1. Samsung or Apple?
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
I-phone 7

2. Task A You have 5 minutes to do the following:
determine which of the devices you prefer.
Make a list of the things that led you to prefer the particular device over the other.

3. Hardware Specifications

4. Objective(s) At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
Interpret the hardware specifications of a computer system.

5. Hardware and Hardware Specifications
The term hardware refers to all physical parts or components of a computer system example, CPU, Mother Board.
Hardware specifications are technical descriptions of a computer’s components and capabilities.

7. 1. Display Properties
2. Operating System

8. Expansion slot Primary Storage Secondary Storage Ports
No of CPUs – “Quad core”
CPU type: “Kryo”
CPU speed: “1.6 GHz”
Expansion slot
Primary Storage
Secondary Storage
Ports

10. Hardware components and basic classifications
Central Processing Unit (CPU):
Monitor (Display Graphics):
CPU type
Monitor Size
CPU speed
Resolution
Word Size
Graphics
Main Memory (RAM; ROM):
Operating System*
Memory type
Memory Speed
Memory Size (capacity)
Number of Memory Modules
Secondary Storage (Hard drives; Memory cards):
Interface type
Mother Board:
* - This is not a hardware component but is necessary for the overall operation of the computer system
Expansion slots
Ports

11. CPU
CPU type: This refers to the brand of processor along with processor model. Examples:
Kryo 385 (from S7 Edge earlier)
Intel Core i7-2600; Intel 80486; AMD Phenom
CPU Speed: This refers to the rate or speed at which the internal parts of a CPU is run and it is normally stated in Giga-Hertz (GHz) or Mega-Hertz(MHz). Example 2.3 GHz
Note: 1000Hz = 1 GHz and the greater the number, the faster the CPU is.
Word size: This is the amount of bits the CPU can process at a time. Common word sizes are 32-bit and 64- bit.
Note: A 64-bit processor is faster than a 32-bit processor

12. Main Memory
Memory type: This is the kind of memory present. As it regards to Random Access Memory (RAM), some examples include:
DDR1, DDR2, DDR3
DDR – Double Data Rate
Memory Speed: This refers to the speed or rate at which a particular memory type operates. Example: MHz, 1333 MHz.
Note: The greater RAM speed the better but bare in mind that when selecting a RAM speed, the speed of the CPU also has to be taken into consideration.
Memory Size: This is the amount of information a particular memory type can hold. As it regards to RAM, some examples are: 512 MB, 2 GB, 4GB, 8GB
Number of Modules: This the amount of Physical RAM sticks (modules) that a particular devices possess. Example: 2 DIMM
DIMM – Dual in line Memory Module

13. Secondary Storage
Memory Type: As it regards to secondary storage, this is any other storage media present which is not RAM or ROM. This includes, HDD (Hard Disk Drives, SSD (Solid state Drives), Memory Cards etc.
Memory Size: These sizes are much larger than RAM sizes. Examples 500 GB, 1 TB
Note: 1024 GB = 1 TB
Interface Type: This refers to how the secondary storage communicates with the CPU. Examples include: IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics), SATA(Serial AT Attachment), SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)

14. Mother Board
Expansion Slots: These are slots available on a computer’s motherboard that allow the connection of additional modules that can enhance or add functionality to the computer’s performance.
Examples: PCI (Peripheral Components Interconnect); AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port); PCIe (Peripheral Components Interconnect express)
Ports: These are openings on computers that allow the connections to the outside world. Example: USB 2.0; FireWire, VGA, HDMI
FireWire is used to transfer data from digital camcorders

15. Expansion Ports
To connect a peripheral device to an expansion card, you plug a cable from the device into the expansion port
Expansion port - any connector that passes data in and out of a computer or peripheral device

16. Power plug socket
Keyboard port
Mouse port
USB ports
DB-9 serial port
Parallel port (printer)
Speaker and microphone jacks
Monitor port
Modem port
Network port

