| ** | Component used | Access time | Cost |
| 1949 - 1959 | Vacuum tube | in Milli seconds | Very expensive |
The first computers used vacuum tubes for electronic circuitry and magnetic drums for memory. They were very expensive to operate and the power consumption was high, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions. First generation compilers were communicated through machine language to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts. UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation computing devices.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| For Calculation and Computation. | Required a huge space |
| Payroll Processing | Too big in size |
| Record keeping | Very slow in speed |
| | Low level of accuracy and reliability |
| | Low storage capacity |
| | High power consumption |
| | High heat generation |
| | Used machine language |
| | Difficult to maintain |
| | Fault finding was very difficult |
| Computer Model | Manufacturer |
| ENAIC | Moore'* School of Electrical |
| UNIVACI | Engineering University of Pennsylvania.UNIVAC |
