Decoding btec level 3 foundation, Lecture notes of Computer Science

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COMPUTER HARDWARE

COMPONENTS

Pearson BTEC HND Certificate in Computing and System Development YOON YATI CHO @ PINKY Foundation Semester 2 Assignment 1

Computer Hardware Components

Computer hardware is the physical components that a computer system requires to function. It encompasses everything with a circuit board that operates within a PC or laptop; including the motherboard, graphics card, CPU (Central Processing Unit), ventilation fans, webcam, power supply, and so on.

Central Processing Unit

◦ (^) The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of the computer which carries out instructions of a computer program. The CPU sits on the motherboard. All of the other hardware components and programs installed on the system has to go through the CPU before the function can be completed. When a function is sent, the CPU gets it from the RAM and any other hardware in order to process it. The CPU then reads the instructions linked to the task before sending it back to the RAM. There’re two types of data that the CPU handles. One is the data that needs to be processed and the other is the program code connected to the data. The programming code is a list of instructions on how the data should be handled and processed.

Motherboard

• (^) The Motherboard , also known as a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is one of the internal components in a computer. The main function of the motherboard is to hold important components like the processor and it provides connections to other components which links everything up in the computer. For example, if there was no motherboard, then when I press a key on the keyboard, it would not register and nothing would happen.

Power Supply

◦ (^) The Power Supply Unit (PSU) changes Alternating Current (AC) from a wall socket to low- voltage Direct Current (DC) to operate the internal components and peripheral devices.

Fan & Heat Sink

◦ (^) A Heat Sink is a device that uses a fan to keep a hot component such as a processor cool. There are two heat sink types: active and passive. ◦ (^) Active heat sinks utilise power and are usually a fan type or some other cooling device. Sometimes these types of heat sinks are referred to as a HSF, which is short for heat sink and fan. ◦ (^) Passive heat sinks are 100% reliable, as they have no mechanical components. Passive heat sinks are made of an aluminium -finned radiator that dissipates heat through convection. For Passive heat sinks to work to their full capacity, it is recommended that there is a steady air flow moving across the fins.

ROM

◦ (^) The Read-only Memory (ROM) keeps its contents even when the computer is turned off. This is also known as non-volatile. Most personal computers contain a small amount of ROM that stores critical programs such as the program that boots the computer.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

◦ (^) The Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is used to permanently store data, documents, computer programs and the operating system. This is used to store large amounts of data in a computer system. The HDD is different from other memory components, this is because the HDD is non-volatile memory. This means that if the computer turns off, it does not lose its data stored on there.

Ports

◦ (^) A USB port is a standard cable connection interface on personal computers and consumer electronics. USB ports allow stand-alone electronic devices to be connected via cables to a computer. ◦ (^) A serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time. ◦ (^) A parallel port is a parallel communication physical interface. It is also known as a printer port.

Hard Drive Configuration and Controllers

SATA

◦ Serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) is a computer bus interface

that connects host bus adaptors to mass storage devices such as hard disk

drives and optical drives.

EIDE

◦ Enhanced IDE is the next generation of IDE interface that was developed by

Western Digital and an interface commonly used on IBM compatible

computers. EIDE supports data rates from 4 and 16.6 MB/s. In addition to this,

EIDE supports drives up to 8.4 GB.

MASTER / SLAVE

◦ Master/Slave is a model of communication where one device or process has

unidirectional control over one or more other devices.

Network card

◦ (^) Network card is an electronic component that connects a computer to a computer network, usually a LAN. Network cards enable a computer to exchange data with the network. ◦ (^) Wireless network card is a small electronic device that enables a computer to connect to the Internet without the need for any wires.

Graphics card

◦ (^) Graphics card is a special circuit board that controls what is shown on a computer monitor and calculates 3D images and graphics. A video card can handle two types of video images. First, they can be used to display a two-dimensional (2D) image like a Windows desktop, or a three-dimensional (3D) image like a computer game.