IDENTIFICATION OF PARTS OF A COMPUTER & MOTHERBOARD

 

IDENTIFICATION OF PARTS OF A COMPUTER

A Computer is a high speed electronic device which accepts the given data, processes it and gives required information to the user.

It generally comprises of the following parts:

·         Motherboard

·         Processor

·         RAM

·         Heat Sink

·         Cabinet

·         Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

·         Floppy Disk Drive (FDD)

·         CD ROM Drive

·         CD Writer

·         Different Screws Used

·         AGP Card

·         LAN Card

·         PCI & PCI Express Cards

·         Power Supply(SMPS)

·         Input Devices

·         Output Devices

 

MOTHERBOARD:

It is the main system board on which all the operations are done. It is a platform used for connecting and interacting with several devices to perform operations

Motherboard contains the following parts:

Processor Socket:

In general a processor is inserted in the motherboard through a socket called ‘Socket XXX Connector’.

RAM Slots:

RAM is generally connected in these slots. They are referred as DDR DIMM Memory Slot

IDE Slots:

IDE stands for ‘Integrated Drive Electronics’. It is used for connecting Hard Disk Drives, CD Drives and Floppy Drives. They are generally referred as HDD Header and FDD Header.

North Bridge:

It is also called Heat Sink of Motherboard. A chip where the RAM, Processor and IDE devices exchange data among themselves is called North Bridge. It acts as the ‘Heart’ of Motherboard. It is generally termed as “CHIPSET”.

 

 

SATA Headers(Serial ATA):

These are called Serial ATA(Advanced Technology Attachments) headers used for connecting Hard Disk Drives and CD/DVD Writer

PCI Slots:

PCI stands for “Peripheral Component Interconnect” used for the expansion of the board. Through these devices we can connect Modems, TV tuner cards Sound Cards, LAN cards etc,.

AGP Slots:

AGP stands for “Accelerated Graphics Port” used for connecting Graphic Cards which enhance the performance of a Game. General speeds of AGP slots are 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x. These numbers denote the amount of bandwidth required by the cards.

PCI Express Slot:

The 16x AGP slots are generally termed as PCI Express slots. An SLI Motherboard consists of two PCI Express Slots. These are used for enhancing Graphic Performance.

South Bridge:

A chip where the data between RAM, PCI/AGP Slots and IDE Devices are exchanged is called Southbridge chipset.

ROM:

It is  a non volatile memory means permanent storage device it is used to store BIOS

BIOS :

(Basic Input Output System): BIOS is an interface between hardware and the software .FIRMWARE is the technical term for BIOS.

CMOS (Complementary  Metal Oxide Semiconductor) :

motherboard includes a separate block of memory which needs very less power called CMOS . This chip is always on  by using a battery even when the power is off.

Back Panel Connectors:

These are used for connecting the input and output devices. The Back panel connectors consists of PS/2 ports for Keyboard and Mouse , VGA port for connecting Monitor, Serial and Parallel ports for Communication, COM ports, a  Dummy port, Integrated USB and LAN Ports, and Speaker/Mic Line IN/OUT.

Power Connectors:

For running of any electronic device we need a power supply port. In motherboards there are two types of power supplies AT power supply and ATX power supply. In additional to it a 12V ATX Connector is needed for booting the Processor.

Front Panel Connector:

These are used for connecting the power switch, reset switch, Front Speakers, Power LED, HDD LED, and Front USB

A COMPLETE MOTHERBOARD WITH ALL COMPONENTS LABELED

 

 

  PROCESSOR

A processor is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions that drive a computer.The term processor has generally replaced the term central processing unit (CPU). The processor in a personal computer or embedded in small devices is often called a microprocessor.

 

 RAM:

Ram(Random Access Memory) is volatile memory that means temporary memory it requires power supply any thins that is stored in the ram is erased when the power is off For Main Memory   two types of memory chips are used

SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module):only pins on onside, less speed

DIMM(Dual  inline Memory Module) :pins on both side, high speed

There are two types of RAM ‘s

SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic) : it contains two notches (DIMM Type) and it is of 64 bit and contains 168 pins and speed is 66MHz/100MHz/133MHz

DDR (Double Data Rate): it contains only one notch (DIMM Type)  . It is of 64 bit and contains 184 pins and speed is 166MHz/200MHz/233MHz/333MHz/400MHz

SD

DDR2

DDR3

DDR1

 

HEAT SINK:

Heat sinks function by efficiently transferring thermal energy ("heat") from an object at a relatively high temperature to a second object at a lower temperature with a much greater heat capacity. This rapid transfer of thermal energy quickly brings the first object into thermal equilibrium with the second, lowering the temperature of the first object, fulfilling the heat sink's role as a cooling device

 

CABINET

A  system case is a metal and plastic case that houses the main components of the computer. it protects the computer hardware from heat ,light ,temperature.

HARD DISK DRIVE(HDD):

A hard disk drive (HDD), commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a non-volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces..

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE (FDD):

A floppy disk is a data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive or FDD.

AGP Card:

The purpose of this card is to enhance the graphic performance of the system.

 

LAN(Local Area Network):

The purpose of this card is to connect the system to the network.

PCI & PCI Express CARDS:

PCI Local Bus (usually shortened to PCI), or Conventional PCI, specifies a computer bus for attaching peripheral devices to a computer motherboard. These devices can take either the form of an integrated circuit fitted onto the motherboard itself, called a planar device in the PCI specification or an expansion card that fits into a socket. The name PCI is initialism formed from Peripheral Component Interconnect.

