PC Hardware Tutorial

							PC Hardware Tutorial



       Jessica Moore
        EDTD 3011A
         Fall 2005
Computer Case
       •   The computer's case serves several
           functions. The motherboard is bolted
           down to the case so that the case
           protects it and all other
           components. The metal in the case
           also serves to ground the
           motherboard. The case's power supply
           converts power into a form the
           motherboard can use.
       •   A good case should have ample
           expansion bays to be able to add
           additional internal and external
           devices. It should have a strong
           enough power supply to power all the
           components you plan to add to your
           computer. The case should be
           designed aerodynamically so that
           airflow will flow in through the front and
           out through the back to properly
           dissipate all hot air. The case also
           needs to be sturdy enough to prevent
           components from moving around.
                     CDRom
• CD-ROM drives are
  necessary today for most
  programs. However,
  when you consider CD-
  ROM drives are generally
  used just to install a
  program or copy CDs,
  both of which are usually
  done rarely on most
  users' computers.
Central Processing Unit or
           CPU
             • So what's a CPU? It stands for
               Central Processing Unit. Many
               users erroneously refer to the
               whole computer box as the
               CPU. In fact, the CPU itself is
               only about 1.5 inches
               square. The CPU does
               exactly what it stands for. It is
               the control unit that processes
               all of the instructions for the
               computer. Consider it to be
               the "brain" of the computer. It
               does all the thinking.
Hard Drive
As the primary communication
device to the rest of the computer,
the hard drive is very
important. The hard drive stores
most of a computer's information
including the operating system
and all of your programs. The
hard drive stores all the data on
your computer - your text
documents, pictures, programs,
etc. If something goes wrong with
your hard drive, it is possible that
all your data could be lost forever.
Today's hard drives have become
much more reliable, but hard
drives are still one of the
components most likely to fail
because they are one of the few
components with moving parts.
                 IDE Cable
• IDE (Integrated Drive
  Electronics) is a
  standard electronic
  interface used
  between a computer
  motherboard's data
  paths and the
  computer's disk
  storage devices.
Floppy Disk
      • Long term storage
      • another term for
        computer disk used to
        store and transport
        files
                Memory (RAM)
• Short term storage
• Random-access memory,
  (the most common
  computer memory which
  can be used by programs
  to perform necessary
  tasks while the computer
  is on; an integrated circuit
  memory chip allows
  information to be stored
  or accessed in any order
  and all storage locations
  are equally accessible)
                 Mother Board
• The motherboard is the
  circuit board to which all
  the other components of
  the computer connect in
  some way. The video
  card, sound card, IDE
  hard drive, etc. all plug
  into the motherboard's
  various slots and
  connectors. The CPU
  also plugs into the
  motherboard via a Socket
  or a Slot.
                 Network Card
A network card (also called network adapter, network interface
card, NIC, etc.) is a piece of computer hardware designed to
provide for computer communication over a computer network.
             Power Supply
A separate unit or part of a circuit that supplies power to the
rest of the circuit or to a system.
Sound Card
     • Most computers require a
       sound card to decode sound
       files into audio that can be sent
       to your speakers (some have it
       build into the
       motherboard). Good sound
       cards allow you to play games
       and hear "3D audio" that
       makes it sounds like certain
       events are actually happening
       behind you. Some sound
       cards even do Dolby 5.1
       decoding to allow you to listen
       to DVDs with full surround
       sound.
                Video Card
• Video cards provide
  the means for the
  computer to "talk" to
  your monitor so it can
  display what the
  computer is doing.
Zip Drive
     • is a small, portable
       disk drive used
       primarily for backing
       up and archiving
       personal computer
       files
     • A high-density
       removable-media
       drive. Each diskette
       holds either 100 or
       250 megabytes.
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