1. in the basic of size
2. in the basic of processor used in this computer
3. in the basic of brand
Since the advent of the first computerdifferent types and sizes of computers are offering different services. Computers can be as big as occupying a large building and as small as a laptop or a microcontroller in mobile & embedded systems.
The four basic types of computers are as under:
- Supercomputer
- Mainframe Computer
- Minicomputer
- Microcomputer
Supercomputer
The most powerful computers in terms of performance and data processing are the Supercomputers. These are specialized and task specific computers used by large organizations. These computers are used for research and exploration purposes, like NASA uses supercomputers for launching space shuttles, controlling them and for space exploration purpose.The supercomputers are very expensive and very large in size. It can be accommodated in large air-conditioned rooms; some super computers can span an entire building.
| RANK | SITE | SYSTEM | CORES |
RMAX
(TFLOPS/S)
|
RPEAK
(TFLOPS/S)
|
POWER
(KW)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Super computer in Guanzhou, China | Tianhe - 2 (MilkyWay - 2) | 3,120,000 | 33,862.7 | 54,902.4 | 17,808 |
| 2 | DOE/SC/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States | Titan - Cray XK7, Cray Inc. | 560,640 | 17,590.0 | 27,112.5 | 8,209 |
| 3 | DOE/NNSA/LLNL, United States | Sequoia - BlueGene/Q, IBM | 1,572,864 | 17,173.2 | 20,132.7 | 7,890 |
| 4 | RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science (AICS) Japan | K Computer, Tofu Interconnect Fujitsu. | 705,024 | 10,510.0 | 11,280.4 | 12,660 |
| 5 | DOE/SC/Argonne National Laboratory, United States | Mira - BlueGene/Q, Custom IBM | 786,432 | 8,586.6 | 10,066.3 | 3,945 |
Mainframe computer
Although Mainframes are not as powerful as supercomputers, but certainly they are quite expensive nonetheless, and many large firms & government organizations uses Mainframes to run their business operations. The Mainframe computers can be accommodated in large air-conditioned rooms because of its size. Super-computers are the fastest computers with large data storage capacity, Mainframes can also process & store large amount of data. Banks educational institutions & insurance companies use mainframe computers to store data about their customers, students & insurance policy holders.
Popular Mainframe computers
- Fujitsu’s ICL VME
- Hitachi’s Z800
Minicomputer
Minicomputers are used by small businesses & firms. Minicomputers are also called as “Midrange Computers”. These are small machines and can be accommodated on a disk with not as processing and data storage capabilities as super-computers & Mainframes. These computers are not designed for a single user. Individual departments of a large company or organizations use Mini-computers for specific purposes. For example, a production department can use Mini-computers for monitoring certain production process.
Popular Minicomputers
- K-202
- Texas Instrument TI-990
- SDS-92
- IBM Midrange computers
Microcomputer
Desktop computers, laptops, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablets & smartphones are all types of microcomputers. The micro-computers are widely used & the fastest growing computers. These computers are the cheapest among the other three types of computers. The Micro-computers are specially designed for general usage like entertainment, education and work purposes. Well known manufacturers of Micro-computer are Dell, Apple, Samsung, Sony & Toshiba.
Desktop computers, Gaming consoles, Sound & Navigation system of a car, Netbooks, Notebooks, PDA’s, Tablet PC’s, Smartphones, Calculators are all type of Microcomputers.