Lesson 11: Basic Hardware

Components of Computer Systems

(Computer Systems)
2. Computer Systems
The complete computer made up of the CPU, memory and related electronics (main
cabinet), all the peripheral devices connected to it and its operating system.

 Computer systems fall into two broad divisions: clients and servers.

 Client machines fall into three categories from low to high end: laptop,
desktop and workstation.

 Servers range from small to large: low-end servers, midrange

servers and mainframes.

3. Processing Devices
Processing devices are the computer’s circuitry in the system unit.

 Motherboard – the circuit board housing the memory and the central processing unit
(CPU)

 Central Processing Unit (CPU) – manipulates input data into the information
needed by the users

 Memory – also known as Random Access Memory or RAM. It is a series of electronic

elements that act as temporary storage of data and program instructions while the
instructions are being processed by the CPU.

 Chips – these make up the CPU and the memory; these are electronic devices that
contain many microscopic pathways designed to carry electrical currents.

4. Storage Devices
Storage devices store data and programs. These hold data, information, and
programs permanently.

 Solid State Drive (SSD) – mass storage device that stores data in a permanent
state even without power. Similar to an HDD’s function, only the internal components
are different. SSDs do not have moving parts but store data on magnetic platters
making use of flash memory.

 Hard Disk Drive (HHD) – often called hard drive or hard disk. This is the most
common storage device that do not need power to maintain data; these store data
through spinning platters or magnetic disks, recording individual bits written into the
disk.

 Flash Drive – highly portable small data storage devices making use of flash memory
and a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port connection
 CD – “compact disc”, this storage device can hold up to 700 MB; it is read by an
optical drive through a laser

5. Input Devices
Input devices allow the user to communicate with the computer by entering data or
commands.

 Keyboard – primary input device used to input alphanumeric data and commands to
the computer

 Mouse – primary input device used to navigate and interact with the monitor output

 Scanner – scans documents and converts them digitally, which can be edited on a
computer.

 Webcam – small cameras attached to a monitor or desk that record or broadcast

video

 Joystick – device used to control video games, aside from the keyboard

6. Output Device
Output devices enable the computer to show the processed data and information
understandably to the user.

 Printer – prints paper documents, photographs, and other outputs called hard copies
which are physical versions of the documents.

 Monitor – acts as the primary display of the unit where the user interface and
programs are reflected.

 Speakers – sound system device that produce audio output from the computer

Lesson 12: Basic Hardware

Components of Computer Systems
(The System Unit)
The System Unit is the overall structure that houses the processor, memory, and electronic
components of the computer that are used to process data. All input and output devices are connected
into the system unit. The system unit is housed by what is known as system case or computer case. It
holds and protects most components of a computer.
The Computer Case contains the framework to support and enclose internal
components of the computer. It helps to prevent damage from static electricity. It
typically made up of plastic, steel, and aluminum which are available in a variety of
styles. The size and layout of a case is called a form factor. It is also designed to
keep internal components cool by using airflow vents and cooling fans.

Computer cases are referred to in a number of ways: Computer

chassis, Cabinet, Tower, Box and Housing.
 Types:

 Tower (Full, Mid, Mini)

 Desktop (Standard, Slimline)

2. Power Supply
Power supplies serve as the source for electricity to the computer. Attached
are vital hardware cables and buses for transferring power to various
components in the computer.

The following are the basic connector you can see in a power supply:

 ATX 24 pin main power connector is the standard motherboard power connector
used in nearly every computer.

 SATA 15 pin power supply connector is one of several standard peripheral power
connectors. SATA power connectors only connect to SATA drives like hard drives and
optical drives. SATA power connectors do not work with older PATA devices.

 Molex 4 pin power supply connector is a standard peripheral power connector.

Molex power connectors connect to many different kinds of internal peripherals
including PATA hard drives and optical drives, some video cards, and even some
other devices.

 Floppy drive 4 pin power supply connector is the standard floppy drive power
connector. The floppy power connector, also called a Berg connector or Mini-Molex
connector, is included in even the newest power supplies even though floppy drives
are becoming obsolete.

