Hardware (5)

Motherboard

  • Main circuit board in a computer system.

  • Distributes power and allows communication between hardware components.

Power Supply Unit (PSU)

  • Supplies power to the computer.

  • Converts AC current to DC current for components.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

  • Secondary memory and permanent storage medium.

  • Non-volatile, uses magnetic storage.

  • Has moving parts; slower than SSD.

Solid State Drive (SSD)

  • Secondary memory and permanent storage medium.

  • Non-volatile, uses flash memory technology.

  • No moving parts; faster than HDD.

M.2 (SSD)

  • Secondary memory and permanent storage medium.

  • Non-volatile, utilizes flash memory technology.

  • Used in mobile devices; faster than HDD.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

  • Primary memory, temporary storage.

  • Volatile; loses information when powered off.

  • Loads applications, data, OS for operation.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

  • The "brain" of the computer, processes instructions.

  • Two parts: Control Unit and Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU).

  • Control Unit executes instructions; ALU performs calculations and logic.

CPU Details

  • Key components: Number of physical cores (dual-core, quad-core).

  • Speed measured in GigaHertz (GHz); indicates processing speed.

Read Only Memory (ROM)

  • Permanent storage on the motherboard.

  • Contains instructions for the BIOS, is non-volatile.

CMOS

  • Chip on motherboard powered by a battery.

  • Stores BIOS settings such as date and hardware configurations.

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

  • Pre-installed program accessed at startup, before loading OS.

  • Checks hardware functionality and loads OS into RAM.

Graphics Card

  • Processes and outputs graphical data.

  • Alleviates RAM processing workload using its own GPU and RAM.

CPU Fan

  • Cools the heatsink on top of the CPU chip.

Heatsink

  • Draws heat away from the CPU; consists of fins that dissipate heat.

  • Placed directly over the CPU, works with CPU fan for cooling.

NIC (Network Interface Card)

  • Connects the computer to physical networks via ethernet cables.

Sound Card

  • Expansion card that enhances sound capabilities of the computer.

Optical Drive (CD ROM)

  • Reads data from optical discs like CDs and DVDs using a laser.