Chapter 1 Review

Chapter 1 Review

1. Types of computer cases

   • Computer chassis
     • Cabinet
       • Tower
         • Box
           • Housing

2. Cases and Power Supplies

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

3. Internal PC Components

   • MotherBoard
     • 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. a variety of motherboards. A motherboard is also known as the system board or the main board.

4. CPU'S

   • The central processing unit (CPU) is considered the brain of the computer. It is sometimes referred to as the processor. Most calculations take place in the CPU. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system. CPUs come in different form factors, each style requiring a particular slot or socket on the motherboard. Common CPU manufacturers include Intel and AMD.

5. Cooling Systems

   • The flow of current between the electronic components generates heat. Computer components perform better when kept cool. If the heat is not removed, the computer may run slower. If too much heat builds up, computer components can be damaged.

6. ROM

   • RAM
     • RAM is the temporary storage for data and programs that are being accessed by the CPU. RAM is volatile memory, which means that the contents are erased when the computer is powered off.
   • Read-only memory (ROM) chips are located on the motherboard and other circuit boards. ROM chips contain instructions that can be directly accessed by a CPU

7. Cache

   • Static RAM (SRAM) is used as cache memory to store the most recently used data and instructions

8. Error Checking

   • Memory errors occur when the data is not stored correctly in the RAM chips. The computer uses different methods to detect and correct data errors in memory

9. Network Interface Card (NIC)

   • Connects a computer to a network using a network cable
   • Wireless NIC
     • Connects a computer to a network using radio frequencies
     • Sound adapter
       • Provides audio capability.
       • Video adapter
         • Provides graphic capability.
         • )Provides graphic capability.
           • Sends a video signal to a computer so that the signal can be recorded to the computer hard drive with Video Capture software.
           • TV tuner card
             • Provides the ability to watch and record television signals on a PC by connecting a cable television, satellite, or antenna to the installed tuner card.
             • Modem adapter
               • Connects a computer to the Internet using a phone line.
               • Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapter
                 • Connects SCSI devices, such as hard drives or tape drives, to a computer.
                 • Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) adapter
                   • Connects multiple hard drives to a computer to provide redundancy and to improve performance.
                   • Universal Serial Bus (USB) port -
                     • Connects a computer to peripheral devices.
                     • Parallel port
                       • Connects a computer to peripheral devices.
                       • Serial port
                         • Connects a computer to peripheral devices.

10. There are several types of optical media:

    • CD-ROM
      • - CD read-only memory media that is pre-recorded
      • CD-R
        • CD recordable media that can be recorded one time
        • CD-RW
          • CD rewritable media that can be recorded, erased, and re-recorded
          • DVD-ROM
            • DVD read-only memory media that is pre-recorded
            • DVD-RAM
              • DVD RAM media that can be recorded, erased, and re-recorded
              • DVD+/-R
                • DVD recordable media that can be recorded one time
                • DVD+/-RW
                  • DVD rewritable media that can be recorded, erased, and re-recorded
                  • BD-ROM
                    • Blu-ray read-only media that is pre-recorded with movies, games, or software
                    • BD-R
                      • Blu-ray recordable media that can record high-definition (HD) video and PC data storage one time
                      • BD-RE
                        • Blu-ray rewritable format for HD video recording and PC data storage

11. Pixel

    • he term pixel is an abbreviation for picture element. Pixels are the tiny dots that comprise a screen. Each pixel consists of red, green, and blue.
    • Dot pitch
      • Dot pitch is the distance between pixels on the screen. A lower dot pitch number produces a better image.
      • Contrast ratio
        • The contrast ratio is a measurement of the difference in intensity of light between the brightest point (white) and the darkest point (black). A 10,000:1 contrast ratio shows dimmer whites and lighter blacks than a monitor with a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1.
        • Refresh rate
          • The refresh rate is how often per second the image is rebuilt. A higher refresh rate produces a better image and reduces the level of flicker.

12. Contrast of monitors

    • Brightness
      • Intensity of the image
      • Contrast
        • Ratio of light to dark
        • Position
          • Vertical and horizontal location of the image on the screen
          • Reset
            • Returns the monitor settings to factory settings

13. An optical drive uses a laser to read and write data to and from optical media. There are several factors to consider when purchasing an optical drive:

    • Format
      • Writing capability
        • Reading capability
          • Interface type

14. External storage connects to an external port, such as a USB, IEEE 1394, SCSI, or eSATA. External flash drives, sometimes called thumb drives, that connect to a USB port are a type of removable storage. There are several factors to consider when purchasing external storage:

    • Port type
      • Storage capacity
        • Speed
          • Portability
            • Power requirements