Rafay Sheikh

02/08/11

CPU/Microprocessor:
A CPU preforms calculations, does comparisons, and controls the other parts of the computer system. The microprocessor (CPU) is the heart of any computer, whether it is a desktop machine, a server or a laptop. A microprocessor (CPU) is a complete computation engine that is made-up on a single chip. The CPU is placed on the motherboard since the motherboard and is usually located near or under the heat-sink fan.

Ram/Memory:
The Ram temporarily stores data while you are working with it. Random access memory (RAM) is the best known form of computer memory. RAM is "random access memory" because you can access any memory cell directly if you know the row and column that intersect at that cell. Similar to the microprocessor (CPU), a memory chip is an integrated circuit (IC) made of millions of transistors and capacitors. In the most common form of computer memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a transistor and a capacitor are paired to create a memory cell, which represents a single bit of data. The capacitor holds the bit of information as 0 or 1. The transistor acts as a switch that lets the control motherboard on the memory chip read the capacitor or change its state.

ROM:
Read-only memory (ROM), also known as firmware, is an integrated circuit programmed with specific data when it is manufactured. There are five basic ROM types:

ROM PROM EPROM EEPROM Flash memory

Each of the 5 types has their own unique characteristics, but they are all types of memory with two things in common. The Data stored in these chips is non-volatile -- it is not lost when power is removed. And the Data stored in these chips is either fixed or requires a special operation to change (unlike RAM, which can be changed as easily as it is read). This means that removing the power source from the chip will not cause it to lose any data.

BIOS:
Basic input/output system is a common Flash Memory of computers, it is also known as the BIOS. On almost every computer available, the BIOS makes sure all the other chips, hard drives, ports and CPU function together. Basically, it means your computer is ready to be used Computer contain a microprocessor as its central processing unit (CPU). The microprocessor is the hardware component. To get its work done, the microprocessor executes a set of instructions known as software. It turns out that the BIOS is the third type of software your computer needs to operate successfully. The two most other and familiar softwares are: The Operating System - The operating system provides a set of services for the applications running on your computer, and it also provides the fundamental user interface for your computer.

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02/08/11

The Applications - Applications are pieces of software that are programmed to perform specific tasks.

Motherboard:
The Motherboard is one piece of equipment that links everything together. A motherboard allows all the parts of your computer to receive power and communicate with one another. Motherboards affect a computer's capabilities and performance. The motherboard's main job is to hold the computer's microprocessor chip and let everything else connect to it. Everything that runs the computer or enhances its performance is either part of the motherboard or plugs into it the computer in any form. Some FORM FACTORS of a Motherboard include:

Socket for the Microprocessor: decides what kind of Central Processing Unit (CPU) the motherboard uses. Chipset: is part of the motherboard's logic system and is usually made of two parts -the North-side Bridge and the South-side Bridge. These two "bridges" connect the CPU to other parts of the computer. These are placed on the motherboard but are also connected to many components and hardware. (BIOS) Chip- Basic Input/output System: controls the most basic functions of the computer and performs a self-test every time you turn it on. Real time clock Chip: is a battery-operated chip that maintains basic settings and the system time and date. This is located on the motherboard. Buses: are a channels or path between the components in a computer. The idea of a bus is simple -- it lets you connect components to the computer's processor. Some of the components that you might want to connect include hard drives, memory (RAM), sound cards, and graphic cards. These are placed throughout the motherboards. (PCI) Peripheral Component Interconnect: can link up to five external components. Each of the five connectors for an external component can be replaced with two fixed devices on the motherboard. Also, you can have more than one PCI. The PCI bridge chip regulates the speed of the PCI bus independently of the CPU's speed. Only one PCI is located on the motherboard on a computer.

Power Supply:
A power supply basically converts the standard electrical power in to a form the computer can use. One of the most important hardware/component a computer requires is the power supply.

Rafay Sheikh

02/08/11

Without it, a computer would not work. The power supply converts the alternating current (AC) line from your home to the direct current (DC) needed by the personal computer. In a (PC), the power supply is the metal box usually found in a corner of the case. The power supply is visible from the back of many systems because it contains the power-cord receptacle and the cooling fan. Power supplies, often referred to as "switching power supplies", use switcher technology to convert the AC input to lower DC voltages. The typical voltages supplied are:

3.3 volts 5 volts 12 volts

When you push the power button it sends a 5-volt signal to the power supply to tell it when to turn on. The power supply also has a circuit that supplies 5 volts, called VSB for "standby voltage" even when it is officially "off", so that the button will work.

