Lesson 3: Internal Computer Components Presentation PDF

# Lesson 3: Internal Components ## Motherboard The motherboard, also known as the mainboard, is the most important part of the computer. It is a large printed circuit board that is home to many of the essential parts of the computer. It connects or ties all these computer components, such as the...

# Lesson 3: Internal Components ## Motherboard The motherboard, also known as the mainboard, is the most important part of the computer. It is a large printed circuit board that is home to many of the essential parts of the computer. It connects or ties all these computer components, such as the microprocessor, chipset, cache, memory sockets, expansion bus, parallel and serial ports, mouse and keyboard connectors, and IDE/EIDE/SCSI controllers, together. The motherboard is the foundation of the computer. It has eight (8) major parts: 1. **CPU slot and socket** - where the CPU is usually mounted. 2. **Chipset** - contains many of the circuit and CPU level functions. 3. **Memory sockets** - where the memory is mounted, either as individual memory chips that fit into separate Dual Inline Packaging (DIP) sockets or as memory modules, like the Single Inline Memory Module (SIMM) or Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM), that snap into the edge connector mountings. 4. **BIOS ROM** - a read-only memory (ROM) chip that stores the BIOS as firmware; the BIOS runs as soon as the computer is turned on. 5. **CMOS battery** - supplies a steady power source to the CMOS or Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semi-conductor, which is where the configuration of a computer at the system level is stored, for use during the computers boot sequence. 6. **Power connector** - connects the motherboard to the power supply in order to power its circuitry 7. **I/O connectors** - allows the external devices to communicate with the CPU. A variety of these are included in the motherboard. 8. **Expansion slots** - usually include three or more of the different expansion buses available. Expansion buses interconnect external peripherals and internal devices on the motherboard and CPU. **Image Description:** A diagram of a motherboard showing its components, including: - Motherboard power port - RAM slot - CPU socket - SATA ports - PCI slot - CMOS battery - BIOS - I/O connectors Not all motherboards are created equal, a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and types are available. The two different design approaches used for computer motherboards are the motherboard style and the backplane style. The Motherboard Style is a single board design where all the computers electronic circuitry, which provides the channel where all operations flow, is located. ## CPU "The CPU, also known as the microprocessor or the processor, is a multifunction integrated circuit board where most of the calculations take place. It consists of nine (9) primary parts." ## Cooling "Heat sinks and cooling fans help prevent the processor from overheating which could cause it to decrease in performance, shut down, or be permanently damaged" **Image Description:** A photograph of a CPU cooler attached to a motherboard. ## ROM & RAM "Read-Only Memory (ROM) cannot be written to and, as its name suggests, can only be read. It is non-volatile, which means that even without a power source, the contents or data saved into the memory would be kept." ## Storage devices It is permanently stores to and/or retrieves data from magnetic or optical storage media. They can be internally stored in a computer case. Portable storage devices, sometimes called removable drives, are externally connected to the computer through a USB, FireWire, or SCSI port. ### Common types of storage devices: - **Hard Drive,** also known as hard disk drive, is a magnetic storage media that can be internally installed in the computer or externally accessed through a USB port. It can be used as means of expanding the memory of the computer. Its capacity is measured in Gigabytes (GB), which sometimes reaches Terabytes (TB), and its speed can be measured by its Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). - **Optical Drive** is an optical storage media that uses lasers to read or write data. ### Types of Optical Drives: - **Compact Disc (CD)** has a capacity of up to 700MB - **CD-ROM** is a pre-recorded read-only memory media. - **CD-R** is a recordable media that can only be recorded once. - **CD-RW** is a storage media where data can be erased and rewritten. - **Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)** has a capacity that reaches up to 8.5GB. - **DVD-ROM** is read-only memory media. - **DVD-RAM** is a random access memory media. - **DVD+/-R** is a DVD recordable media that can be recorded once. - **DVD+/-RW** is a DVD rewritable storage media. - **Flash Drive,** also referred to as a thumb drive, is a removable storage media that can be connected to the computer through a USB port and uses a special type of memory that does not require an active power source. Its storage capacity can reach up to 32GB. - **Solid State Drives (SSD)** is a type of mass storage device like a hard disk drive (HDD). It shares so much more in common with a simple portable flash drive than it does with a mechanical HDD. SSD, by contrast have no moving parts which gives it advantages such as accessing stored information faster, noiseless operation, higher reliability, and lower power consumption. - **Network Drive** is used in order to connect to a remote computer in order to access its data, directories, and applications. ## Internal Cables Each and every drive requires a data cable and a power cable. A SATA power connector is used for SATA drives, the Molex power connector is used for PATA drives, and a Berg four-pin connector is used for floppy drives. ### Various types of Data Cables available: - **PATA (IDE)** data cable has 40 conductors, two 40-pin connectors for drives, and one 40-pin connector for the drive controller. - **PATA (EIDE)** data cable has 80 conductors, two 40-pin connectors for drives, and one 40-pin connector for the drive controller. - **SATA** data cable has 7 conductors, one keyed connector for the drive, and one keyed connector for the drive controller. - **SCSI** data cable has three types: - **Narrow SCSI** data cable has 50 conductors, up to seven 50-pin connectors for drives, and one 50-pin connector for the drive controller, also called the host adapter. - **Wide SCSI** data cable has 68 conductors, up to 15 68-pin connectors for drives, and one 68-pin connector for the host adapter. - **Alt-4 SCSI** data cable has 80 conductors, up to 15 80-pin connectors for drives, and one 80-pin connector for the host adapter.