 ATX 4 pin power supply connector is a standard motherboard power connector

used to provide +12 VDC to the processor voltage regulator. This small connector
usually attaches to the motherboard near the CPU.

 ATX 6 pin power supply connector is a motherboard power connector used to

provide +12 VDC to the processor voltage regulator but the 4-pin variety is the more
commonly used connector. This small connector usually attaches to the motherboard
near the CPU.

3. Motherboard
The motherboard is also known as mainboard, system board, logic
board, or MOBO. It holds and allows communication between the crucial
components of the computer such as the CPU and memory. It also provides
connection for other peripherals. This provides the path which the processor (CPU)
communicates with all the components of the computer.

There are several components that are attached to the motherboard. These include:

1. Chip – small piece of semiconducting material, where more integrated circuits

are embedded. They have standard-sized pin connectors that allows them to be
attached to the motherboard.
 2. Bus - an electrical path that enables data flow between various system
components.

3. Integrated Circuit (IC) – contains microscopic pathways that carry electric

current. The IC contains millions of elements such as resistors, capacitators, and
transistors. Many different kinds of chips are located in the motherboard

4. Microprocessor – this is the central processing unit on a chip.

Different variety of chip packages:

1. Dual Inline Package (DIP) – this has two parallel rows of pints that attach the
chip package to the circuit board

2. Pin Grid Array (PGA) – holds a larger number of pins because the pins are
mounted on the surface of the package.

3. Flip Chip-PGA (CF-PGA) Package – higher performance PGA packaging that

places the chip on the opposite sides of the pins.

4. Single Edge Contact (SEC) Cartridge – does not use pins but connects to
one of the edges in the motherboard.

The form factor of motherboards pertains to the size and shape of the board. It also
describes the physical layout of the different components and devices on the
motherboard. Various form factors exist for motherboards:

 AT – Advanced Technology

 ATX – Advanced Technology Extended

 Mini-ATX – Smaller footprint of ATX

 Micro-ATX – Smaller footprint of ATX

 LPX – Low-profile Extended

 NLX – New Low-profile Extended

 BTX – Balanced Technology Extended

The function of the northbridge is primarily a fast path between the CPU and the
video bus and system RAM. While the southbridge connects with the slow
hardware/components of the system.

4. Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Commonly known as the CPU or processor, this is the brain of the computer. It
interprets and carries out the basic instructions to operate a computer.

It impacts overall computing power and manages most of the computer

operations. The motherboard contains a socket to hold the processor or CPU. The
central processing unit (CPU), also called the processor or microprocessor, does
most of the processing of data and instructions for the entire system. Because the
CPU generates heat, a fan and heat sink might be installed on top to keep it cool.

Nowadays, processors have multiple cores called multi-core processors. This

means that the processor is a single chips that has two or more separate processors.
In multi-core processors, each of the processors run at a slower clock speed as
compared to a single-core processor, but this efficient process typically increases
performance. There are two kinds of common multi-core processors today:

1. Dual Core Processor – chip that contains two separate processors

2. Quad Core Processor – chip with four separate processors

AMD and Intel are the two most popular brands of processors in the
market nowadays.

Bundled with the processors are the heat sinks. A heat sink consists of metal fins
that draw heat away from a component. The fan and heat sink together are called
the processor cooler. The photo below shows a CPU with a heat sink mounted on the
motherboard.

5. Random Access Memory (RAM)

The Random Access Memory or RAM acts as temporary storage as long as the
computer is running. The contents of the RAM change as programs are
executed. These are chips that are placed directly on the motherboard. These RAM
consists of switches which are triggered by changes in electric current.

Three basic types of RAM:

1. Dynamic RAM (DRAM) – This kind of RAM needs to be recharged by the CPU.
If not, it loses its contents. There are many variations of DRAM such as:

o Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) – faster than DRAM because it is synchronized to

the system clock

o Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM – faster than SDRAM because they transfer
data twice for each clock cycle

o DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAM – faster than DDR SDRAM

o ambus DRAM (RDRAM) – type of DRAM faster than SDRAM that uses pipelining
techniques

2. Static RAM (SRAM) – This kind is faster and more reliable than any form of
DRAM. Unlike the DRAM, this does not need to be re-energized. However, it is much
more expensive and it used for special purposes.

3. Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) – This kind stores data using magnetic

charges instead of electrical charges. It has greater storage capacity, consume less
power, and faster access times.
 The RAM chips are housed in a small circuit board called the memory
module, which is inserted into the motherboard.

Three types of memory modules:

1. Single Inline Memory Module (SIMM) – this has pins on opposite sides of the
circuit board which connect together to form a single set of contacts. This houses
SDRAM chips along with DIMMs.

2. Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) – the pins on the opposite sides of the
circuit board do not connect and form two sets of contacts. This houses SDRAM chips
along with SIMMs.

3. Rambus Inline Memory Module (RIMM) – this houses RDRAM chips

The computer will need a certain amount of memory to be able to handle programs,
data, and information, depending on the types of applications used.

The more RAM a computer has, the faster the computer will be.

 To be able to use basic application software such as Office Suite, one needs at
least 1GB of RAM.

 Using programs and multimedia should have at least 4GB.

 Playing modern games or using editing software will require at least 8GB.

Today the RAM ranges up to 64GB depending on the programs that will be used for
the computer.

6. Cooling Technology
Cooling technologies are essential in avoiding the computer from overheating and
maintaining a good, well-ventilated system.

Chassis Fan

Several cooling technologies are present throughout the system unit:

o Fans are also present in several components such as the power supply, ports,
processor, hard disk etc.

o Heat sink, on another hand, is a small metal or ceramic component with fins on
the surface which absorbs and distributes heat produced by electrical components.

o Heat pipe is used on smaller devices like notebook computers since this is
smaller in size.

7. Expansion Cards
A motherboard has expansion slots to be used by expansion cards. An expansion
card, also called an adapter card, is a circuit board that provides more ports than
those provided by the motherboard.
The photo below shows a Video Card, where it provides three video ports. Notice
the cooling fan and heat sink on the card, which help to keep the card from
overheating. The trend today is for most ports in a system to be provided by the
motherboard (called onboard ports) and less use of expansion cards.

There are also other variants of expansion cards such as network cards, sound cards,
video capture cards, interface cards, and other expansion cards that cater to
whatever the computer user for his/her needs and improvements for the system.

8. Storage
A system might have one or more hard drives, an optical drive, a tape drive, or, for
really old systems, a floppy drive.

A hard drive, also called a hard disk drive (HDD), is permanent storage used to
hold data and programs.

Hard Disk Drive

For example, the Windows operating system and applications are installed on the
hard drive. All drives in a system are installed in a stack of drive bays at either the
front or on the lower portion of the case. Nowadays, users use Solid State Drive or
SSDs because of its use of flash memory, which does not use physical disks to write
memory/data.

Solid State Drive

Each drive has two connections for cables: the power cable connects to the power
supply and another cable, used for data and instructions, connects to the
motherboard.

SATA Cable // SATA Connector Slot in the Motherboard

Lesson 13: Basic Hardware

Components of Computer Systems
(Ports, Sockets, Slots, Connectors
and Peripheral Cables)
1. Ports, Sockets and Slots
The motherboard has several ports, sockets, slots, and connectors that link the
computers' components, input, and output devices among each other. First we'll look
at the port which are usually found at the side of the motherboard or the back of the
system case.

The port basically serves as an interface between the computer and other computers
or peripheral devices.

A port generally refers to the female part of connection. Computer ports have many
uses, to connect a monitor, webcam, speakers, or other peripheral devices.
 On the physical layer, a computer port is a specialized outlet on a piece of equipment
to which a plug or cable connects. Electronically, the several conductors where the
port and cable contacts connect, provide a method to transfer signals between
devices.

2. Ports
A port is a physical docking point using which an external device can be connected to
the computer. It can also be programmatic docking point through which information
flows from a program to the computer or over the Internet.

Characteristics of Ports
A port has the following characteristics −

 External devices are connected to a computer using cables and ports.

 Ports are slots on the motherboard into which a cable of external device is plugged in.

