COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE Technology Competency

Hardware and Software CPU-Central processing unit  Performs most of the calculations which enable a computer to function  Sometimes referred to as the brain of the computer

Hardware and Software RAM-Random access memory  A form of computer data storage  Stores all running processes and the current running operating system  More random access memory results in faster retrieval of data

Hard drive Stores digital information in relatively permanent form  Typically the C: drive on your computer  On a Mac, can be found in the Finder under MacHD  All the information that’s stored on your computer

Hard drive CD Drive  Typically the D: drive on the computer

Internal Buses Internal buses  Connect the CPU to various internal components and to expansion cards for graphics and sound

External Buses Support ports for external peripherals  USB  Firewire

Removable Drives CD  CD-ROM Drive  CD Drive DVD  DVD-ROM Drive  DVD Writer Blue-ray Disc Floppy disk

Removable Drives Iomega Zip drive USB flash drive External hard drive

Software Collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions telling a computer what to do  Microsoft Office  Word  PowerPoint  Excel  The Sims  Internet Explorer