TLE 10 2ND SUMMATIVE TERM 1

CPU

acts as the brain / processes all instructions

RAM

temporarily stores active data and instructions

NIC

connects a computer to a network

BIOS/UEFI

initializes and tests hardware during booting

GPU

accelerates graphics rendering

iGPU

typically low powered and shares the same system with the RAM and CPU (kind of GPU)

dGPU

standalone graphics card or chip with its own dedicated memory (kind of GPU)

motherboard

a printed circuit board and allows the parts to function together

CPU socket

holds the processor

RAM slots

holds memory modules

BIOS/UEFI chip

stores startup firmware

PCI/PCIe slots

allows expansion cards

chipset

coordinates data flow

SATA/IDE connectors

connects storage drives

I/O ports

connects external ports

chipsets

coordinates data flow to and from key components

northbridge/memory controller

links CPU and RAM in older designs (under chipsets)

southbridge/ I/O controller

handles slower peripheral communication (under chipsets)

storage connectors

links HDDs, SSDs, and optical drives

I/O ports

connects external devices

PSU

pumps electricity to every part

graphics, network, and sound

what are the expansion cards?

hard disk drive

slow, permanent storage

HDD

consists of rapidly spinning magnetic platters and mechanical read/write heads thataccess and alters data

SSD

moders, high speed storage device that uses non-volatile flash memory to persistently save files, photos, and applications

fan and heat sink

what are the two cooling mechanisms?

fan

moves hot air away

heat sink

absorbs heat from the CPU

data cables

carry communication between devices

monitor cable

creates an image on the monitor

power cables

delivers electricity to devices