Week 2 easy

Motherboard Components and Features

• A motherboard's socket type varies depending on the CPU architecture (e.g., Intel's LGA1200, AMD's AM4).
• RAM slots are used to insert memory (RAM) modules, with the number of slots varying and motherboards supporting specific types and capacities of RAM (e.g., DDR4).

BIOS/UEFI Chip

• The BIOS/UEFI chip contains the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) or the newer Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), which initializes the hardware during the booting process.

Expansion (Peripheral) Slots

• Expansion slots, including PCI, PCIe, and sometimes older slots like AGP, allow users to add expansion cards like graphics cards, sound cards, or networking cards.

Input/Output (I/O) Panel

• The I/O panel contains ports for external connections, including USB ports, audio jacks, display ports (e.g., HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort), Ethernet ports, and sometimes legacy ports like PS/2.

Memory (RAM) - Random Access Memory

• RAM is a type of volatile memory that retains data only when the system is powered on.
• RAM provides the space for the operating system, applications, and system processes to operate, serving as the computer's short-term memory.
• RAM speed is measured in Megahertz (MHz), and the higher the RAM speed, the faster the computer can access and transfer data.

Storage Devices

• Solid State Drives (SSDs) use flash memory to store data, with no moving parts, and are faster than Hard Disk Drives (HDDs).
• Hybrid Drives (SSHD) are a combination of HDD and SSD, storing frequently used data on the SSD portion and less frequently used data on the HDD portion.

Types of Computer Ports

• Serial port: used to connect older devices, such as modems and printers.
• Parallel port: used to connect older devices, such as printers.

CMOS Chip

• The CMOS chip stores the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) settings, including the system time and date, hardware configuration.

Power Supply Unit (PSU)

• The Power Supply Unit (PSU) provides electrical power to the computer's internal components, converting AC power to DC power.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

• The CPU is the primary computational engine of a computer, responsible for executing instructions of a computer program and performing basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations.

Types of RAM

• DRAM (Dynamic RAM): the most common type of RAM used in personal computers, needing to be refreshed thousands of times per second.
• SRAM (Static RAM): faster and more reliable than DRAM but also more expensive, often used for cache memory within the CPU.

Storage Devices

• Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) use rotating magnetic disks (platters) to store data, with a read/write head on an arm accessing the data while the platters are spinning.
• SSDs are faster than HDDs, but HDDs are generally cheaper per gigabyte and offer higher maximum capacities.