Hyperskittles

What do you need for a computer

• Case
• Motherboard
• CPU (Central Processing Unit)
• GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
• RAM (Random Access Memory) aka memory
• Storage Device or hard drive disk
• Cooling or fans
• PSU (Power Supply Unit)
• OS (Operating System)
• Input devices, keyboard, mouse
• Monitor

What does each part do in a PC?

Cases

The case holds everything inside of the PC. Cases come in different sizes, colours, shapes, and everything else. Most common PC cases usually have some kind of tower. The case might have a mini-tower, a mid-sized tower, a full-sized tower, a desktop, and a slimline desktop. The cases affect how the PC performs because of airflow due to the size. If you want more airflow in your PC, you should go for a bigger size. If you want less airflow, you should go for a smaller case. If you don’t have enough airflow in your PC, it can cause it to overheat from too much heat and not the correct ventilation. PC cases can come in many different materials such as aluminum, steel plastic, acrylic and wood.

Mini Towers

If you aren’t going to put a lot of hardware in your PC then a mini-tower would be good for you since the mini-towers don’t have a lot of drive bays. The mini-towers only have about 3 or 4 drive bays. A drive bay is what you need to connect your hardware to your computer. As well as the mini-towers can only take up to 3 expansion slots in the motherboard. The mini-towers are more meant for casual owners and small business owners.

Mid-sized Towers

The mid-sized tower is the most popular choice in computer cases when you are looking to buy one. The mid-sized towers can deal with quite a few more expansions than the mini-tower. The mid-sized tower can be used by advanced owers, casual owners, and business owners. The mid-sized towers can be used by almost anyone looking to buy a computer tower.

Full-sized Towers

The full-sized tower includes lots of drive bays and amazing for people who like to game. It’s good for people who like to game since it has a lot more drive bays and it’s a larger size. The full-sized tower can also contain a lot more upgrades since it is a larger size than the other towers.

Desktops

The desktop looks like a mini-tower except it’s weak for the upgrades. If you want to upgrade in the future you will want to go for the tower-type cases instead of a desktop.

Slim-line Desktops

The slim-line desktop has even less capacity for stuff. Due to that the slim-line desktop isn’t the best if you are a small business owner and works better for people with larger businesses as long as you have quite a few other slim-line desktops connected to a server. A server is another computer that server information to the computers. The computers can connect to a local area network or wide area network like the internet.

Size

The size of the case is important since it lets airflow through the case so it doesn’t overheat as easily. Space lets you see how big of a CPU you can have and how much hardware you are allowed to have. When you are buying a case you need to see how much space you have on your desk. If you don’t have a lot of space you should probably get a mini-tower but if you have a large amount of space you could get a full-sized tower.

Types

The type of case you get is also a very important factor. There are 2 types of cases but those cases also have different types. The 2 types of cases are AT and ATX. The AT case is an older type of case while the ATX is a newer type of case. The AT is considered to be outdated since there is now the ATX. The ATX is more advanced and has more room for hardware.

Space

The space is important since this also affects the airflow through the case and helps it from overheating since it has more room for ventilation. If you don’t want or need a lot of hardware you should probably go for a mini-case. If you plan on getting a lot of hardware you would probably want to go for either a mid-sized or a full-sized tower. The towers include more room for air and hardware.

Ports

Ports are like headphone jacks, USB spaces etc. Ports can be found at either the rear of the case or the front of the case. A case that provides easy access to the ports is a must so that you don’t have to go searching for them. When looking for a case to buy you should look for the cases that have the ports at the front and back and not anywhere else even if you can buy adapters for them.

Motherboards

The motherboard is a circuit board and the foundation of a computer. If you didn’t have a motherboard there would be no way to connect anything and the computer wouldn’t work. The motherboard is the biggest circuit board in a computer and is usually found on the left or right side of the tower. The motherboard is what connects most things and as some computer, perpendicular to connect with. A perpendicular is an input or output device which is where you add instructions and information for the computer.

