Types Of Computer Systems
What are the types of computer systems? There has been a drastic change in various types of computer systems especially with the advancement in technology. Computer manufacturers try their best to cope up with the advancing technology which is steadily changing every day and night. Technology has seen computers move from vacuum tubes to simple microprocessors.
This has in turn resulted to new ideas with the major concern being reducing the size of computers. This makes the size of computers very significant tool when classifying various types of computer systems besides other factors such as its processing speed, storage capacity etc. In this particular article, we shall classify various types of computer system with regard to the various types of sizes available in the market.
Mainframe computer systems
These are the most powerful computers available in the market today. They are the largest types of computer systems and are normally used by larger institutions such as banks as servers to other computer systems. These types of computer systems can be multi – programmed. They have powerful processors with enormous memory for backing up large amount of data. Sometimes, they can have multiple terminals which consist of screens, keyboards and mice. They’re not common as they are very expensive.
The second types of computer systems are the desktop computer systems.
Desktops are the most common types of computer. They are available in supermarkets, ordinary offices, learning institutions etc. They are majorly used for word processing, communication through emails, gaming of video and photo editing purposes. These types of computers consist of a system unit which houses the control processing unit, mice and keyboards for issuing commands and the display unit which may came in the form of cathode ray tube (CRT), thin film transistor (TFT) or the liquid crystal display (LCD).
All these depend on one’s choice. Another very important component of these types of computer systems is the storage locations. Most desktop computers SATA type of cables while connecting the hard drive due to the advantages which it comes with. The system unit is either a small factors or in tower form.
Besides the above features, it also has the DVD – RW, CD – RW or a DVD – ROM. These types of computer systems have varying performance ability and shapes.
With portability being a major concern, there was need for laptops. These computer systems have exactly the same features as the desktop computers. The difference comes in size where these types of computer systems are smaller as compared to the desktop computers. The main system unit is connected to the monitor through a hinge. Most laptop computers have inbuilt wireless and Bluetooth which helps in connecting with other devices.
Even though most laptops have CD – RW, some do not have and therefore external CD – RW is necessary.
Palmtops are the smallest types of computer systems. They are also referred to as personal digital assistants (PDA). They come with a touch sensitive screen which can recognize handwriting although they may also come with a small keyboard. They perform the same functions as the laptops and desktop computers.