In general, today, both old and young know about what modern PCs are like. But few are guided in detail in the question. A PC is a personal computer. What do they do in our time? Consider in general terms, paying attention to typology and varieties.
About Species
If you ask the expert what modern PCs are, he will tell you about the division into categories based on the purpose of the machine. So, universal models are designed to work on a variety of problems. It is not established in advance what tasks such a technique will solve, what are the types. In the general case, machines of this class are inherent in the ability to interact with a wide variety of forms of information. The range of data values is large, the accuracy of the presentation is quite large. Universal machines have a fairly large memory and a good system of information output, data input. Possibilities of connecting a variety of peripherals for inputting, outputting information are provided.
Another type is problem-oriented. Such machines are designed for a specialized narrow set of problems. Mostly it is the management of objects, work with data, the performance of simple calculations. The software and hardware available for introduction into such a machine are rather small in quantity and variety.
Finally, there are specialized ones. These are designed to work on a highly specialized problem. This one of the three types of modern computers, basic for the current classification, is formed in such a way that the structure is aimed at solving the main problem. Machines are designed to minimize cost, reduce complexity while maintaining flawless performance. An important criterion for the subject is the level of reliability. These computers include the units responsible for managing external memory. The inhabitants are known as controllers (adapters).
About dimensions
Among the types of modern computers are: micro-, super-, large, small products. Super are powerful systems with a large number of processors. They are characterized by unique performance. Due to the abundance of processors, problems are solved simultaneously by many of them. A large amount of memory guarantees the maximum speed of obtaining solutions. Often, such products are used to work on experimental tasks. It is they who are needed to conduct a chess tournament.
Large aggregates are also called mainframes. Their feature is the possibility of simultaneous use by multiple users, up to a thousand people at one time. Such mechanisms are mainly used in scientific work, with their help they work on technical problems, interact with impressive information databases. Mainframes are useful if you need to manage a grid of computers or control the resources of such machines.
Small and micro
Small, modern information machines work to track a specific process. These are used if it is necessary to shorten a multi-user project. They found a place in design systems that automate work, in modeling systems that work on relatively simple objects. Small machines are used if you need to simulate artificial intelligence.
Micro is a type of machine that combines universal, specialized units. Such PCs are designed for one person, can support multi-user mode. There are specialized devices designed for simultaneous use by different people. They are called servers. These are powerful products used to calculate requests from networked machines. Specialized devices designed for one user are called workstations. They are designed to work on applied tasks.
Universal multi-user micros are machines that have impressive resources and have multiple terminals. There are universal micro-units created per user. These are publicly available appliances. It is to them that personal computers belong. Nowadays, in our country, most often people resort to the type of modern PC “IBM”.
Computers and more
It’s almost impossible to find a modern person who would be completely unfamiliar with at least some type of modern PC. In the general case, a person understands a PC as an aggregate for typing, games, designing materials, printing documents, archiving information, and managing resources. Here you can watch movies, listen to sounds, calculate engineering projects, share information through the World Wide Web, and learn.
An important aspect is the ability to distinguish a PC from a game console. It seems different that such products are very similar to PCs, so they can conditionally be combined into one category. According to experts, the similarities are exhausted by the fact of the ability to play a variety of games.
Thanks to the use of the most modern PC technologies available to our contemporaries, these are not only stationary, but also personal models. Desktop products in foreign languages are called desktops. Reduced PC variations are laptops. Some time ago they created handheld computers. These are simplified models with limited functionality.
If the task is to choose a computer for yourself, you need to know the features of each of these categories in order to correctly determine what is needed in a particular case. So that the purchase does not disappoint, you should know in advance which criteria deserve special attention. This is an optimal configuration.
Where does it all begin
So that modern PCs with information can work quite efficiently, a processor is introduced into the structure of such machines. This unit is responsible for managing all other parts of the system. The operation of the processor is subordinate to the software selected by the user. Even younger devices give good speed, they will be stunned by considerable productivity. There are relatively inexpensive products, which are often enough for the machine of an ordinary person. If you want to get a reliable and powerful unit, you should consider installing one of the latest Intel products.
Regardless of the type, a modern PC is equipped with a motherboard. It is also called systemic. This product guarantees the connection between the different parts that make up the machine. There are several well-known manufacturers. In addition to the already mentioned Intel company, AMD, ASUS, Gigabyte have motherboards presented to the market. There are more expensive and reliable models and relatively cheap.
For example, some time ago, products of the Formosa brand were exclusively in demand. Of course, they were inferior in quality and reliability to the top products of more well-known brands, but they attracted by their affordable price, therefore they were popular for a certain time.
About memory
To make it possible to use a modern PC, it must necessarily have RAM. This element is responsible for the accumulation of information about the program currently executing. It also contains other information important for the performance of the machine. If the PC has a simple operating system, and the user runs only the office program, a couple of gigabytes is more than enough for him.
The more memory, the faster the machine runs, the higher its level of performance, the more demanding programs a user can run. A high level of graphic resolution, modern games, updated operating systems force the work unit to be equipped with several tens of gigabytes of RAM.
Another important component of a modern PC is a hard drive (hard drive). This product is intended for storing information. It has a large capacity, so on the disk you can store data, programs, films, audio files and any other information important to the user.
Today, it’s almost impossible to find a ready-made standard computer on sale, whose internal memory would be less than 500 GB. Many people think that when buying, you should immediately install a hard drive or several working in pairs, so that the total available memory is a terabyte or several. The larger the volumes, the more information you can save on your computer. However, if the task is to assemble the minimum configuration, at first you can put a relatively small drive - in the future it will be possible to easily replace or supplement it with another drive.
