Hardware specification of a

computer system
CPU or Processor
Processor speed

The processor speeds of most of today's

PCs are measured in GHz (GigaHertz).

1 GHZ means that it can execute

approximately 1 billion instructions per
second.
Processor (CPU)
The 2 main features of a CPU are:
1. Speed
2. Type
Speed:- The CPU determines how fast
instructions can be carried out. Processor
speed is measured in MHz (MegaHertz) or
GHz (GigaHertz)
MHz- executes approx 1million instructions per
second
GHz- executes approx 1billion instructions per
second
CPU or Processor
Processor Type

The CPU type determine the type of

application for which a particular type of
processor is used.

The two most popular companies that

currently produce CPUs are Intel and AMD.
 Memory
In terms of a computer’s memory, it is
important to know its:
1. capacity
2. type
3. word size
4. Speed
Memory capacity:-The capacity of a computer's
memory determines the number of programs
that it can hold at a time, which affects the
performance of a computer system. Modern PCs
memory capacity is measured in GB (Gigabytes).
Memory (Main)
Type

There are two main types of RAM:

 SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM) and
 RDRAM (Rambus Dynamic RAM).

RDRAM are faster and more expensive than

SDRAM and are used mainly for high
performance computers.
Memory (Main)
Word Size

Wordsize determines the number of bits

that can be stored and processed at a time
by the CPU.

Most modern PCs have a wordsize of either

32-bit of 64-bit.
Memory (Main)
Speed

RAM speed determines how fast the chip

updates the data that it contains.

In modern PCs it is measured in MHz

(MegaHertz) and is usually above 400MHz.
Hard Drive
 Hard Drive
The 2 main specifications to note for a hard disk
are its:
1. Storage capacity
2. Speed
Storage capacity 
determines how much information can be
stored for later use.

More hard disk space means you can store

more programs and data.

In modern PCs it is measured in Gigabytes

(GB) but are reaching up to Terabytes (TB).
Hard Drive
Hard disk speed 

is normally expressed in revolutions per

minute (rpm).

The rpm is how fast the disk is spinning and

varies from 5400 rpm - 15000 rpm.
Let’s Test your Knowledge
Consider the following hardware
specification
Consider the following hardware
specification
HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop - 16-a0032dx Description
HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop - 16-a0032dx, Intel
Core i5-10300H (2.5 GHz base frequency, up to 4.5
GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 8 MB L3
cache, 4 cores), 8 GB DDR4-2933 SDRAM (2 x 4 GB),
512 GB Intel SSD, NVidia? GeForce? GTX 1660Ti 6GB,
16.1" diagonal FHD, 144 Hz, IPS, anti-glare, micro-
edge, WLED-backlit, 300 nits, 72% NTSC (1920 x
1080), English Keyboard.Shipping Weight: 5.07lb,
Windows 10 Home 64 bit
Consider the following hardware
specification
Other Specifications
Ports
A computer system need to send and receive
information from peripheral devices.
A port is a piece of technology that is used
to connect external devices to a computer.
Examples:
 Parallel
 Serial
 Universal Serial Bus (USB)
 Firewire/IEEE 1394
Other specification - ports
Serial Port
Used to connect certain
types of mouse, modem
and printers.

Parallel port
used mainly to connect
printers but can also be
used to connect certain
scanners and external
Other Specifications - ports
A parallel port is only able to transfer
information from the hard drive,

while

a serial port can transfer information both

to and from a hard drive.
Other specification - ports
USB Port
• Used to connect around 127
devices including printers,
scanners, flash drives and
digital cameras.
• There are USB-1 and USB-2
(this one is faster).

Firewire/IEEE 139
used to transfer video images
from digital devices.
Other specification - ports
Other Specifications
Expansion slots
 Expansion slots are sockets found on the
motherboard and are used to insert additional
circuit boards (cards).
 They can be used for adding more memory,
graphics facilities and other special devices.
 There are three types of expansion slots:
 Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) - used to
attach sound cards, network cards and video cards.
 Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) - mainly used for
graphics cards
 Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) - used for
attaching modems and not commonly seen on most
modern computers
Other Specifications – expansion
slots