What's covered
Key facts
Input Devices
An input device is a piece of hardware that sends data into the computer.
Inside a Computer — Motherboard, PSU, GPU
The CPU plugs into a socket on the motherboard.
Output Devices
Headphones are a personal sound output device.
RAM and ROM
When a program launches it is copied from secondary storage into RAM, where the CPU can run it.
Secondary Storage — Hard Disks and SSDs
HDDs are cheaper per gigabyte than SSDs, which is why they are still used for bulk backup storage.
What the CPU Does
The arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is a part of the CPU.
Input Devices
A keyboard is an input device used for typing.
Inside a Computer — Motherboard, PSU, GPU
A dedicated (discrete) GPU gives better performance for games, 3D applications and video editing than relying on integrated graphics.
Output Devices
The main difference between input and output is the direction of data flow: input sends data to the CPU; output sends data from the CPU.
RAM and ROM
RAM stands for Random Access Memory.
Sample questions
A taste of the 53 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What is an input device?
- •Displays results from the computer
- •Processes instructions inside the CPU
- ✓Sends data into the computer
- •Stores files permanently on disk
What does PSU stand for?
- •Peripheral storage unit
- ✓Power supply unit
- •Primary system utility
- •Processor speed unit
Which is a visual output device?
- •Keyboard for typing input
- •Microphone for sound input
- ✓Monitor for showing images
- •Mouse for pointing input
What does RAM stand for?
- ✓Random access memory
- •Rapid arithmetic module
- •Read-only access memory
- •Removable application memory
Which uses spinning platters?
- ✓Hard disk drive (HDD)
- •RAM module inside the case
- •ROM chip on the motherboard
- •Solid state drive (SSD)
What does CPU stand for?
- •Cache processing unit
- ✓Central processing unit
- •Computer power unit
- •Core program utility
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