Section outline

  • Open the case. Every physical part of a computer does one of four jobs — and once you know which, you can identify a component you have never seen before.

    By the end of this module you will be able to:

    1. Sort any component. Place any piece of hardware into input, processing, storage or output and defend the choice.
    2. Explain RAM vs storage. Explain why a computer needs both, and what happens when each one runs short.
    3. Compare storage. Compare hard drives, solid-state drives, flash and cloud storage on speed, cost and durability.
    4. Read a spec sheet. Read a device advert and say what the processor, RAM and storage figures actually mean.

    These four objectives are what the end-of-module quiz measures. The full subject syllabus for this module is listed separately in Module 03 — full syllabus.