POWER SUPPLY:

SMPS:The power supply / SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply) is a transformer and a voltage control device in a computer . It transfers power  to all the electronic components by converting the AC (Alternating current /high power current)  to DC (Direct current / Low power) supply.The power supply also contains the main fan that controls the flow of air through the system case. This fan is major component in pc cooling system.

INPUT DEVICES:

The devices that are used for providing information to the system are called Input Devices. Some of the major input devices are Keyboard, Mouse, Tablet Pen, Joystick etc,.

KEY BOARD

JOYSTICK

 

 OUTPUT DEVICES:

PRINTER

The devices that are used for showing the result for the provided input are called Output devices. Some of the examples are Monitor, Projectors, Printers, etc, .

MONITOR

 

           

BLOCK DIAGRAM

Computer Block Diagram:

Define Computer

Computer is a Electronic Device Which is connected with Various components of input and output and processing devices and run by software called Operating System.

Block Diagram of Computer

 

 

 

Hardware is physical appearance of the devices or tools, which we can touch & feel.

A typical computer consists of the following parts of Hardware:

¨      CPU: Central Processing Unit and it acts as Control Unit and Controls All Components that are connected to the Computer.

¨      Input Unit Contains Input Devices Like: Keyboard, Mouse

¨      Output Unit Contains Output Devices Like: Monitor, Printer etc ..

¨      Memory Unit Contains: Ram & Rom

¨       Secondary Storage Devices Like: Hard Disk, Pen drive (USB Storage Devices),CD-Rom, Dvd Rom, CD-Writer, DVD-Writer, etc ..

Peripheral Devices : All Connected Components On Computer Through Mother Board And its Components.

 

CPU

—  A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor or main processor.

—  It is also called as the brain of the computer.

—  This unit takes the input from the input devices and processes it according to the list of instructions called program.

—  The basic function of the CPU is to control the operations of the computer and performs its data processing functions.

—  The level 2 cache serves as the bridge for the process and memory performance gap.

—   Its main goal is to provide the necessary stored information to the processor without any interruptions or any delays or wait-states.

 

 

 

 

 

Basically, the CPU is composed of parts:

—  Arithmetic and Logical Unit(ALU)

—  Control Unit(CU)

—  Registers

Arithmetic and Logical Unit(ALU)

—  ALU performs, the arithmetic operations on data by adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying and logical operations by using AND, OR, NOT and Exclusive-OR.

Control Unit(CU)

—  The control unit (CU) is part of the CPU that directs the operation of the processor.

—  It tells the computer's memory, arithmetic and logic unit and input and output devices how to respond to the instructions that have been sent to the processor.

—  It directs the operation of the other units by providing timing and control signals. Most computer resources are managed by the CU.

Registers

—  Registers are the small memory locations which provide a minimal storage to CPU.

—  To perform arithmetic and logical operations.

—  The total no. of registers available in the CPU varies from processor to processor.

Memory  Unit

—  Memory unit is another component of the computer.

—  It is a storage unit to hold the data.

—  This is unit can be divided into 2 different categories, these are

—  Primary or Main Memory. (RAM and ROM)

—  Secondary or Auxiliary Memory (Hard disk)

è Primary memory

—    It is the fastest memory in a digital computer system. This memory is primarily used to store the data and program temporarily during the execution of a program.

—  It is further divided into two categories called:

—  Random Access memory (RAM)

—  Read Only Memory (ROM)

è Random Access Memory

—  RAM is temporary storage device .

—  This is the most important type of memory and the data is both written to and read through the secondary memory.

—  It is volatile; means when the computer is turn off everything in RAM will be disappears.

—  Basically, there are two types of RAMs.

—  a)Static RAM

—  b)Dynamic RAM              

—  Static RAMs are fast, so that cache memory is made-up of these devices. These are made up of Flip-Flops; an electronic device which stores a bit as voltage.

—                  Dynamic RAM, is based on a technology called CMOS transistors. The data can be stored as Charges on capacitors. These are used in main memory.

 

 

SD-RAM

è Read Only Memory:

—  It is a part of primary memory and it is also called as non-volatile memory; means when the computer is switched-off, the data or program stored in ROM is not destroyed.

—  This can be used only for reading of fetching of data from it.

—  The main use of this is storing the BIOS.

—  This Program is very important as it is used by the operating system at the time of starting or booting the system.

è Secondary Memory

—  It is used to hold the data or program for future use.

—   These are for long-term storage and are much larger in capacity than main memory but these are generally slower than main memory.

—  Examples of auxiliary storage devices are  hard disk ,memory card etc.

 

Computer Hardware consists of input & Output Devices:

Computer Hardware consists of input Devices: Keyboard, Mouse are used to input to computer.

Output devices consists of the Monitor, Printer, Plotter etc, Are the output devices are used to get output from computer.

 

Computer Software:

Software

—  The software is the set of instructions that makes the computer work. Software tells the hardware what to do and how to do.

—  Computer software is divided into two broad categories:

—  System Software

—  Application Software

—  System Software:

—  System software consists of programs that manage the hardware resources of a computer and perform required information processing tasks.

—  The best example for system software is OS.

Application Software:

—  Application software is used by user to perform specific task.

—  Some examples of application softwares are word processor, web browser, media player, etc.