Unit 2 Assignment 1
1.1
Server Farm
A server farm is a group of computers (servers) that are all in one location such as a room or a building it can be sometimes be known as a cluster. A web server farm can be an ISP that offers web hosting or it can be more than 1 server being used. a Server farm in a business is mainly used for sharing files between computers, Making Backups and printer sharing. Printer sharing in a server farm makes a lot of sense. Instead of having loads of printers for different computers you can just use 1 printer for the whole of the server. Server farms also use up a lot of power and money to stay cool. Each server has a power supply taking X amount of power imagine having 500 servers in 1 room this could take up X(500) that is a lot of power. These servers run 24/7 which means they take up a lot of electricity. Google have 12 Data centres all over the world. They take up 260 million watts of power which is 0.01% of the global power consumptions.{https://storageservers.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/facts-and-stats-of-worlds-largest-data-centers/} Server farms have 1000’s of CPU’s in which makes it so expensive to run.
Super Computer
A Supercomputer is a computer that performs at the highest rate for computers. Super computers are mainly used by scientists or engineers for calculations or very large data bases. Super computers were introduced in the 1960’s and the market leader back then Cray was the fastest around for several decades. One use for a supercomputer that they are used for weather forecasting. Weather forecasting can predict the conditions of the atmosphere and can give a detailed description of it.
Pro’s
They can solve calculations really quick. Super computers are very very fast and are some of the fastest computers around. They can also be used to predict the weather. This is great as everyone around the world will find out the weather weeks in advance of it happening.
Con’s
Very expensive to build. The supercomputers cost around £400 million to make that is without the cost of running them. With the computers they get very hot so there will need to be cooling in place to cool the computer's down. There is also the biggest cost of electricity. Electricity is needed to cool and run the supercomputers.
Top 5 Super Computers in the world:
1.Tianhe-2 – 33.86 petaflops
2.Titan – 17.5 petaflops
3.Sequoia – 17.1 petaflops
4.K computer – 10.5 petaflops
5.Mira – 8.58 petaflops
1.2
Keyboard:
One input device of a computer is a keyboard. The keyboard would typically connect to a USB port on the motherboard . Some older keyboards would use the PS2 Slot instead. This is a tad slower and can be a pain to put into the computer as you have to line the pins up with the motherboard. Keyboard can cost around £10 but they can reach upto £300 for selected models
Mouse:
Another input Device of a computer is a mouse. The mouse would also connect to a USB port on the motherboard. Some older mouse’s would also connect to the PS2 slot instead. As said before this can be a lot slower can have a lower response time . There are also high-speed mouse’s and if connected to a USB 3.0 slot can perform a lot faster. The lasers on the mouse move the sensors which send the signals back to the computer to complete the actions . Mouse’s can range between £5 – £10 but can also go up to £70 for some models.
Speaker:
Another output device for a computer is speakers. The computer is telling the speakers what to play. They are typically connected via a USB port or connected into the mains. They have to be also connected into the AUX Cable to receive the sound. The speakers are generally used for music. Speakers can cost between £5 – £1000+ . The better quality speakers you have the higher the price is going to be. You can also get wireless and Bluetooth speakers that typically connect to phones and can transmit the signal / music over a Bluetooth connection.
Printer:
One output device for a computer is a Printer. The printer would typically connect to a USB port on the motherboard . The computer outputs the data needed for the printer to register When the printer has registered the data it will then spin the drums and will then print onto a piece of paper what it has been sent via the computer. You can buy a printer nowadays that has a scanned and a fax built in for around £35
Monitor
One output device is a Monitor / Screen. The Monitor / screen would typically connect to a VGA / HMDI port on the motherboard . Depending on what size you get the monitor 21” can cost you about £80 but u can get like 27” for around £150. You can also do dual monitor or even Triple monitor to do this you will need a decent GPU that can handle the amount of screens. You can’t use your computer without a monitor so this is a key piece of the computer.