 Examples of external devices attached via ports are the mouse, keyboard, monitor,
microphone, speakers, etc.

Let us now discuss a few important types of ports −

Serial Port
 Used for external modems and older computer mouse

 Two versions: 9 pin, 25 pin model

 Data travels at 115 kilobits per second

Parallel Port
 Used for scanners and printers

 Also called printer port

 25 pin model

 IEEE 1284-compliant Centronics port

PS/2 Port
 Used for old computer keyboard and mouse

 Also called mouse port

 Most of the old computers provide two PS/2 port, each for the mouse and keyboard

 IEEE 1284-compliant Centronics port

 Universal Serial Bus (or USB) Port
 It can connect all kinds of external USB devices such as external hard disk, printer,
scanner, mouse, keyboard, etc.

 It was introduced in 1997.

 Most of the computers provide two USB ports as minimum.

 Data travels at 12 megabits per seconds.

 USB compliant devices can get power from a USB port.

VGA Port
 Connects monitor to a computer's video card.

 It has 15 holes.

 Similar to the serial port connector. However, serial port connector has pins, VGA port
has holes.

Power Connector
 Three-pronged plug.

 Connects to the computer's power cable that plugs into a power bar or wall socket.

Firewire Port
 Transfers large amount of data at very fast speed.

 Connects camcorders and video equipment to the computer.

 Data travels at 400 to 800 megabits per seconds.

 Invented by Apple.

 It has three variants: 4-Pin FireWire 400 connector, 6-Pin FireWire 400 connector, and
9-Pin FireWire 800 connector.

Modem Port

 Connects a PC's modem to the telephone network.

Ethernet Port
 Connects to a network and high speed Internet.

 Connects the network cable to a computer.

 This port resides on an Ethernet Card.

 Data travels at 10 megabits to 1000 megabits per seconds depending upon the
network bandwidth.
 Game Port
 Connect a joystick to a PC

 Now replaced by USB

Digital Video Interface, DVI port

 Connects Flat panel LCD monitor to the computer's high-end video graphic cards.

 Very popular among video card manufacturers.

Sockets
 Sockets connect the microphone and speakers to the sound card of the computer.

3. Slots
In computers, a slot, or expansion slot , is an engineered technique for adding capability to a computer
in the form of connection pinholes (typically, in the range of 16 to 64 closely-spaced holes) and a place
to fit an expansion card containing the circuitry that provides some specialized capability, such as
video acceleration, sound, or disk drive control.

Almost all desktop computers come with a set of expansion slots. These help ensure that you'll be able
to add new hardware capabilities in the future.

The Types of PC Expansion Slots

You can expand your PC internally by adding additional circuitry boards. Those boards, or expansion
cards, plug directly into expansion slots on the motherboard (as shown in this figure). So, you can
expand your computer system by adding options not included with the basic PC. Here are the types of
expansion slots your PC may have:

 PCI Express: The best type of expansion slot to have in your PC is the PCI Express, also written as
PCIe. Without boring you, the PCI Express type of expansion slot communicates with the
motherboard, and therefore with the microprocessor, both quickly and efficiently.

 PCI: The PCI slot is the most common form of internal expansion for a PC. (Some PCs have a mixture
of PCI and PCI Express slots. If so, go with PCI Express when you have that option)

 AGP: This type of expansion slot was specifically designed to deal with graphics adapters. In fact, AGP
stands for Accelerated Graphics Port. Older PCs may sport this expansion slot, but the best video cards
use PCI Express.

 ISA: The most ancient type of expansion slot is the ISA, which stands for (get this) Industry Standard
Architecture. That’s because it never really had a name until another, better type of expansion slot
came along. ISA slots hang around to be compatible with older expansion cards.

5. Peripheral Cables
COMMON CABLES INSTALLED ON A COMPUTER
USB 2.0 (UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS)

USB connectors that are used for connecting electronics such as printers,
smartphones, and digital cameras to a computer, television, or USB 2.0 port.
USB 3.0

If we compare USB 2.0 and 3.0 there are some major differences. First the transfer
rates: USB 2.0 offers transfer rates of 480 Mbps and USB 3.0 offers transfer rates of
4.8 Gbps; that's 10 time faster. But the transfer speeds also depend on the device in
use in addition to the bus type and USB ports and cables.

