Computer Components
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Motherboard
The motherboard is the main circuit board of a computer.
EVERYTHING in a computer system is connected to it!!!
Produced in a variety of sizes (a.k.a. form factor)
Components
The following are components that are typically connected to a motherboard
CPU
Hard Drive
Optical Drive (DVD, CD, etc)þ
RAM
Video Card
Power supply
A motherboard contains the following slots, sockets, and connectors for components
Exercise: What components are typically connected to each slot or port?
PCI expansion slot
AGP video slot
IDE socket
Primary and secondary
RAM slot
Processor socket (for CPU)
The chipset is the “glue” that connects the CPU to the rest of the
motherboard.
consists of two parts: the north bridge and the south bridge
North bridge
Memory controller hub
Handles communication between CPU and memory
South bridge
I/O controller hub
Handles communications between CPU and I/O devices
BIOS
Basic Input/Output System
BIOS is a built-in software (code built into a chip) that operates the basic functions of
a computer
BIOS contains all the code required to control the keyboard, display screen, disk
drives, serial communications, and a number of miscellaneous functions
Other Important Specifications
CPU Socket – slot that the houses the CPU in a computer system.
Each socket is meant to house specific types of CPU’s and may not be compatible
with others
CPU – Central Processing Unit
Central Processing Unit
The CPU or Central Processing Unit
The part of a computer that interprets and executes instructions.
It’s the “brains” of the computer.
The socket type of the motherboard and CPU MUST match!!!
Hertz
One hertz: is a one cycle per second
Therefore……
1 kilohertz (KHz) = 10241 hertz
1 megahertz (MHz) = 10242 hertz
1 gigahertz (GHz) = 10243 hertz
Specifications
Socket type
The physical connection between the motherboard and CPU
The slot where the CPU is attached to the motherboard
E.g. socket LGA775, socket 478,….
Clock rate
Measured in cycles per second (hertz)
E.g. megahertz, gigahertz
FSB (Front Side Bus)
Bus
A circuit that connects one part of the motherboard to another
The more data a bus can handle at one time, the faster it allows information
to travel.
The speed of the bus is measured in megahertz
FSB is a subsystem that carries data from the CPU to motherboard (north
bridge)
Cache
Temporary storage for data that is accessed frequently.
Frequently accessed data is copied into cache
Copied Data can be accessed once stored in cache instead of accessing original
data (which tends to take more time).
Measured in bytes (e.g. megabytes)
Used in CPU, motherboard, internet browsers
Types of CPU’s
Current processor is the Intel Core 2 which is the 8 th generation of CPU from the x86
architecture
Core 2 replaces the Pentium 4 CPU’s
Core 2 consists of three models
Core 2 duo – a single chip containing 2 distinct processors that work simultaneously
Core Quad – a single chip containing 4 distinct processors
Core Extreme – duo or quad with a higher processor and bus speed designed for
servers and high-end workstations
AMD
Sempron – 32-bit CPU’s marketed towards the value market
Athlon 64 – the first 64-bit CPU targeted towards the average consumer
Athlon 64 XP – AMD’s first dual core processor which contains two Athlon 64 Cores
in a single chip
Power Supply Unit
Supplies electricity to components in a computer system
Converts AC (general purpose) to low voltage DC used by the system
typical voltages supplied are:
3.3 volts (digital circuits)
5 volts (digital circuits)
12 volts (motors, fans)
Graphics Processing Unit
Translates image data from the computer into a format that can be displayed by the
monitor
Performs calculations related to producing an image (This requires memory!)
Each motherboard supports only a limited range of video card formats
Soundcard
used by the computer to record and play audio by converting analog sound into
digital information and back again
