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Hardware basics |
| Written by Michael D. | |
Hardware informations and tips covering all important computer components.
1. The Power Supply1. The Power Supply's role is to convert AC to DC voltages. It usually supplies 3.3 volts and 5 volts for the computer's circuits and 12 volts for the motors that spin the disk drives and the fans.
2. The motherboard2. The motherboard's role is to connect all the devices of the computer toghether and to host the CPU. Usually you can find on the motherboards:
a) Processor Socketa) Processor Socket - the place where the computer's processor is placed. It uses a ZIF (zero insertion force) mechanism to insure you do not damage the processor's connecting pins when placing it. There are many kinds of sockets, generally one per generation. Examples are Socket 478 for older Pentium and Celeron processors, Socket 754 for AMD Sempron and some AMD Athlon processors, Socket AM2 - for the newest AMD Athlon processors. The socket type is the main characteristic considered on a motherboard.b) The North Bridgeb) The North Bridge is the chip that interconnects the CPU with the system's memory and fast slots (like AGP). The data bus that goes from the North Bridge to the processor is called Front Side Bus and should be taken in consideration when buying a motherboard.Any bus speed is measured in Mhz (eg 800Mhz) and it's width in bits. This means that a 100Mhz (supports 100 millions of cycle per second) with a width of 32 bits will have a real output of 32*100=3200Mbits/second. (100 million cycles of 32 bits per second). c) The South Bridgec) The South Bridge interconnects the North Bridge to the other components, like PCI slots. Note that NForce technology encapsulated both North and South Bridge in the same chip.d) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)d) Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is an interface dedicated for video cards. It's clock rate is 66Mhz, providing fast access for video processing.e) The Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)e) The Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interfaces are used to connect any extensions like audio cards, network interfaces, etc. It's bus speed is 33Mhz.f) SATA/IDE interfacesf) SATA/IDE interfaces are used to connect hard disks and CD/DVD units. SATA is faster and newer then IDE.g) Memory banksg) Memory banks host the system's main memory (RAM). There are usually 2 or 4 memory banks available. Pay attention on the RAM you need to buy for you computer (type/speed). For example if you use DDR memory modules, you will get maximum performance by using modules at the same speed of your Front Side Bus. Another good tip is to start installing memory modules from bank 0 which is the closest to the processor.h) The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)h) The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) chip contains a code that helps perform the basic functions on your system. It's the first gateway between hardware and software. The BIOS also runs a power-on self test (POST) to test the hardware components when the computer starts. Then it loads the bootstrap that starts the operating system.i) The PCI Expressi) The PCI Express is a serial connection that operates somewhat different than a bus. It has a switch that controls several point to point serial connections, thus achieving great speeds 6,4GBps for a 16X device. It's commonly used for the newest video cards.3. The hard disk3. The hard disk's role is to store data permanently. It uses a set of disks called platters which store data on tracks. The data is written on all platters (usually 3) on cylinders (3 tracks, one on each platter) at the same time. This greatly improves read/write times. The operation is accomplished by using 3 writing heads and 3 reading heads that constantly move on a ray of the disks to read/write the data. All disk surface is covered by these heads because of their spinning. The hard disk access speed and read/write performance is pretty much related to their speed. Typically a fast hard disk uses a motor that spins the platters at more than 7200 rotations per minute.
4. The video card4. The video card's main role is show any image/video information on the monitor. It has a built-in processor that takes the processing load of your CPU and a memory to buffer the data. When buying one, first consider your needs. Then see what satisfies them.
For gaming, you need a Video card that connects to your PCIX slot for fastest transfer with the motherboard. The amount of memory and rendering capabilities are also decisional factors. 5. The CD/DVD RW5. The CD/DVD RW is the piece of hardware that read/writes optical storage media. CD-s are made of plastic (injection-molded piece of clear polycarbonate plastic) and are about 1.2mm thick. They work by writing information in some "bumps" aligned in tracks that are binary ones and zeros. The information is read or written in your CD/DVDRW unit using a laser beam. The unit has a disk drive motor that spins the disk inserted, and a laser emitter with a lens that focuses the beam on the disk. The laser beam passes the bumps and reflects in different ways from. An opto-electronic sensor detects the changes in the way the laser beams reflects back and interprets data. The whole read/write with the emitter and lens move along the spinning disks collecting informations.
written by rajesheagle , November 21, 2007
what are the signals if the processer fails
written by rajesheagle , November 21, 2007
my system starts and switchs of before running the post screen.what is the problem?
written by rajesh , November 21, 2007
i am not able to switch on my pc before it runs the post screen it turns off
written by Hemanth Kumar Reddy , December 20, 2007
Good tutorial.Easy to understand.Thank you Sir.
written by lyndon , December 28, 2007
good clear tutorial thanks
written by panir , April 16, 2008
this is cool.clear to understood because of photo attachment.. Do you need more help? Ask now!
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 23 June 2007 ) |
