Mainframe vs mini computers

Answer 1

It depends a lot on the situation.

If you are a big, multinational company, then go for a main-frame as the hub of the network. Then mini computers are used to monitor the main-frame, and are used by all employees.

In a home, work or other situation mini computers are ideal.

Answer 2

Typically mainframes run hundreds of terminals. PCs tend to be stand alone devices. In the old days mainframe computers were the size of refrigerators or larger. Today, however, you can achieve the equivalent in mainframe processing power by linking a series of PCs together with gigabit network interface cards, so the distinction gets a little blurry. In addition, mainframes do not have to act as big terminal servers to qualify as mainframes. Although mainframes are usually found in banks, large corporations, and universities, where they run hundreds of terminals, they are also used by scientists for massive modeling computations and in the scientific analysis of very large volumes of data.

Answer 3

• Mainframe computers are defined by their size, they usually take up several "relay racks" or cabinets. All computers until the early 1960s were mainframes simply due to the size and number of components needed to build them (e.g. vacuum tubes, discrete transistors, magnetic core memory modules). Mainframe computers are still built, but typically using multiple microprocessors for purposes where very high processing speed is needed (i.e. supercomputers) or unusually large capacity of data storage is required.
• Minicomputers were the first computers to take advantage of monolithic integrated circuits to reduce the size and cost of a computer, they were introduced in the early 1960s but became obsolete shortly after the introduction of the microprocessor in the 1970s which were used to build microcomputers. Minicomputers are no longer built.

Answer 4

A mainframe is a large, powerful computer that can process requests from millions of users at the same time, whereas a microcomputer is a small computer designed to be used by one person at a time. Large organizations such as banks and government agencies use mainframe computers. Single users work with microcomputers to perform personal and work-related tasks.

Mainframe computers have been produced by companies such as IBM and Unisys since the 1950s. At that time, they were large enough to occupy an entire room. Mainframe computers are about the size of a refrigerator and cost at least $75,000. Corporations justify the expense by keeping mainframes running around the clock to handle critical tasks such as processing credit card transactions and updating airline information.

Microcomputers are smaller computers that derive their power from microprocessing chips. More commonly called personal computers, they are the most widely used type of computer. PCs include desktop computers, which are set up on a desk or similar surface and are rarely moved from one location to another. In contrast, a laptop is a portable computer with a clamshell design that allows the display screen to be folded over the keyboard. Tablets and smartphones are also intended for mobile use, but are smaller and more lightweight than laptops.