HDD
One Storage Device is a Hard drive. Hard drive will connect to the motherboard in a SATA ll or SATA lll Connection. They will also be powered by another port in the motherboard. Hard drives can come in 2 different types. You can have a 5400 RPM or a 7200 RPM. The more RPM the fast the Hard drive is. Hard drives can come in many sizes. You can have up to 8TB or space or even more than that with more space being worked in each day. You can typically by a 1TB Hard drive for around £30 or you can pay an extra few quid for a bigger hard drive.
CPU
One CPU is a intel skylake. The CPU is like the brains behind the computer. There are any CPU’s out there. Intel and AMD are the 2 leading competitors. Intel and AMD at different points both have powerful CPU’s at different times and they keep taking each other over. The CPU deals with all the instructions of the computer and the fast it does this tasks the faster the computer will run and better CPU can be as low as 10p for a second hand one all the way up to £700 for an i9.
RAM
One vital part of the computer is RAM. Ram can come in many different sizes from 128mb Ram all the way up to 16gb Ram in one stick. Windows 7 can only support a maximum of 32GB Ram though. RAM is what keeps your computer applications open . There is not data stored on. There are 3 main speeds for the RAM there are : 1333Mhz , 1600 Mhz , 1866 Mhz. The more RAM you have the faster you can open and close programs. RAM stands for Random Access memory. Average computers have between 4-8GB RAM
Operating System
One operating system is windows 10. Windows 10 had a features from windows 7 and windows 8 combined into one operating system. The operating system is basically a shell from the operating system. All of the main operations are in the code but the icons are just a GUI for the system operations. Windows 10 was a free upgrade and this is why it is one of the most popular operating systems around and is used in every 1/6 people as well as windows 7 still doing well.
Why is a operating system required ?
Without an operating system on the computer the PC is just a brick. The PC required an operating system to actual use the PC. The operating systems manages all the different components. For example you can check the CPU temperature you can download a program to your operating system. The operating is like a Skin for the computer. Each button on the operating system does something different . If you didn’t have an operating system you couldn’t keep the cpu busy at all times and you would have to do it manually. All of the Jobs of the system are sent to the memory. For example if you wanted to print 2 documents at the same time the operating system would print one of the documents but then queue the other document for printing in the memory. Sometimes there are many different programs running at the same time and they all need Access to the CPU. The operating system Manages all the hardware and software of the system . Without an operating your system wouldn’t know how to open programs or even play games.
Motherboard Diagram:
USB 3.0 is in blue and can produce much faster speeds than USB 2.0 which Is in the black colour. USB 3.0 is much better when it comes to transferring files over to a External Device such as a USB Device of flash drive. 1
There are the RAM slots on the motherboard. If you put the ram in a certain place with a gap in the middle it will create a dual channel which will make use of the ram to its full potential this motherboard has 4 slots for Ram so can have a maximum of around 64gb depending on your operating system. 2
This is the CPU Slot. This is where you will place your CPU by unclicking the clips. When done this you can either place you AMD or Intel CPU depending on what your motherboard can support because not all motherboards support both . 3
On the motherboard these are the PS2 Slots on the motherboard. This is where you can put such as devices as a mouse and keyboard that is an older generation and that isn’t a USB. 4
This is where you would put your GPU or graphics card. If you were to do this the on board graphics would be overwritten and the VGA in the motherboard will not work if you have a GPU inside as it will run on the GPU and not the motherboard. 5
Here is the sound parts of the motherboard. This includes where you can put your microphone and your speakers or headphones. The pink slot is where you will place you external speaking device such as a microphone/ The green hole is where you would put a listening device such as a headset , headphones or speakers. 6
If you haven’t got a graphics card this is where you can use the on board graphics. On this particular motherboard it has a VGA and a DVI slot . These can only be used if there is not a graphic card in the computer if there is a graphics card these slots will not work. 7
Here is where your network cable will go in (Ethernet cable). This can be an advantage as it produces a faster connection compared to the wireless. This can be great if in a small place but if you were to be in a big place you could have to have a lot of cables. It is typically up to 100mbps. 8
This is the Sata 2 connections. These connect devices such as a Hard Drive or SSD to the computer and so it can work with all of the other components. 9
Type of PC and OS for :
Gaming. For a gaming PC i would recommend a Windows OS. Mac is not suitable for gaming in any way. Windows makes it easier as you can upgrade the windows PC while you can't upgrade a mac. I would also recommend a GTX 1080TI as this GPU has VR compatible. I would also recommend 16GB RAM. This 16GB of RAM will make it easier to multitask and play games at the same time. I would also recommend a decent CPU Such an Intel i7. Intel I7 is one of the best CPU’s around and it needed in a decent gaming Build.
