computing power and graphics
capability as low-end workstations by Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell.
Workstation
Workstation is a computer used for
engineering applications (CAD/CAM), desktop
publishing, software development, and other
such types of applications which require a
moderate amount of computing power and
relatively high quality graphics capabilities.
Workstations generally come with a large,
high-resolution graphics screen, large
amount of RAM, inbuilt network support, and
a graphical user interface. Most workstations
also have mass storage device such as a disk drive, but a special type of workstation,
called diskless workstation, comes without a disk drive.
Common operating systems for workstations are UNIX and Windows NT. Like PC,
workstations are also single-user computers like PC but are typically linked together to
form a local-area network, although they can also be used as stand-alone systems.
Minicomputer
It is a midsize multi-processing system
capable of supporting up to 250 users
simultaneously.
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Mainframe
Mainframe is very large in size
and is an expensive computer
capable of supporting hundreds
or even thousands of users
simultaneously. Mainframe
executes many programs
concurrently and supports many
simultaneous executions of
programs.
Supercomputer
Supercomputers are one of the fastest
computers currently available.
Supercomputers are very expensive and are
employed for specialized applications that
require immense amount of mathematical
calculations (number crunching).
For example, weather forecasting, scientific
simulations, (animated) graphics, fluid
dynamic calculations, nuclear energy
research, electronic design, and analysis of
geological data (e.g. in petrochemical
prospecting).
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WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
Instruction: Answer each question concisely.
1. Why is it important to use different types of computer in different fields?
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2. What do you think is the type of computer being used in the following:
a. Facebook
b. MMORPG Games
c. PAG – ASA
d. NASA
ASSIGNMENT
1. The image below shows the logical structure of the five basic operations of
computer to output useful data. Explain the functions of each operation.
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