Prepare for your exams
Get points
Guidelines and tips
Sell on Docsity
Docsity AI

Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity

Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan

Guidelines and tips

Sell on Docsity

Docsity AI

Log in Sign up

Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity

Find documents

Prepare for your exams with the study notes shared by other students like you on Docsity

Search for your university

Find the specific documents for your university's exams

Docsity AINEW

Summarize your documents, ask them questions, convert them into quizzes and concept maps

Explore questions

Clear up your doubts by reading the answers to questions asked by your fellow students

Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan

Share documents

20 Points

For each uploaded document

Answer questions

5 Points

For each given answer (max 1 per day)

All the ways to get free points

Get points immediately

Choose a premium plan with all the points you need

Study Opportunities

Choose your next study program

Get in touch with the best universities in the world. Search through thousands of universities and official partners

Community

Ask the community

Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts

Free resources

Our save-the-student-ebooks!

Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors

Hardware Components in computer, Lecture notes of Computer Architecture and Organization

Tribhuvan University Kathmandu Computer Architecture and Organization

Introduction of components of hardware

Typology: Lecture notes

2019/2020

Uploaded on 05/27/2020

sonu-shah 🇳🇵

5

(1)

4 documents

1 / 4

This page cannot be seen from the preview

Don't miss anything!

Introduction of basic hardware components 
Computer hardware includes the physical, tangible parts or components of a computer, such as 
the cabinet, central processing unit, monitor, keyboard, computer data storage, graphics card, sound 
card, speakers and motherboard. 
A computer contains many electric, electronic and mechanical components known 
as hardware. Hardware includes input devices, output devices, processing devices, 
communication devices and storage devices. 
The basic hardware components are as following: - 
• Power supply,  
• casing,  
• motherboards,  
• CPU, 
• Chipset, 
• real-time clock,  
• BIOS 
• Parallel ports,  
• serial parts,  
• interfacing (IDE, SATA, PATA, ATAPC) 
 
Power Supply  
  
A power supply unit (or PSU) converts mains AC to low-voltage regulated DC power for the internal 
components  of  a  computer.  Modern  personal  computers  universally  use switched-mode  power 
supplies.  Some power  supplies have  a  manual  switch  for  selecting  input  voltage,  while  others 
automatically adapt to the mains voltage. 
 
Casing  
 
A computer  case,  also  known  as  a computer  chassis, tower, system  unit,  or cabinet, is  the 
enclosure  that  contains  most  of  the  components  of  a  personal computer (usually  excluding  the 
display, keyboard, and mouse). 
 
The computer case encloses and holds most of the components of the system. It provides mechanical 
support and protection for internal elements such as the motherboard, disk drives, and power supplies, 
and controls and directs the flow of cooling air over internal components. The case is also part of the 
system to control electromagnetic interference radiated by the computer, and protects internal parts 
from electrostatic discharge. Large tower cases provide extra internal space for multiple disk drives or 
other peripherals and usually stand on the floor, while desktop cases provide less expansion room. 
 
Motherboards 
 
The motherboard is  the computer's main  circuit board. It's a thin plate that  holds the CPU, 
memory, connectors for the hard drive and optical drives, expansion cards to control the video 
and audio, and connections to your computer's ports (such as USB ports). The motherboard 
connects directly or indirectly to every part of the computer. 
 

Discover Lecture notes of Computer Architecture and Organization Tribhuvan University Kathmandu

Partial preview of the text

Download Hardware Components in computer and more Lecture notes Computer Architecture and Organization in PDF only on Docsity!

Introduction of basic hardware components

Computer hardware includes the physical, tangible parts or components of a computer, such as the cabinet, central processing unit, monitor, keyboard, computer data storage, graphics card, sound card, speakers and motherboard.

A computer contains many electric, electronic and mechanical components known

as hardware. Hardware includes input devices, output devices, processing devices,

communication devices and storage devices.