1.3
Office/business
I would recommend Macs in the office as well as MAC OS. Mac’s are amazing for web browsing and doing simple tasks this is what is needed in a office. Macs are easy to use and have a really easy OS to use as well. Businesses rely on computers to do most of their work on. Businesses also have a lot of documents and files that need to be stored this is why they use Network storage. They usually store all of these files on a network so it can be easily accessed. There will also will be backup’s of all of their work they have on there systems. These back ups a key to the business if they lose their data this could put them at risk this is why have they have backups just in case anything happens they can restore the system using a backup.
Home:
A home PC is used for multi-tasking and running different programs. For example a home PC would be used for browsing the web, Personal files , playing games and watching movies. Home computers usually store personal Documents on them such as video’s , photo’s Word Documents and social media accounts. Home computers don’t usually have the highest specifications but usually computers today have SSD’s and a GPU. A Home PC compared to a office pc will be different aswell it is much more like a gaming pc. The Home PC will have all of the documents and personal files stored on the HDD its self rather than a server.
Gaming:
For a gaming PC i would recommend a Windows OS. Mac is not suitable for gaming in any way. Windows makes it easier as you can upgrade the windows PC while you can't upgrade a mac. I would also recommend a GTX 1080TI as this GPU has VR compatible. I would also recommend 16GB RAM. This 16GB of RAM will make it easier to multitask and play games at the same time. I would also recommend a decent CPU Such an Intel i7. Intel I7 is one of the best CPU’s around and it needed in a decent gaming Build. Gaming pc’s require a lot more beef inside the computer as it takes a lot of the cpu power and gpu power to run games. Compared to an office PC the Gaming PC will be offline based in which it won't be run on a server and all the files , documents and games will be stored on the HDD itself.
Educational:
Teachers use computers for powerpoints to teach a lesson and the students will then do research on the computers to do there work. Schools / College will do daily backup’s to make sure students work is not lost. In some classes such as Design and Technology the lesson might require other programs such as 2D Design for laser printing.
Public Services:
Police Store large amounts of files on computers. These can include records. Also They use computers to stay up to date on what is going on so they can communicate with the force. Also security camera’s on the roads also run through to the computers of the police so they need to make sure they have decent displays.
Bank:
Banks usually have all of their customers information on it such as account numbers and DOB. Banks need to have fast systems so the information can be accessed quickly. Banks have a massive amount security in place to make sure their clients don't have any personal information getting into the wrong hands.
Each computer is used for different things depending on where the computer is. For example a bank will have more security and firewalls than a Home PC. Below are a few different examples of different types of environments that computers can be used within.
2.1
Case:
Corsair – Crystal 570X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case
This case is perfect for the components i am using. It is also well designed having 3 fans on the front and a clear glass side to see inside the computer. The case has 2 2.5” Trays and 2 3.5” trays for storage which is more than enough for what we need. There is also a lot of space to put the parts and upgrade if need be. The case is also really good for air flow being such a good case and loads of room for fans makes it a great case.
Motherboard:
CPU:
Intel – Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor.
The reason i have chosen this CPU is because it is the current fastest cpu other than the i9. The reason i haven’t chose the i9 is because it is x10 of the price of the i7. The i7 is also using hyper threading technology rather than normal thread. Intel i7 also have a larger cache size this means that they are better at doing tasks over and over again.. The reason i have chosen this for the specifications is because the client will be some demanding mixing software and games. The CPU need to be good for multitasking which means that the client can do multiple things at once.
Ram:
Monitor
Storage:
GPU:
Power Supply:
DVD Drive:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/zh7RD8
Image:
https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-280e7457ed7cc45db294e8d883e796a8-c – server farm
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/IBM_Blue_Gene_P_supercomputer.jpg/300px-IBM_Blue_Gene_P_supercomputer.jpg – Super computer