Personal Computer

Personal Computer

1. The computer case contains the framework to support the internal components of a computer while providing an enclosure for added protection.

   • Case fans move air through the computer case. As the air passes warm components, it absorbs heat and then exits the case.
     • All computers need a power supply to convert alternating-current (AC) power from the wall socket into direct-current (DC) power.
       • The motherboard is the main circuit board in a computer. The size and shape of the computer case is usually determined by the motherboard, power supply, and other internal components. The specifications and dimensions of these components is called the form factor.

2. Each power supply connector uses a different voltage. Different connectors are used to connect specific components to various ports on the motherboard.

   • A Molex keyed connector connects to optical drives, hard drives, or other devices that use older technology.
     • A Berg keyed connector connects to a floppy drive.
       • A SATA keyed connector connects to an optical drive or a hard drive. The SATA connector is wider and thinner than a Molex connector.
         • A 20-pin or 24-pin slotted connector connects to the motherboard.
           • A 4-pin to 8-pin auxiliary power connector has two rows of two to four pins and supplies power to all areas of the motherboard.
             • A 6/8-pin PCIe power connector has two rows of three to four pins and supplies power to other internal components.
               • Older standard power supplies used two connectors called P8 and P9 to connect to the motherboard.

3. These are the four basic units of electricity: Voltage (V) Current (I) Power (P) Resistance (R)

   • Voltage is a measure of work required to move a charge from one location to another.
     • Current is a measure of the amount of electrons moving through a circuit per second
       • Power is a measure of the work required to move electrons through a circuit (voltage), multiplied by the number of electrons going through that circuit per second (current). The measurement is called watts (W). Computer power supplies are rated in watts.
         • Resistance is the opposition to the flow of current in a circuit, measured in ohms. Lower resistance allows more current to flow through a circuit. A good fuse has low resistance or almost 0 ohms.

4. The CPU socket or slot is the connection between the motherboard and the processor.

   • Overclocking is a technique used to make a processor work at a faster speed than its original specification.
     • The opposite of overclocking is CPU throttling. CPU throttling is a technique used when the processor runs at less than the rated speed to conserve power or produce less heat

5. The motherboard is the main printed circuit board and contains the buses, or electrical pathways, found in a computer. These buses allow data to travel between the various components that comprise a computer.

   • The form factor of motherboards pertains to the size and shape of the board.
     • The form factor determines how individual components attach to the motherboard and the shape of the computer case
       • A newer motherboard form factor, ATX, improved on the AT design. The ATX case accommodates the integrated I/O ports on the ATX motherboard.
         • The ITX form factor has gained in popularity because of its very small size. There are many types of ITX motherboards. The Mini-ITX form factor uses very little power, so fans are not needed to keep it cool. A Mini-ITX motherboard has only one PCI slot for expansion cards
           • The chipset is composed of various integrated circuits attached to the motherboard. They control how system hardware interacts with the CPU and motherboard.
             • The socket on the motherboard determines the type of CPU that can be installed.
               • The chipset also determines the type of connectors on the motherboard.
                 • Most chipsets are divided into two distinct components, Northbridge and Southbridge.
                   • What each component does varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. In general, the Northbridge controls access to the RAM, video card, and the speeds at which the CPU can communicate with them. The video card is sometimes integrated into the Northbridge.

6. The CPU socket or slot is the connection between the motherboard and the processor.

   • The power of a CPU is measured by the speed and the amount of data that it can process.
     • The speed of a CPU is rated in cycles per second, such as millions of cycles per second, called megahertz (MHz), or billions of cycles per second, called gigahertz (GHz).
       • The amount of data that a CPU can process at one time depends on the size of the front side bus (FSB).
         • The width of the FSB is measured in bits.
           • Current processors use a 32-bit or 64-bit FSB.
             • Overclocking is a technique used to make a processor work at a faster speed than its original specification.
               • The opposite of overclocking is CPU throttling
                 • CPU throttling is a technique used when the processor runs at less than the rated speed to conserve power or produce less heat. Throttling is commonly used on laptops and other mobile devices.