Motherboard Components

The components of a motherboard are the expansions slots, 3-pin case fan connectors, heat sink, 4-pin power connector, inductor, capacitor, CPU socket, northbridge, screw hole, memory slot, super I/O, ATA/IDE disk drive primary connection, 24-pin ATX power supply connector, serial ATA connections, coin cell battery, RAID, system panel connector, USB headers, jumpers, integrated circuit, 1394 headers, SPDIF, CD-IN. Some other motherboard components are BIOS, bus, cache memory, chipset, diode, dip switches, electrolytic, floppy connection, fuse, game port and MIDI header, internal speaker, keyboard controller, LCC, network header, AMR CNR ISA and VESA expansion slots, SIMM memory spots, LED onboard, parallel port header, PS/2 header, resistor, RTC, serial port header, SCSI, solenoid, voltage regulator. 3-Pin Case Fan Connectors A 3-pin case fan connector is just power, ground, and signal. The wire for the signal measures how fast a fan is moving without any controls for the speed of the fan. The speed of a fan is almost always controlled by the increase or decrease of voltage through the power wire.

Heat Sink

The heat sink is a device that incorporates a fan or another type of cooling device to help the computer cool down. There are two different types of heat sinks there is the active heat sink and the passive heat sink.

4-Pin Power Connector

A 4-pin power connector is also called a P4. A P4 connector is a 12V power supply cable used with the motherboard. Now the connector is a standard power connector that can be used with both intel and AMD motherboards. A P4 cable has two black wires that serve as a ground and 2 yellows that serve as the +12VDC. These 4 wires all connect forming the 4-pin power connector on the motherboard.

Inductor/Coil

The inductor is a magnetic energy that a coil created. The coil used to make the inductor is short for an electromagnetic coil. The coil is a conducting wire like copper that is shaped in a helical form around an iron core. The coils are often used to remove power spikes and power dips from the power.

Northbridge

The northbridge is also called the NB. Northbridge is an integrated circuit that is responsible for the communications between the CPU interface, APG and memory. Unlike the southbridge, the northbridge is directly connected to the components. The northbridge acts like a bridge like you would probably guess from the name. The bridge is used as a bridge for the northbridge to reach the southbridge chip. The southbridge chip communicates with the CPU, RAM, and graphics controller. Now the northbridge is just a single chip that is north of the PCI bus. When the CPU needs data from the RAM it sends a message request to the northbridge memory controller. Once the request is received the northbridge responds to the message saying how long the processor needs to wait so it can read the memory over.

Memory Slot

Memory slots can also be known as the memory socket and RAM slot which is where you can insert your RAM. Most motherboards have 2 to 4 memory slots. These determine what kind of RAM you need for that computer. The 2 most common RAMs for a desktop computer are the SDRAM and DDR. The 1 most common for laptop computers is the SODIMM. Each of these RAMs has different speeds and different types.

SDRAM

SDRAM is short for Synchronous DRAM which is a type of memory that syncs itself with the computer’s clock system. Since it is synchronized it allows the memory to run at high speeds than the previous memory types and also the asynchronized DRAM and can support up to 133 MHz system bus clock.

DRAM

DRAM is short for dynamic random access memory, DRAM is one of the most common RAM modules found in PC-compatible personal computers and workstations. The DRAM stores its information in a cell containing the capacitor and the transistor, because of the design these cells must be refreshed with new electricity every few milliseconds for the memory to properly hold its data.

DDR

DDR is short for double data rate, but now it has been replaced with the DDR2. The DDR utilizes both the rising and falling edge of the system clock. Which could potentially be doubling the speed of the memory. Today DDR technology is found on high-end video cards and computer memory such as the DDR-SDRAM.

DDR-SDRAM

DDR-SDRAM is short for double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory. DDR-SDRAM is a SDRAM that allows for data to transfer on both edges of the clock, effectively doubling the speed. Even though DDR is in desktop computers the increase in power efficiency makes it an ideal solution for laptops.

DIMM

DIMM is short for dual in-line memory module which is a module containing a circuit board and one more memory access chip. DIMMs always have a 168-pin connector, which is from the advent of the Pentium processor, and a 64-bit path. DIMMs can be installed one at a time, unlike a SIMM where they have to be installed one at a time.

Pentium Processor

The name Pentium is greek for 5 and it’s called that since it is the 5gh processor in the 80x86 line. The Intel processors were available with speeds between 60 MHz and 300 MHz, they had a 64-bit data bus, and had 1.9 million more than the 80486DX.

Super I/O

Super I/O is short for super input/output or SIO. SIO is an integrated circuit on a computer motherboard that handles the slower and less prominent inputs and outputs. The super input/output was first introduced in the late 1980s, it was found on an expansion card. Later on, the chip was embedded into the motherboard and communicated over the ISA bus. Now SIO communicated through the Southbridge and is still used with computers to support older legacy devices.

Integrated Circut

The integrated circuit is a package that contains silicon with many circuits, logic gates, pathways, transistors, and other components that work together to perform certain functions or multiple functions at once. Integrated circuits are the building blocks of computer hardware.

