The complete computer is made up of CPU (Central Processing Unit), Memory and Related Electronics, All the peripheral devices connected to it and its operating system. Computer Systems will fall into 2 categories: Clients and Servers.
Any computer system needs both hardware and software components to work together to help the computer system to work.
Hardware - Is a physical component that contributes to the build of a computer system. For example… Processor, Main memory, Secondary Memory, Input Devices, Output Devices
Software - Is computer programmes and data that help provide the BIOS instructions for telling the hardware what to do and how to do it. For example… the operating system is the most obvious system software. …show more content…
The CPU processes everything going through, and decides how to run it in a matter of seconds. The CPU controls everything on a computer, even Windows. The CPU is most likely the most important component in a computer, since everything is so dependent upon it. The heat sink draws the heat away form the component that is being used, stops it from getting hot.
The Motherboard:
The motherboard is the connection between all of the components. The motherboard has many form factors, these will determine where the components go and the shape of the computer case. The most common motherboard form factors will either be Micro-ATX, Mini-ATX and ATX. The difference between these is the amount of expansion slots, and features. However this does depend on the more advanced motherboard you get. For example a more advanced Mini-ATX motherboard might have the same features as a standard ATX motherboard.
BIOS:
BIOS is a set of computer instructions in firmware which controls input and output operations (Basic Input Output Systems).The BIOS will make sure that all the other chips, hard drives, ports and cPU function together. There are two different types of …show more content…
It has to have the 25pion male port although PCs will only use 9 of the pins which will be regularly changed by the 9-pin male port.
Specialized cards:
Network Interface card (NIC):
A NIC is an electronic device that connects a computer to a computer network, Mostly the Local Area Network (LAN). These network cards enable you to transfer and exchange data with the network.
Graphics card:
A graphics card is what you see on your monitor, it creates images which are made up of tiny dots called pixels. Usually it displays over a million pixels, and the computer has to make a decision on what to do with every single one in order to create an image.
Cabling:
Coaxial:
This is the old way of cabling networks. This has now recently started being used in homes, creating broadband services. This cable has an inner conductor surrounded by a tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield.
Optical:
This is a cable which has a number of optical fibers connected together, these are normally covered in their own protective plastic covers. Optical cables are used for transferring digital and data