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CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS ACCORDING TO SIZE - Coggle Diagram
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS ACCORDING TO SIZE
SUPERCOMPUTERS
These are arguably the most
powerful in terms of speed and accuracy.
They are types of computers used in solving complex mathematical
computations. They are capable of
executing trillions of instructions per
second, which is calculated in floating point operations per second (FLOPS). The typical personal computer used at home and the office is only capable of calculating millions of instructions per second (MIPS).Supercomputers can go even
faster with the rate of peta FLOPS (or PFLOPS). This could bring up their processing
numbers to the quadrillion.
MAINFRAME COMPUTERS
Mainframe computers are large-sized computer types. They are equally powerful
but fall short in terms of the computation ability in supercomputers. They are like big
file servers, enabling multiple users from nearby and remote locations to access
resources at the same time. Also known
as big iron, these systems can handle massive amounts of data going in and
out simultaneously. This makes them
popular with businesses.
MID-RANGE COMPUTERS
Also known as mini-computers,
these became popular in the late
1960s but have become almost extinct because of the popularity of
personal computers. The latter can
now perform most of the tasks reserved for minis. Minicomputers are
general-purpose devices without the monumental expenses associated with a larger system. Their processing power is below that of mainframe systems but above the capabilities of personal computers.
SERVERS
These are ty[pes of computers used to provide resources, services, and functionality to client computers in a server-client network model. Resources provided are based on the functions of a particular server, which may fall under these
categories:
• File server
• Database server
• Print server
• FTP servers
• Application server
• Webserver
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
Microcomputers
or personal
computers are the smallest, least expensive, and the
most used types of computers. They
have small memory, less processing
power, are physically smaller, and permit fewer peripherals compared to super and mainframe computers. They are more commonly known as personal computers or simply PCs. The term was
initially used to refer to IBM compatible computers.
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
These are computer-based
systems which are standalone electronic hardware designed to
perform dedicated computing tasks. They are not general purpose installations like the personal computer. They are
computers which may not always seem to be computers! Popular devices that may be categorized under embedded systems are listed below:
• Set-top boxes/MP3 players/DVD players/Drones/Printers
• Antilock braking systems/USB devices like internet dongles
• Streaming players like Google Chromecast and Roku
• Thermostats/Calculators/Toys/Digital cameras/ATM machines
• Video game consoles/Routers and network peripherals
• Computer add-on cards and peripherals/Digital watches