RAID

RAID is short for redundant array of independent disks. RAID is an assortment of hard drive disks connected and set up in different ways to help protect or speed up the performance of a computer's disk storage. RAID is most commonly used on servers and high-performing computers.

Jumpers

Jumpers allow the computer to close an electrical circuit which allows electricity to flow on a circuit board and perform a function. Jumpers are made up of small pins that can be covered with a small plastic box called a jumper blocker.

1394 Header and USB header

The 1394 headers and USB headers are pin connections found on the motherboard of a computer that allows additional 1394 and USB connections to be added to the computer.

SPDIF

SPDIF is short for Sony and Phillips Digital Interconnection Format. The SPDIF interface transmits digital audio in a compressed form between audio equipment and home theatre systems. The SPDIF interface can utilize a coaxial cable or a fibre optic cable to transmit the audio. The most common equipment to use this interface is the DVD player and the CD player. Which connects to a home theatre system for Dolby Digital or DTS surround sound.

CD-IN

The CD-IN is also called the optical drive audio connector. The CD-IN is a four-pin connector found on a computer's motherboard or sound card that connects to an optical drive's audio.

BIOS

BIOS is short for Basic Input/Output System. The BIOS is a ROM chip found on the motherboard that allows you to access and set up your computer at the most basic level.

Resistor

A resistor is one of the most commonly found components in an electronic circuit. Resistors help to restrict and impede a current flow.

VRM

VRM is short for voltage regulator module. The VRM is either embedded into the motherboard or a separate, small circuit board that regulates and supplies the correct voltage to the processor.

Expansion Slots

The expansion slots contain the APG (video card), AMR (Modem, sound card), CNR (Modem, network card, sound card), EISA (SCSI, network card, video card), ISA (network card, sound card, video card), PCI (network card, SCSI, sound card, video card), PCI Express (video card, modem, sound card, network card), VESA (video card). Expansion slots give the user the ability to add new or different devices to their computer. Some gamers add more video cards to their computers so their games can perform better. The expansion slots allow the user to remove the old video card and replace it without having to get a whole new motherboard.

APG (Video Card)

The APG video card stands for the accelerated graphics card, the APG is an advanced design for a video card and 3D accelerators. The APG channel runs at 66 MHz (MHz is the clock speed of your computer and on MHz is equal to 1 million ticks per second) and is about 32-bits wide. Today the APG card has been replaced with the PCI Express card.

AMR (Modem, Sound Card)

The AMR is short for audio/modem riser and allows the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to make either a card with the functionality of a Modem card or an audio card or sometimes even both. The AMR cards are no longer found or used with modern-day computers.

CNR (Modem, Network Card, Sound Card)

CNR is short for communication and network riser. The CNR is a specification that supports the Audio, Modem, USB, and LAN interfaces. Today the CNR is no longer found in motherboards and was replaced with the PCI.

Connections, Ports, and Slots

There is no standard amount of ports, connections, and slots needed for a motherboard. Each motherboard is unique and has different amounts. The best way to find out how many your motherboard has is by looking up the motherboard’s specifications contained in its document. If you can’t find or throw out the document about the motherboard you can usually download a free PDF file from the manufacturer’s website. The slots, connectors, and ports might be colour coded so it’s easier for you to figure out where everything connects to. Some motherboards have them colour-coded so you can figure out where the secondary and primary ports connect to. When the memory slots are different colours it tells you that the memory is a dual-channel and they should be connected to the same colour.

CPU(Central Processing Unit)

CPU is short for central processing unit, the CPU handles all the instructions it receives from the hardware and software running on the computer.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

GPU is short for graphics processing unit is an electronic circuit used to speed up the recreation of both 2D and 3D images. A GPU can either be integrated which means they are built into the computer's CPU or motherboard or the GPU can be dedicated which means they are a separate piece of hardware known as a video card.

Ram (Random Access Memory)

RAM is short for random access memory, RAM is a hardware device that allows information to be stored and retrieved on a computer. RAM is usually associated with DRAM which is a type of memory module.

PSU (Power Supply Unit)

The PSU is a hardware component of a computer that supplies all the other components with power. The power supply converts a 110-115 or 220-230 volt AC into a steady low-voltage DC that is usable by the computer and rated by the number of watts it generates.

OS (Operating System)

The OS is the software installed on the computer's hard drive that enables the computer's hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer and its software would be completely useless.