(CMOS)Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor:

The CMOS and CMOS battery allow a computer to store information even when the computer powers down. The battery provides continuous power. That battery serves two purposes: to feed the configuration memory (also called CMOS) and to feed the real time clock of the computer.

Hard Drive:
Hard disks change digital information into relatively permanent form. They give computers the ability to remember things when the power goes out. Data is stored onto the disk in the form of files. A file is simply a named collection of bytes. When a program running on the computer requests a file, the hard disk saves its bytes and sends them to the CPU one at a time. There are two ways to measure the performance of a hard disk:

Data rate - The data rate is the number of bytes per second that the drive can deliver to the CPU. Seek time - The seek time is the amount of time between when the CPU requests a file and when the first byte of the file is sent to the CPU.

Memory Cache:
Computers have both L1 and L2 caches, and many now also have L3 cache. Caching is an important computer process that appears on every computer in a variety of forms. There are memory caches, hardware and software disk caches, page caches and more. Virtual memory is also a form of caching. Virtual memory is a common part of most operating systems on desktop

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02/08/11

computers. With virtual memory, what the computer can do is look at RAM for areas that have not been used recently and copy them onto the hard disk. This frees up space in RAM to load the new application. Memory cache is very important in terms of the computers performance.

Graphic Card:
Graphic Cards allow resolution settings, a screen displays over a million pixels, and the computer has to decide what to do with everyone in order to create an image. To do this, it needs a translator; something to take binary data from the CPU and turn it into a picture you can see. A graphics card's job is complex. The CPU, works in combination with software applications, sends information about the image to the graphics card. The graphics card decides how to use the pixels on the screen to create the image. It then sends that information to the monitor through a cable. Creating an image out of binary data is a demanding process. Without a graphics card to perform the necessary calculations, the workload would be too much for the computer to handle. The graphic card is placed on the motherboard, and is usually located behind the VGA or HDMI ports for direct interaction. The graphics card does this task using four main components:

A motherboard connection for data and power A processor to decide what to do with each pixel on the screen Memory to hold info about each pixel and to temporarily store completed pictures A monitor connection so you can see the final result

Sound Card:
Computers communicate digitally, using electrical instincts that represent 0s and 1s. Like a graphics card, a sound card translates between a computer's digital information and the outside world's analog information. They are located on the motherboard and are linked with buses because other components require their assistance. The most basic sound card is a printed circuit board that uses four components to translate analog and digital information:

An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) An ISA or PCI interface to connect the card to the motherboard Input and output connections for a microphone and speakers

Instead of separate ADCs and DACs, some sound cards use a coder/decoder chip, also called a CODEC, which performs both functions.

Optical Drive:
In computing, an optical disc drive (ODD) is a disk drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves near the light series as part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Some drives can only read from discs. Compact discs, DVDs, HD DVDs and Blu-ray discs are common types of optical media which can be read and recorded by such drives. They are very commonly used in computers to read software and consumer media distributed in disc form, and to record discs for archival and data exchange.

Rafay Sheikh

02/08/11

Raid Array Controller:

Disk array controller is a device which manages the physical disk drives and presents them to the computer as logical units. It almost always traps hardware RAID, thus it is sometimes referred to as RAID controller. It also often provides additional disk cache. Disk array controller provides front-end interfaces and back-end interfaces. Back-end interface communicates with controlled disks. Front-end interface communicates with a computer's host adapter

External Bus Controllers:

FireWire: FireWire is a way to connect different pieces of equipment so they can easily and quickly share information. FireWire is mainly used to:

Fast transfer of data Ability to put lots of devices on the bus Ease of use Hot-pluggable ability Provision of power through the cable Plug-and-play performance Low cabling cost Low implementation cost

These also apply for USB and flash drives as they are the same!

(USB) Universal Serial Bus: The Universal Serial Bus gives you a single, standardized, easy-touse way to connect up to 127 devices to a computer. Many output devices can work with USBs:

Printers/Routers/Wireless Adapters Mouse/Keyboard/Speakers