Classification Of Computers

Computers are in different shapes, sizes and weights and they perform different tasks from one another. They can be classified in different ways. All these computers are designed by a qualified computer architectures who design these machines as their requirements. 

A computer used at hospital differs in size and shape from a computer used at home, a weather forecaster computer tasks is different from computer acting as a server.

Personal Computers

A microcomputer is the smallest general purpose processing system. Functionally, it is similar to any other large system. Microcomputers are self-contained units and usually designed for use by one person at a time.

Minicomputers

A minicomputer is medium sized computer that is more powerful than a microcomputer. An important distinction between a microcomputer and a minicomputer is that a minicomputer is used usually to serve multiple users simultaneously.

Mainframe Computers

Computers with large storage capacities and very high speed of processing are known as mainframes. They support a large number of terminals for simultaneous use by a number of users.

Super Computers

These have extremely large storage area and computing speeds, which are many times faster than mainframe computer. While the speed of mainframe computer is measured in turns of million instructions per second, in supercomputers it is measured as tens of millions of operations per second; an operation is made of many instruction. 

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These have more than one processor in it and the processing is carried out in parallel. The super computers used in applications include large scale numerical problems in scientific and engineering disciplines like weather forecasting, atomic research, space research etc.

Laptop Or Palmtop Computers

These are the computers, which are small in size and weigh a few kgs. These computers can be carried from one place to another easily. The people who are always on the move mostly use these. This has all the capabilities of a Personal Computer. It has an LCD screen and has rechargeable batteries. Now you can even get computers which can be placed on your palm, hence the name Palmtop Computers.

Also Read: Computer Concepts