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Information and Communication Technology Applications

Cards: Cards are components added to computers to increase their capability. When adding a
Notes peripheral device make sure that your computer has a slot of the type needed by the device.
Sound cards allow computers to produce sound like music and voice. The older sound cards were
8 bit then 16 bit then 32 bit. Though the human ear can’t distinguish the fine difference between
sounds produced by the more powerful sound card they allow for more complex music and music
production.
Colour cards allow computers to produce colour (with a colour monitor of course). The first colour
cards were 2 bit which produced 4 colours [CGA]. It was amazing what could be done with those 4
colours. Next came 4 bit allowing for 16 [EGA and VGA ] colours. Then came 16 bit allowing for
1064 colours and then 24 bit which allows for almost 17 million colours and now 32 bit and higher
allow monitors to display almost a billion separate colours.
Video cards allow computers to display video and animation. Some video cards allow computers
to display television as well as capture frames from video. A video card with a digital video camera
allows computers users to produce live video. A high speed connection is required for effective
video transmission.
Network cards allow computers to connect together to communicate with each other. Network
cards have connections for cable, thin wire or wireless networks. For more information see the
section on Networks.
Cables connect internal components to the Motherboard, which is a board with series of electronic
path ways and connections allowing the CPU to communicate with the other components of the
computer.
Memory: Memory can be very confusing but is usually one of the easiest pieces of hardware to add
to your computer. It is common to confuse chip memory with disk. An example of the difference
between memory and storage would be the difference between a table where the actual work is
done (memory) and a filing cabinet where the finished product is stored (disk). To add a bit more
confusion, the computer’s hard disk can be used as temporary memory when the program needs
more than the chips can provide.
Random Access Memory or RAM is the memory that the computer uses to temporarily store the
information as it is being processed. The more information being processed the more RAM the
computer needs.
One of the first home computers used 64 kilobytes of RAM memory (Commodore 64). Today’s
modern computers need a minimum of 64 Mb (recommended 128 Mb or more) to run Windows or
OS 10 with modern software.
RAM memory chips come in many different sizes and speeds and can usually be expanded. Older
computers came with 512 Kb of memory which could be expanded to a maximum of 640 Kb. In
most modern computers the memory can be expanded by adding or replacing the memory chips
depending on the processor you have and the type of memory your computer uses. Memory chips
range in size from 1 Mb to 4 Gb. As computer technology changes the type of memory changes as
well making old memory chips obsolete. Check your computer manual to find out what kind of
memory your computer uses before purchasing new memory chips.

Self Assessment
Fill in the blanks:
1. Digital information is ...... information.
2. RAM stands for ...... .
3. ...... allow computers to display video and animation.
4. ...... allow computers to connect together to communicate with each other.

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