11. 7 : HARDWARE: NATURE, CAPABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS
SPECIFICATION STATEMENTS (AQA 5521)
Describe the broad characteristics, capabilities and limitations of current INPUT, STORAGE, COMMUNICATIONS, PROCESSING and OUTPUT devices, identifying appropriate contexts for use by each device
There are any number of pieces of computer hardware which you need to be familiar with. Remember that as with the other topics, you don't necessarily need to know exactly HOW they work, but WHEN you would use them. Each one has particular benefits or features that make it fit for its purpose, and they all have drawbacks of some kind.
Some devices are SOLID STATE: this means that they have no moving parts, and are electrical rather than mechanical - as such they are less prone to errors. A prime example is the FLASH DRIVE that I use on a daily basis to transfer files between machines. Rather than the incessant whirring of a floppy disc for hours on end, they are silent and efficient.
Try HOW STUFF WORKS for some useful notes on various pieces of hardware.
Try the NCHADDERTON site for lots of notes on this topic. They've certainly saved a lot of people a lot of time.
STORAGE DEVICES
The New Generation Zip Drive (this is not an advert...)
The old Zip Drive had an upgrade in 2003. The 'Next Generation' drive used discs that would store up to 100Mb (or 250Mb). It works on a USB connection, so there were no drivers to install it. This is becoming increasingly common with devices. Price was around £70, with discs at just under £10 each.