Three students, one laptop each
Amina edits video. Ben writes essays. Carla plays games. The school buys the same cheap laptop for all three.
Amina's videos stall. Ben has no problems. Carla's games stutter. The laptop is not bad. It does not match what each person needs.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can match a user's needs to the hardware parts that meet them.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Network | computers joined so they can share data | |
| Ethernet | a wired connection to a network | |
| CPU | the part that runs program instructions | |
| Core | one working unit inside a CPU | 4 cores |
| Clock speed | how many steps a core takes each second, in GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| RAM | fast memory for programs that are running now | |
| Secondary storage | the disk that keeps files when the power is off | |
| Connectivity | the ways a device joins other devices and networks |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Five parts that decide how a computer feels
The CPU does the work. It has one or more cores. More cores means more jobs at the same time.
Clock speed is how fast each core works. A higher number means quicker steps.
RAM holds what you are using now. Too little and the computer slows down.
Storage and connections
Secondary storage keeps your files when you switch off. An SSD is fast and has no moving parts. A hard disk drive is slower but holds more for the price.
Connectivity means ports and wireless: USB, HDMI, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. A user with two screens and a wired network needs the right sockets.
Match the user to the parts
| User | Cores and clock | RAM | Storage | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video editor | Many cores | A lot | Large and fast SSD | Fast ports for drives |
| Office worker | Few cores is fine | Medium | Small SSD | Wi-Fi and USB |
| Gamer | High clock speed | A lot | Fast SSD | Wired network |
| Reception kiosk | Few cores | Small | Small | Network and a card reader |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.