← QCE Digital Solutions Unit 2

System requirements: hardware

The processing power, memory, storage and peripherals needed to run a solution and hold its data, such as disk space for a database or RAM for large files.

Part of: QCE Digital Solutions Unit 2 — Data and Programming Techniques — Module 9

Understanding System requirements: hardware in QCE Digital Solutions Unit 2

What it does: Peripherals are devices connected to the computer for input or output. A scanner and a barcode reader are peripheral hardware requirements. The CPU does the processing. Naming its cores and speed states the processing power the solution needs to run. The amount of data the solution must keep decides how much disk space is needed, so storage capacity is a hardware requirement. Large data held in an array lives in memory while the program runs, so the device needs enough RAM to hold it. Operating systems belong in platform requirements. A hardware version would be 'Memory: 8 GB RAM'.

Common mistakes: Storage needed is the number of records multiplied by the size of each record, not added to it. The line should be bytes ← records * 200. Working with a large file needs at least as much RAM as the file, plus room to process it. Dividing by 2 gives less than the file size. It should be fileGB * 2.

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Learning
Duo
A school canteen database will grow to hold 5 years of orders. Which hardware requirement does this mainly affect?
Storage capacityScreen colour
Matches
Hardware requirement: Windows 11 operating system
↓
An operating system is software or a platform, not hardware. A hardware requirement names the processor, RAM, storage or peripherals.
Applying
Meanings
Term
hardware requirement
Meaning
The processing power, memory, storage and peripherals needed to run a solution and hold its data, such as disk space for a database or RAM for large files.
Practice
Processor: quad-core 3 GHz
Testing
Gaps
requirement: 16 GB RAM, 500 GB disk
Check Answer
Spots
1records ← 50000
2bytes ← records + 200

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Quick Questions

1. A school canteen database will grow to hold 5 years of orders. Which hardware requirement does this mainly affect?
A. Screen colour
B. Storage capacity ✓
The amount of data the solution must keep decides how much disk space is needed, so storage capacity is a hardware requirement.
2. A program loads a 2 GB CSV file into an array of records all at once. Which hardware requirement matters most?
A. Enough RAM (memory) ✓
B. A bigger keyboard
Large data held in an array lives in memory while the program runs, so the device needs enough RAM to hold it.
3. Which statement best describes a hardware requirement?
A. The processing power, memory, storage and peripherals needed to run the solution ✓
B. The rules the solution must follow, such as laws and budget
Rules like laws and budget are constraints. A hardware requirement is about the physical resources the solution needs.
4. A solution must scan barcodes at the school shop. Which type of hardware requirement is this?
A. A peripheral (barcode scanner) ✓
B. Storage capacity
A barcode scanner is an input device connected to the computer, which makes it a peripheral.
5. A solution stores 50,000 student records of about 1 KB each. Which hardware need is being calculated?
A. Processor clock speed needed
B. Storage capacity needed (about 50 MB) ✓
50,000 x 1 KB is about 50 MB. Working out how much space data takes up is a storage capacity calculation.

Match the Pairs

Storage: 500 GB free disk space → A storage capacity requirement: the device needs enough disk space to hold the database and its future growth
Memory: 16 GB RAM → A memory requirement: the device needs enough RAM to load and process large data sets at once
A solution that scans photos at a school office needs a peripheral device connected to the computer → Peripherals: flatbed scanner, USB barcode reader
A hardware requirement can state the processing power needed to run the solution smoothly → Processor: quad-core CPU, 3.0 GHz
Hardware requirement: Windows 11 operating system → An operating system is software or a platform, not hardware. A hardware requirement names the processor, RAM, storage or peripherals.
Storage: 8 GB RAM for the 200 GB database → RAM is memory, not storage. A 200 GB database needs disk storage capacity, so the requirement mixes up memory and storage.

Key Term

hardware requirement
The processing power, memory, storage and peripherals needed to run a solution and hold its data, such as disk space for a database or RAM for large files.

Fill in the Blanks

1. hardware requirement: 16 GB RAM, 500 GB disk
Hint: Type the word for the kind of requirement that lists physical components like memory and storage.
2. storageNeeded <- records * recordSize
Hint: Type the arithmetic operator that multiplies the number of records by the size of each one.
3. if fileSize > ramSize then print "Not enough memory" endif
Hint: Type the variable that holds the memory available to the solution.
4. peripherals <- ["scanner", "printer"] print peripherals[2]
Hint: Type the name of the variable that holds the list of required devices.
5. if cpuCores < 4 then print "Upgrade processor" endif
Hint: Type the comparison operator that checks whether the processing power falls short of the minimum.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A records ← 50000
B bytes ← records + 200
C mb ← bytes / 1000000
D print mb
Line B — Storage needed is the number of records multiplied by the size of each record, not added to it. The line should be bytes ← records * 200.
Question 2
A fileGB ← 6
B ramNeeded ← fileGB / 2
C ramGB ← 16
D if ramGB >= ramNeeded then
E print "Enough memory"
Line B — Working with a large file needs at least as much RAM as the file, plus room to process it. Dividing by 2 gives less than the file size. It should be fileGB * 2.
Question 3
A usedGB ← 120
B freeGB ← 500 + usedGB
C dbGB ← 50
D if freeGB >= dbGB then
E print "Enough space"
Line B — Free space on a 500 GB disk is the capacity minus the space already used. Adding usedGB gives a wrong, too-large number. It should be 500 - usedGB.
Question 4
A needs ← ["screen", "scanner"]
B has ← ["screen", "keyboard"]
C for each item in has
D if item not in has then
E print item
Line C — To find missing peripherals, the loop must go through the list of required devices (needs) and check each one against what is available. It should be for each item in needs.
Question 5
A cores ← 4
B minCores ← 2
C if cores <= minCores then
D print "Processor OK"
Line C — The processor meets the requirement when it has at least the minimum number of cores. The comparison should be >=, not <=.

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