F1031 COMPUTER HARDWARE CLASSES OF COMPUTER

Classes of computer Mainframe Minicomputer Microcomputer Portable is a high-performance computer used for large-scale computing purposes that require greater availability and security than a smaller-scale machine can offer stand-alone computers (computer systems with attached terminals and other devices) sold to small and mid-size businesses for general business applications and to large enterprises for department-level operations a complete computer on a smaller scale and is generally a synonym for the more common term, personal computer or PC, a computer designed for an individual a personal computer that is designed to be easily transported and relocated, but is larger and less convenient to transport than a notebook computer

Comparison CharacteristicsMainframeMinicomputerMicrocomputerPortable Example IBM System z10 Business Class IBM Power Blade Server (AS/400) Personal computerLaptop Size kg (weight), 1.42 Sq meters (footprint) 159kg (weight), 17.5 in (height) Base on size of chassis + monitor Up to 2.5 kg ProcessorE10 (manufactured by IBM) 3.8 GHz POWER6 processor-based blade Intel / AMD Speed70% faster than normal CPU 50% faster than normal CPU Depends on type of processor Storage Up to 70 Terabytes (TB) of data on a disk Up to 12 disk of 480 GBUp to 250GB No. of usersHundred to millionUp to hundredSingle user ApplicationData center for business Data warehousing, web server, groupware server Word processing, spreadsheet

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Types of microcomputer

Server  Server hardware is optimized for quick response time to multiple network requests.  Servers have multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs), large amounts of Random Access Memory (RAM)  Multiple high capacity disk drives that provide very fast information retrieval

Workstation Designed for specialized, high-end applications like engineering programs such as CAD (Computer Aided Design). Used in 3-D graphics design, video animation and virtual reality simulation. Used as management stations for telecommunications or medical equipment. As with servers, workstations typically have multiple CPUs, large amounts of RAM and multiple, high-capacity disk drives that are very fast. Workstations usually have very powerful graphics capabilities and a large monitor or multiple monitors

Workstation

Desktop A wide variety of cases, power supplies, hard drives, video cards, monitors and other components are available. Desktops can have many different connection types, video options, and a wide array of supported peripherals. Desktops are commonly used to run applications such as word processing, spreadsheets and networked applications such as and web browsing