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For that we should know the tradeoffs among
different computer components like memory size, clock speed of CPU clock speed,
larger cache etc also in addition to the basic knowledge of computers.
Examples of some tradeoffs:
(a) The cache increases
the data access speed of the CPU, but it is very expensive to increase the cache
size too much and
(b) The speed of the
processor can be increased with a faster clock rate. But there is a physical limit
as the clock simply cannot go any faster.
So the overall performance
of the system has to be balanced. Also, based on the requirements of the application,
we can select microcomputers having only one chip which is of low cost or a supercomputer
which is expensive about millions of dollars.
The basic computer
must contain the following Components in order to function:
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Processor
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OS
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Motherboard
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Hard Drive
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RAM
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Monitor
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Keyboard
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Mouse
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USB Slots
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Power Supply
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PCI Cards
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IDE Cables
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