Types of Computer

Computer devices come in numerous types and sizes, designed for different purposes. Personal Computers (PCs), Workstations, Servers, Smartphones, and Tablets are some of the examples of different types of computers.

Here are some common types of computers

Personal Computers (PCs)

Personal Computers come in many sizes and types. The best use of PCs is for office, home, school homework, or games.

Desktop is an example of such PCs, in which the processing unit also known as a computer case sits on a desk with a set of mouse, keyboard, and monitor on the side. All other components such as electronic cards, hard drives, and CD drives fitted inside the computer case. Desktops can be easily upgraded or troubleshoot for faults compared to other PCs.

Laptops are also types of PCs that are foldable and portable computers can be used at home or can be carried to the office or workplace. Laptops can be upgraded, but are very limited due to limited space in the body cover and slots in the motherboard.

All-in-one is another example of PC computers. Think of it as a desktop monitor/screen sitting on the desk with a mouse and keyboard, having all components, parts, and devices fitted in compact form behind the screen. They come in small sizes but unlike laptops, they are not portable or foldable. All-in-one PCs are best suited and can be used on the shop tills or in office receptions.

Embedded Computers

Embedded Computers are Single-board computers (SBC) and microcontroller units (MCU) built into other devices and household appliances dedicated to specific functions. These types of computers are all around you, and you probably use them every day, but don’t notice that it is an embedded computer you are using.

What I mean is if you are setting microwave timings or adjusting the car’s climate settings, you are using an embedded computer. Many contemporary electronic-based household appliances, such as televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, automobile dashboards, printers, and other similar devices, are examples of such gadgets and appliances that utilize embedded computers.

Wearable Computers

Small computing devices capable of connecting to other computers and devices to extend functionalities such as retrieving data, processing it storing it, and/or displaying it.

Bluetooth’s earpieces or headsets, smartwatches, and many other accessories are some examples of Wearable Computers.

Smartphones and Tablets

Smartphones and Tablets are also regarded as computers. They are portable devices with touch screens that work as both input and video output; they also come with speakers for audio output.

Smartphones can also use other devices such as big screens, televisions, and keyboards as input and output using its Bluetooth interface.

Server Computers

Servers are powerful computers built to receive requests from users over the network and respond with processed data and information. These computers have many applications such as databases, programming interpreters, and compilers installed to process different tasks and services.

Servers can perform multiple tasks and requests simultaneously. Any website that you are browsing is stored on servers and shown to you in a browser on your requests.

Mainframe Computers

Mainframes are high-performance computers that can connect to multiple clients concurrently. They have large amounts of memory, and data storage, and can handle multiple processes and tasks simultaneously.

Due to multitasking, large connectivity, data sensitivity, and calculations, mainframes are protected with some powerful security software. Mainframes are the best suited for large organizations.

Supercomputers

You may be thinking, can there be any more powerful computer than a mainframe? What I will do is highlight some buzzwords, as done in the mainframe description. Just keep focusing on these words and you will find the difference between the two.

Supercomputers are highly advanced computers built to process complex calculations and complex tasks that require high-performance computational power and resources.

A group of computers also called a cluster processes a complex task known as a supercomputer. Each computer in the group (cluster) is known as a “node“. Supercomputers computer can be as big as a warehouse and as small as just two PCs.

IBM Supercomputer and China Tianhe-3 Supercomputer are some examples of supercomputers.

Workstations

Workstations are similar to personal computers but are high-performance computers with more hardware resources such as high memory, greater storage, high specification graphic cards, and sometimes come with multiple Processors.

They are mostly used in tasks that require high-performance resources and complex computations, such as scientific experiments, industrial, stock exchanges, engineering, and business.

Game Consoles

Game Consoles are dedicated devices designed primarily for playing video games. They often include specialized hardware for graphics and gaming performance.

Frequently asked questions about this topic