Types of Computer

 

Types of Computer

Various types of computers are available now a day. The function of each type of computer is to process the data and provide some output to the users. However, the techniques utilized by the computers for data processing and handling may differ. Computers can widely be differentiated on the basis of their abilities to process data. They are classified according to the purpose, size and capacity, and data handling or technology used.

We can classify the computer according to the following three basis, as mentioned in figure

A          On the basis of Purpose:

1)    General Purpose Computers: General purpose computers fulfil general requirements such as gaming, word processing, invoicing etc. These are usually used at home, school, and in offices.

2)   Special Purpose Computers: Special purpose computers are designed to perform specific tasks. These may be used for research activities such as weather forecasting, space research, defense research etc.

 

 B) On the basis of Size & Capacity:

1) Micro Computer:

·         Micro computers are the smallest computer system.

·          They are mostly single user general purpose computers.

·         They are relatively small in size and inexpensive computer with a microprocessor as its CPU.

·         Their speed as in comparison to mainframe or supercomputer is low and their size range from calculator to desktop.

·          These computers are mainly used for computing purpose and mostly used in educational institutions, home and offices.

·         Examples of microcomputers are desktop PCs, Laptop, notebook, personal digital assistance, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches etc.

 

2) Mini Computers:

•       Mini computers are larger in size and are suitable for a small business or for a department in a large organization to be used as servers which support hundreds of users at a time in file sharing, printer sharing and storing central information.
• They were actually designed for control, instrumentation, human interaction, and communication switching and later they became very popular for personal use with evolution.
•    These computers possess greater memory and are capable of handling input output devices.
•    Examples of mini computers are Laptop, PC etc.

 

3) Mainframe Computers:

·         Mainframe computers are popularly known as big iron, they are very big in size and very expensive.

·         These computers are capable of supporting thousands of users at a time and have massive data storage capacity.

·         These computers are basically used by big organizations such as banks, E-commerce portals, insurance companies, railways, airlines etc. for bulk data processing such as statistics, census data processing, transaction processing and are widely used as the servers as these systems has a higher processing capability as compared to the other classes of computers.

 

4) Super Computers:

• A super computer is a computer with a high level of performance; they are most powerful and very expensive.
•    Super computers are at the apex of computing system as they have ability to perform billions of instructions per second.
•    Super computers play a very vital role in the field of computation, and are utilized for performing intensive computational tasks in numerous fields such as quantum mechanics, weather forecasting, climate research, oil and gas exploration, molecular modelling, and physical simulations etc.
•   These computers are very costly and are treated as national resources.
•  Examples of super computers are Parallel Machines (PARAM).

 C) On the basis of Technology Used

1) Analog Computer:

•   Analog computer is a type of computer which uses continuously-changeable aspects of physical fact such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model the problem being solved.
• Anything that is variable with respect to time and continuous can be claimed as analog just like an analog clock measures time by means of the distance travelled for the spokes of the clock around the circular dial.

 

2) Digital Computer:

·         Digital computers take input data in form of numbers and perform arithmetic and logical operations onto it to get the results.

·         These computers are of high speed and very accurate.

·         Digital computers count and answer the questions by the answer of how many.

·         It can be used for performing mathematical calculations, organizing and analyzing data, controlling industrial and other processes, and to simulate dynamic systems such as global weather patterns.

·         It gives continuous output but users get the output only when the computations are completed.

·         Examples of digital computers are desktops, notebooks, work stations, smart phones etc.

 

3) Hybrid Computer:

• A hybrid computer is a digital computer that accepts analog signals, converts them to digital and processes them in digital form.
• These computers incorporate the technology of both analog and digital computers.
• These computers store and process analog signals which have been converted into discrete numbers.
• Analog-to-digital converters are used to convert analog signals into digital signals.These 
• computers are used in radars.
• For example, in central national defense an passenger flight radar system.