Introduction to Computing:

Lecture 2

Computer Systems
Overview

 This Lecture covers:

 To learn to classify computers
according to their capability and
targeted applications.
 To find out about the essential building
blocks that make up a modern
computer.

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Computer Types According to Capability &
Size

 Personal digital assistant (PDA) –

small hand-held computer for personal
tasks like appointment scheduling and
address book maintenance.

 Tablet PC – pen-based computer with

the functionality of a notebook or
desktop.
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Computer Types According to Capability &
Size

 Notebook computer – small,

portable, fully functional, battery-
powered computer.

 Desktop computer – most popular

type of personal computer.

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PDA, Tablet PC, Notebook, Desktop

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Minicomputers, Mainframes, and
Supercomputers

 Minicomputer (mid-range computer)

– meets needs of several people
simultaneously in a small or medium-
sized business.
 Mainframe computer – meets needs
of hundreds of people in a large
business.
 Supercomputer – fastest, most
powerful, and most expensive type of
computer. 6
Minicomputers, Mainframes, and
Supercomputers

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Supercomputers
 It is designed to perform calculations as fast as the current
technology allows.
 Used to solve extremely complex and large-scale problems:
weather prediction, simulation of atomic explosions; aircraft
design; movie animation, etc.
 The Champion: NEC’s Earth Simulator
 Most powerful computer as of June 2003.
 Capable of 41 trillion calculations/sec (TFLOPS).
 246,000 times faster than Cray 1 (1976).
 3,300 times faster than Deep Blue (1997).
 Designed for complex simulations required for climate modeling.
 Powered by 5120 microprocessors; 65x50 m.
 10 TB of memory; 13 MVA power consumption.

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