OCR GCSE Computer Science Teaching and Learning Resources Chapter 2: Systems architecture Types of computer system Personal computers are: used at home and at work as desktop / laptop devices.

OCR GCSE Computer Science Teaching and Learning Resources Types of computer system (cont.) Mainframe and supercomputers are: large commercial systems used by big organisations for processing huge amounts of data, e.g: weather forecasting cloud services.

OCR GCSE Computer Science Teaching and Learning Resources Types of computer system (cont.) Embedded systems are: dedicated systems built into the device they control, e.g: ticket vending machines robot controllers microcontrollers in domestic appliances car engine management avionics systems in aeroplanes.

OCR GCSE Computer Science Teaching and Learning Resources Embedded systems Embedded systems are: software that is programmed at the manufacturing stage or uploaded directly designed for a specific purpose with no or very limited programming options through buttons or a simple interface reliable and robust due to the dedicated hardware and software they contain.

OCR GCSE Computer Science Teaching and Learning Resources Embedded systems (cont.) Advantages of using embedded systems include: low power usage: they can operate from a small power source size: they are small enough to fit into small devices robust: they are rugged enough to be used in hostile environments

OCR GCSE Computer Science Teaching and Learning Resources Embedded systems (cont.) Advantages of using embedded systems include: low cost: they are suitable for mass-produced items reliable: dedicated to just one task.