Video
When planning to build a modern PC, you will have to thoroughly study the market for the availability of high-quality, productive, adequately worthy video card. This product is designed to display a variety of pictures on the monitor display, including three-dimensional images, video display. In many ways, this card determines how high-quality the reflected image will be, how quickly the graphics can be reproduced.
If the user plans to work with office programs, reference books, he does not need a special power graphics card, which means that it will be possible to save on it. Sometimes an integrated product is enough, that is, a card built into the motherboard.
If the plans include modern games, you will have to consider the latest models from top manufacturers. The main giants of the market are Gifors and ATI. When choosing a model, you need to pay attention to the memory built into the video card. The larger it is, the higher the level of performance will be. However, the highest quality products cost tens of thousands of rubles. Often the price of a video card alone is comparable to the cost of an entire computer for solving simple problems.
Meet by clothes
Even the most modern PC has a case, as it was in the old days, when such machines had just appeared. Much has changed, other blocks merged into one product in order to save space, others stood out in order to increase productivity, but the case as it was, remains an important part of any PC. He is responsible for sufficient voltage, which means power to the parts of the machine.
Inside the case is the main part of the computer. Many of the elements generate heat, and quite intensively. To correct this, a cooling system is integrated in the housing. By the way, in the old days PCs were rather weak, so the machine could work without special cooling. But it was a very long time ago, at a time when the available power was really miserable.
If you study the modern PC requirements in terms of cooling, you can find out that the presence of built-in cooling units on different schemes, as well as the presence of a common cooling system inside the case, is considered a quality option, and it also happens to be multi-layered.
Almost no video card in which there would be no fan of its own. If you study the cases on sale, you can see that some are equipped with fans, others only have a place to install them, but there are also combined options. The basic, relatively weak cooling device is provided by the design, and additional units are intended for subsequent installation of the missing elements, if the user needs them.
Peripherals: how to type text?
The interface provided for typing in a modern PC is the connector through which the keyboard is connected. This product helps to print, enter text data, and manage the various solutions installed on the machine.
The device is interactive, that is, it needs data that the user must provide during operation. Programmed actions are the answer to this data. Keyboard, mouse - products through which the user transmits information. Without them, even the most powerful PC is pretty useless.
There is a wide variety of keyboards on the market today. There are very simple models, there are supplemented with specific functionality. The keyboard can integrate sound control systems, a drive, a browser. If it is designed to assist the player, it has a number of additional keys through which you can control the game faster and more efficiently.
For some, remotely working objects seem especially attractive to the structure of a modern PC. They allow you to transfer text data to the machine, being a few meters away from it. However, for such a device to work, it is necessary to monitor the charge level and regularly recharge the product.
Where will the picture be?
As mentioned above, the main element of a modern PC is the processor. True, for a particular user it is not so important how good he is if the unit does not have a display where the information would be displayed. The most powerful processor, supplemented by all other panels and cards, will not create images in the air. To see dynamic pictures, use a monitor. It is designed to reflect the visual data generated by the device.
The monitor is one of the key parts of the unit. When selecting, you must take into account the dimensions of the product, the quality of the picture, the display of which the product is capable of. Different monitors operate at different frequencies. On average, popular market models have more than similar characteristics.
Among low-cost customers, Samsung and Newsonick models are available. If you want to buy something more expensive, more reliable, you should take a closer look at the products of Sony and Hitachi. According to experts, it is worth buying a monitor whose diameter is at least 17 inches.
How it all began
It is interesting not only to imagine the structure of a modern PC, but also to know the historical details. PCs first appeared in the 70s. At first, such products were called microcomputers. The first generations were sold as a set of parts and instructions. Assembly, debugging, programming was the responsibility of the user, so only an experienced person who knew machine codes could control the device.
In the 75th market, the Altair 8800 model was introduced. It is he who is considered the ancestor of all modern PCs. The product was based on the S-100 bus. This model was presented to customers by several manufacturers at once. There were finished items and assembly kits. The processors put in the base of models of that time are the i8080 series. Specific architectural features were such that the user could put in a product a different processor, known in those years. Mostly the devices supported the CP / M OS.
In the 77th, the Apple 2 car appeared. She became the first mass modern PC for that period. The manufacturer, as you might guess from the name, was Apple Computer. Gradually, devices for the home became more convenient, the user did not have to own such an abundance of specialized skills.
At the end of the summer of the 81st, “Aybiem” introduced to its customers a new system “Aybiem RS”. In the 80s, the English Zetics Spectrum appeared. In the 83rd year, Apple Lisa saw the light; a year later, the company launched the Macintosh. This device was the first mass-marketed product with GUI. In the 85th they released Amiga, a multimedia PC. Until the 95th, Amiga and Macintosh were the best-selling PCs in the world.
History: 1995
This year several events took place that determined the familiar device of a modern PC. At first, Commodor manufacturers became bankrupt, having actively produced PCs since the 1980s. This company specialized in Amiga, Commodore devices.
In the same year, the new Microsoft Windows 95 OS was released. PC capabilities have become as close as possible to what is available in our time. Today, every user who owns a PC has multimedia capabilities on any platform.
Soviet history
For the first time in our country, the Agat unit has gone into serial production. The start of sales came in 84th. Soon, several more devices were created, which also became in demand on the market. Models compatible with the English Spectrum were in demand among consumers. Developed PCs compatible with "Aybiem RS".
For people of that time, a modern PC device included a TV as a display. The role of external memory was played by a regular tape recorder that worked on cassettes. On the screen, the data was reflected in black and white, four-color, 64-character lines, 32-character lines. There were 25 lines in total. A sound signal was supplied to the speaker provided for in the design.
The latest and most convenient: tablet
The technologies of our time have stepped far ahead in comparison with the 80-90s. Today, for example, users have access to an extremely convenient device, which has a special place in the classification of modern PCs. .
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