FIREWIRE

The main difference between the two is that FireWire is made to handle more data
than USB, particularly audio and visual information. For example, a 2.0 USB can
handle a data transfer rate of 480 Mbps, whereas an 800 FireWire can take on 800
Mbps.

ETHERNET

Ethernet is a way of connecting computers together in a local area network or LAN. It

has been the most widely used method of linking computers together in LANs since
the 1990s. The basic idea of its design is that multiple computers have access to it
and can send data at any time.

SATA CABLE

(SERIAL ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY ATTACHMENT)

Serial ATA (SATA, abbreviated from Serial AT Attachment) is a computer bus

interface that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk
drives, optical drives, and solid-state drives. SATA host adapters and devices
communicate via a high-speed serial cable over two pairs of conductors.

IDE CABLE

(INTEGRATED DRIVE ELECTRONICS)

It is a standard interface for IBM compatible hard drives and CD or DVD drives. IDE is
different than SCSI and Enhanced Small Device Interface (ESDI) because its
controllers are on each drive, meaning the drive can connect directly to the
motherboard or controller.

FLOPPY CABLE

A floppy cable is a ribbon cable found in PC's that allow one or more floppy disk
drives to be connected to a computer. The floppy channel, FDD header, or floppy
connection is where the floppy drive connects to the computer motherboard.

AC POWER CORD

Serial ATA (SATA, abbreviated from Serial AT Attachment) is a computer bus

interface that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk
drives, optical drives, and solid-state drives. SATA host adapters and devices
communicate via a high-speed serial cable over two pairs of conductors.

FRONT PANEL CONNECTOR

The front panel header is where the connectors of hard disk drive activity lights, case
speaker, reset button, power on/off button, computer power on light, and key lock,
are connected to make them function smoothly.

VGA CABLE (VIDEO GRAPHIC ARRAY)

A VGA cable is used to connect an analog PC monitor to a PC or laptop. VGA cables

utilize an HD15 connector (male or female depending on the equipment being
attached) to connect the monitor and PC/laptop.

DVI CABLE (DIGITAL VISUAL INTERFACE)

If you are connecting a DVI computer to a VGA monitor, this is the cable you want.
DVI-A are used to carry a DVI signal to an analog display, such as a CRT monitor or
budget LCD. The most common use of DVI-A is connecting to a VGA device, since
DVI-A and VGA carry the same signal.

HDMI CABLE (HIGH DEFINITION MULTIMEDIA INTERFACE)

HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box,
DVD player, or A/V receiver and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital
television (DTV), over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-
definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable.

Lesson 14: Hand Tools and

Equipment
1. Electrostatic Discharge Tools
When working with electronic equipment, it is important to make sure that there
is no static electricity to avoid damage of computer parts.

Static electricity can be easily generated by friction on carpets, clothing, hair, fabric,
flooring, etc.

Thus, these tools should be utilized:

Anti-static wrist wrap

Worn to prevent ESD damage to computer hardware

Anti-static mat

Used to stand on or place tools to prevent buildup of static electricity.

3. Cleaning Tools
Lint-free cloth

For cleaning computer parts without leaving marks or scratches.

Compressed air

For clearing or blowing away dust from computer parts.

Cable Ties

Used to organize and bundle cable together.

Parts organizer

For holding and organizing screws and other small computer parts.

4. Diagnostic Tools
Digital Multimeter

A tool that can be used to measure amps, volts, and ohms. It can test the integrity of
circuits and the quality of electricity in computer components. Information is flashed
on the screen.

Loopback Adapter

Also called as loopback plug. This tool tests the basic functionality of computer ports.
The adapter is specific to the port that you want to test.

Toner Probe

A two-part tool that generates a tone that travels the length of the cable. The toner
part is attached to a cable at one end using specific adapters, such as RJ-45, coaxial,
or metal clips. When the probe is near to the cable where the toner is attached, a
tone can be heard from the speaker.