Types or classification of computers - 4

The computer has passed through many stages of evolution from the days of the mainframe computers to the era of microcomputers. Computers have been classified based on different criteria. In this post, we shall classify computers based on four popular methods.

Profiles of computers

Mainframe

Figure: Mainframe_profile

A mainframe is a big, powerful, expensive computer that can support many users at the same time. Large businesses and organizations use mainframes.

Capacity: Enormous - the capacity of several hundred or even thousands of PCs

Speed: Very fast - much, much faster than a PC

Cost: Very, very expensive - can usually only be afforded by large organizations

Users: Only used by large businesses and organizations

PC

Figure: PC_profile

A PC is a personal computer, originally designed by IBM way back in 1981. Many different companies make PCs, but all of them are IBM-compatible. What this means, according to Bill Gates, is that they will all run Microsoft Windows.

Capacity: Average hard disk size is 20 GB to 80 GB

Speed: Fast. Average speed is from 1 GHz to 3 GHz

Cost: Fairly inexpensive - under $1,000 - and getting cheaper every day!

Users: Just about everyone uses a PC! Homes, offices, schools…

Mac

Figure: Mac_profile

Developed by Apple, a Macintosh is a computer, but it is NOT a PC. Macs have a different operating system and use their own software and hardware.

Capacity: Average hard disk size is 20 GB to 80 GB

Speed: Fast. Average speed is from 500 MHz to 2 GHz

Cost: Fairly inexpensive, but usually more than an equivalent PC

Users: Just about everyone, especially in the education and design fields

Networked Computer

Figure: Networked_profile

A network is a group of computers that are connected so that they can share equipment and information. Most people on a network use workstations, which are simply PCs that are connected to the network. A server is a central computer where users on the network can save their files and information.

Capacity: (Workstation) Same as a PC, only needs an inexpensive network card (Server) Greater than a PC, often more than 100 GE

Speed: (Workstation) Same as a PC (Server) Generally faster than a PC, may use multiple CPUs

Cost:(Workstation) Same as a PC (Server) More expensive than a PC but not as costly as a mainframe

Users: (Workstation) People in a networked office or organization (Server) Generally a network administrator or engineer

Laptop

Figure: Laptop_profile

A laptop, or notebook, is a lighter and more portable version of a PC or Mac that can run on batteries.

Capacity: Average hard disk size is 10 GB to 40 GB

Speed: Fast, but slightly less than a PC. Average speed is from 700 MHz to 2 GHz

Cost: Fairly inexpensive, but more than an equivalent PC

Users: People on the move, especially business people and students

Palmtop/PDA

Figure: Palmtop_profile

A PDA (Personal Data Assistant) is a handheld computer that is generally used to keep track of appointments and addresses.

Capacity: Much smaller than a PC - 8 MB to 64 MB of storage space

Speed: Much slower than a PC - 8 MHz to 266 MHz

Cost: Expensive when compared to the capacities of a PC

Users: Business people and others who need to be organized

 

Table: Top 5 super computer in the world in year 2021

 

Finally the classification of computers means

Post activity:

In this post we covered types or classification of computer in detail. The topic is very tricky so repetition of sentences is observed but trust me they are there for some purpose [they convey other aspects of the topic with same sentence structure].

If more detailed information is needed please browse or search the internet for above terms. All images are from Google search.

Keywords: Computer, type or classification of computer.

…till next post, bye-bye and take care.

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