17. HDMI HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
HDMI is a digital replacement for existing analog video standards. HDMI-compliant device include; computer monitor, video projector, and digital television.
can be used for any uncompressed video format, including standard, enhanced, high definition, and 3D video signals; with up to 8 channels of compressed or uncompressed digital audio.
HDMI can use HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) to encrypt the signal if required by the source device. CSS, CPRM and AACS require the use of HDCP on HDMI when playing back encrypted DVD Video, DVD Audio, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc
CSS
Content Scramble System (CSS) is a Digital Rights Management (DRM) and encryption system employed on almost all commercially produced DVD-Video discs. CSS utilizes a proprietary 40-bit stream cipher algorithm. The system was introduced around 1996 and was first compromised in 1999.
CPRM
Content Protection for Recordable Media and Pre-Recorded Media (CPRM/CPPM) is a mechanism for controlling the copying, moving and deletion of digital media on a host device, such as a personal computer, or other digital player. It is a form of Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) developed by The 4C Entity, LLC (consisting of IBM, Intel, Matsushita and Toshiba).
AACS
The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management, intended to restrict access to and copying of the post DVD generation of optical discs. The specification was publicly released in April 2005 and the standard has been adopted as the access restriction scheme for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD). It is developed by AACS Licensing Administrator, LLC (AACS LA), a consortium that includes Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Warner Bros., IBM, Toshiba and Sony. AACS has been operating under an "interim agreement" since the final specification (including provisions for Managed Copy) has not yet been finalized.

18. HDMI Connectors There are 5 types of HDMI Connectors.
Type A, B, C, D, E
Type A Standard HDMI Connector
Type B has a 2 TMDS links. (Dual Link HDMI) for Supper High Resolutions >4K
Type C is a smaller Version of Type A
Type D is a Micro Version of Type A
Type E is for Automotive applications
Type E
Automotive

19. Ports Socket for connecting external devices Four common ports Serial
Parallel
USB
FireWire
Ports are connecting sockets on the outside of system unit
Four common ports
Serial - data transported one bit at a time; mouse, keyboard, modem, etc.
Parallel - for external devices needing lots of data over short distances, like printers, scanners, external Zip drives
USB (universal serial bus) – gradually replacing serial and parallel ports; can connect multiple devices; faster than parallel
FireWire also known as High Performance Serial Bus (HPSB) - for high-speed printers and video cameras; faster than USB

20. Cables Connect Input/Output devices Newer cables AGP Mouse Keyboard
Printer
Monitor
Newer cables
AGP
graphics monitor
USB
joy stick; scanner
HPSB
video camera
Cables connect input and output devices through ports

22. Monitor
Monitor Size – This is the physical dimensions of the display screen for a particular device. Example 5.5” refers to 5.5 inches
Resolution: This is the number of pixels within a monitor. It is commonly stated as follows: # pixels in horizontal direction x # pixels in vertical direction (1268 x 720)
Note: A greater resolution provides a better quality image

23. Operating System
This is a system software that is the interface between computer hardware and software. It manages the computer’s resources.
Examples: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow); iOS; Microsoft Windows XP; Windows NT; Ubuntu; Linux

24. TASK B Identify the following from the specifications given: RAM size
Type of device
CPU type
RAM type
CPU speed
Secondary storage type
Operating system
Secondary storage capacity
RAM speed
Port
MacBook Pro (Silver, Space gray)
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology (2560x1600)
2.3 GHz dual-core intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz with 64 MB of eDRAM
128GB SSD
8GB of 2133MHZ LPDDR3 onboard memory
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
macOS High Sierra

25. Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting is the process of identifying and fixing problems. Computer troubleshooting may involve hardware or software and can sometimes involve both at the same time. The basic process of troubleshooting is to check the most general possible problems first, and then gradually check for more specific problems. Please click on the link below and make notes on the topic:

26. Task C
Form 4 groups.
Your group is the IT/Computer Science Department for one of the following companies:
Acer
Flow
BlackPoint (Smart Television Division)
Apple Tablet Division
You have 10 minutes to research the hardware specifications of one device that is sold or handled by your company.
Identify a sales representative from your group who will try to convince me to buy this product based on the hardware specifications.

27. Assignment
Read pages of their textbook and complete the exercise which follows.