In this project, we will be exploring the computer system, specifically the pieces of hardware that make it up. Here are the main things that will be covered:
Let's get started on how the computer looked before we deconstructed it...
A computer case is the area that contains the greater components of a computer, such as the RAM and hard drive. The computer case protects and holds together all the pieces that are mandatory for a computer to function properly.
The CPU was one of the first parts our group had managed to pull out of the computer, it is commonly referred to as the "brains" of
a computer. The CPU is also known as the processor. The CPU is responsible for executing a program.
The CPU is a scaled down electronic segment that can be alluded to as the mind of the PC. It is responsible for two things:
Although the instructions performed by the CPU are relatively simple, the CPU can execute many millions of instructions every second. This is what makes the PC such a powerful tool.
We had already detached the CPU cooling fan, and heatsink, prior to detaching the CPU, it removes the waste heat produced by the CPU, to keep it within permissible operating temperature limits.
A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached to, a computer case used for active cooling. As processors, graphics cards, RAM and other components in computers have increased in speed and power consumption, the amount of heat produced by these components as a side-effect has also increased. These components need to be kept within a specified temperature range to prevent overheating, instability, malfunction and damage leading to a shortened lifespan. In our case, we only had a fan for the CPU.
Although we had managed to take out the CPU quickly, the motherboard took quite a while to detach, it is a printed circuit board that is known as the foundation of a computer. It allocates power and allows communication to the CPU, RAM, and all other computer hardware components.
The motherboard holds the CPU, memory chips (RAM and ROM), development spaces, control connectors and some other microchips required for the PC to work. The motherboard is also sometimes referred to as the mainboard, mboard, mobo, mobd, or a rationale load up on Macintosh PCs. The motherboard is a printed circuit board that is the establishment of a PC, usually located on the back or at the base of the computer case. It dispenses control and enables correspondence to the CPU, RAM, and all other PC parts.
We managed to detach the riser card immediately after pulling out the motherboard, it is a board that plugs into the motherboard and provides additional expansion slots. Because it rises above the motherboard, it enables you to connect additional adapters to the system in an orientation that is parallel to the system board and save space within the computer case.
A riser card is a printed circuit board that picks up a multitude of signal lines (often bused) via a single connector (usually an edge connector) on a motherboard and distributes them via dedicated connectors on the card.
These cables are commonly used to connect multiple video cards to a motherboard by "lifting them" off and away from the motherboard. This also allows for more efficient cooling, thereby increasing the life of the cards, as well as possibly running at higher speeds.
We only had one stick of RAM.
RAM is used as a way of temporarily storing information used by components of a PC.
By adding more RAM to a computer, the performance of the computer enhances and more programs can be installed and run at the same time.
A hard disk drive (HDD) is a data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital information using one or more rotating disks coated with magnetic material. The disks are paired with magnetic heads, usually arranged on a moving actuator arm, which read and write data to the disks' surfaces. Data is accessed in a random-access manner. HDDs are a type of non-volatile storage, keeping stored data even when powered off.
The PSU was the last part our group pulled out of the computer, it sends low-voltage power to the internal components of a computer. Modern PCs universally use power supplies with switches. Some power supplies have a manual switch for selecting the input and output voltage, while others automatically adapt to the source.
The power supply is in charge of changing over the approaching power supply to the 5V and 12V DC control that is required by the PC. The 5V supply is utilized to control the circuit sheets on the PC. The 12V supply is utilized to control engine driven gadgets, for example, hard drives or Compact disc ROMs.
The FDD was one of the first parts our groups had managed to pull out of the computer, it is a magnetic storage drive for computers. The floppy disk is composed of a thin, flexible magnetic disk sealed in a square plastic carrier (it looks like the save icon on most word-processing applications). In order to read and write data from a floppy disk, a computer system must have a floppy disk drive.
A floppy disk, also called a floppy, diskette, or just disk, is a type of disk storage composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic enclosure lined with fabric that removes dust particles. Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive (FDD).
The optical disk drive was taken out right after the floppy disk.
In computing, an optical disc drive (ODD) is a disk drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves as part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Some drives can only read from certain discs. Recently though, drives can both read and record, but they are called burners or writers. Compact discs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs are common types of optical media which can be read and recorded by such drives.
A computer has two main parts. The software and the hardware. The software has all the instructions, including the operating system, programs, and applications, needed to run properly. The hardware has all the physical elements that make the computer work. Let’s imagine a restaurant. Everyday, the owner comes and makes sure that everything is ready. The owner in a computer is the Read Only Memory (ROM, which can’t be modified). To keep everything running properly in the restaurant, we need a manager or the Central Processing Unit (CPU). Let’s say a customer makes an order. The order would act as input data. A waiter or databus (in a computer) then carries this information to the kitchen, or motherboard. The data then goes through the head chef, who decides where it should go. Inside the kitchen, there is a fridge where we keep everything we use frequently for easy access. This would be called the Random Access Memory (RAM). There is also a warehouse with a bigger capacity, which works out to be the hard disk. Things can also be delivered through the backdoor, otherwise known as the optical disk in the PC. Imagine that we also have a timer in the kitchen. Every time the timer starts, everyone has to begin preparing the dish and you have to get it done by the time it reaches zero. This keeps everything synchronized. In the computer, it would be called the internal clock. When the cooks prepare the food, this would be the task of the video card in the computer, which would be converting data into images.
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