The basic hardware components are as following: -

• Power supply,

• casing,

• motherboards,

• CPU,

• Chipset,

• real-time clock,

• BIOS

• Parallel ports,

• serial parts,

• interfacing (IDE, SATA, PATA, ATAPC)

Power Supply A power supply unit (or PSU ) converts mains AC to low-voltage regulated DC power for the internal components of a computer. Modern personal computers universally use switched-mode power supplies. Some power supplies have a manual switch for selecting input voltage, while others automatically adapt to the mains voltage. Casing A computer case , also known as a computer chassis , tower , system unit , or cabinet , is the enclosure that contains most of the components of a personal computer (usually excluding the display, keyboard, and mouse). The computer case encloses and holds most of the components of the system. It provides mechanical support and protection for internal elements such as the motherboard, disk drives, and power supplies, and controls and directs the flow of cooling air over internal components. The case is also part of the system to control electromagnetic interference radiated by the computer, and protects internal parts from electrostatic discharge. Large tower cases provide extra internal space for multiple disk drives or other peripherals and usually stand on the floor, while desktop cases provide less expansion room. Motherboards

The motherboard is the computer's main circuit board. It's a thin plate that holds the CPU,

memory, connectors for the hard drive and optical drives, expansion cards to control the video

and audio, and connections to your computer's ports (such as USB ports). The motherboard

connects directly or indirectly to every part of the computer.

CPU

The central processing unit (CPU), also called a processor, is located inside the computer case

on the motherboard. It is sometimes called the brain of the computer, and its job is to carry

out commands. Whenever you press a key, click the mouse, or start an application, you're

sending instructions to the CPU.

Chipset

A chipset is specifically designed for a motherboard. The chipset and motherboard must be

compatible with the CPU to prevent system failover. Most chipset drivers are manually updated

and installed.

A chipset has two sections – southbridge and northbridge – with specific sets of functions that

communicate between the CPU and external devices.

The southbridge, which is not directly connected to the CPU, is also known as the input/output

controller hub. Southbridge handles the motherboard's slower connections, including input/output

(I/O) devices and computer peripherals like expansion slots and hard disk drives.

The northbridge connects the southbridge to the CPU and is commonly known as the memory

controller hub. The northbridge handles a computer's faster interaction requirements and controls

communication between the CPU, RAM, ROM, the basic input/output system (BIOS), the

accelerated graphics port (AGP) and the southbridge chip. The northbridge links I/O signals

directly to the CPU. The CPU uses the northbridge frequency as a baseline for determining its

operating frequency.

A chipset and device drivers are compatible when an operating system is initially installed.

However, device drivers eventually become outdated due to subsequent hardware and software

installations. Outdated or incompatible device drivers create compatibility issues, lack of features

and sub-par device performance.

real-time clock

Real Time Clock is battery backup power clocks so that it tracks the time even while the computer is

turned off, or in low power state. Basically, Real time clock is not a physical clock but is an Integrated

Circuit which is present on the motherboard and responsible for timing functioning of the system and

system clock.

Benefits of RTCs include:

• RTC ICs have proved to be more precise than other methods — like programming the

timer of the controller.

• It frees the main system from time-critical tasks.

• It has low power consumption and improved frequency stability.

On PCs, the parallel port uses a 25-pin connector (type DB-25) and is used to connect printers, computers and other devices that need relatively high bandwidth. It is often called a Centronics interface after the company that designed the original standard for parallel communication between a computer and printer. (The modern parallel interface is based on a design by Epson.)

Serial Ports

In computing, a serial port is a serial communication interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time (in contrast to a parallel port).[1]^ Throughout most of the history of personal computers, data was transferred through serial ports to devices such as modems, terminals, and various peripherals. Modern computers without serial ports may require USB-to-serial converters to allow compatibility with RS-232 serial devices. Serial ports are still used in applications such as industrial automation systems, scientific instruments, point of sale systems and some industrial and consumer products. Server computers may use a serial port as a control console for diagnostics. Network equipment (such as routers and switches) often use serial console for configuration. Serial ports are still used in these areas as they are simple, cheap and their console functions are highly standardized and widespread. A serial port requires very little supporting software from the host system.

Interface

an interface is a shared boundary across which two or more separate components of a computer system exchange information. The exchange can be between software, computer hardware, peripheral devices, humans, and combinations of these.[1]^ Some computer hardware devices, such as a touchscreen, can both send and receive data through the interface, while others such as a mouse or microphone may only provide an interface to send data to a given system.[2]