Chapter 1:

Introduction to the
Personal Computer

IT Essentials v6.0

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 1
 Chapter 1 - Sections & Objectives
§  1.1 Personal Computer Systems
§  Explain how personal computer systems work together

§  1.2 Select Computer Components

§  Select appropriate computer components

§  1.3 Configurations for Specialized Computer Systems

§  Explain how hardware is configured for task-specific computers

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 2
 1.1 Personal Computer
Systems

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 3
Personal Computer Systems
Cases and Power Supplies
§  Cases
•  Influences the motherboard form factor choice
•  Must allow for good air flow
•  Available in different sizes

§  Power Supplies
•  Provides power to all computer components.
•  Must be chosen based on current and future needs.
•  Deliver different voltage levels to meet different
internal component needs.

§  Power Supply Wattage

•  P = V x A

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 4
Personal Computer Systems
Internal PC Components
§  Motherboards
•  Backbone of the computer
•  Interconnects computer components

§  CPU
•  The brain of the computer
•  Most processing is done by the CPU

§  Cooling Systems
•  Dissipates the heat generated by computer
components.

§  Memory (ROM and RAM)

•  RAM: Stores data temporarily, aiding processing
•  ROM: Stores data permanently; often storing
firmware and low level programs.

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 5
Personal Computer Systems
Internal PC Components (Cont.)
§  Adapter Cards and Expansion Slots
•  Adapter Cards extend computer functionality
•  Adapter Cards connect to the motherboard through
Expansion Slots

§  Storage Devices
•  Designed to permanently store user data, user
applications and the Operating System
•  Can be internal or external to the computer

§  Video Ports
•  Connects a video system to an external display device
such as a monitor or projector
•  Video systems are often designed as an adapter card.

§  General Ports
•  Provide connectivity between the motherboard and various
external devices such as printers, external storage and
video cameras.
Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 6
Personal Computer Systems
External Ports and Cables
§  Video Ports and Related Cables
•  A few different standards govern video traffic between the
computer and external video devices.
•  HDMI and displayPort are examples of video ports that
require a specific cable to operate.

§  Other Ports and Related Cables

•  Motherboards have a number of other ports used for
device connectivity; USB is a common example.

§  Adapters and Converters

•  Adapters and converters can be a solution if a
motherboard does not have the proper port to connect to a
device.
•  Adapters do not usually process the signal; they simply
redirect it to another pin.
•  Converters are more likely to process and transform the
signal, converting it to be accepted by an existing port.

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 7
1.2 Select Computer
Components

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 8
Select Computer Components
Select PC Components
§  Select the Motherboard, CPU, Case and
Memory
•  CPU, memory, motherboard and case choices are
inter-related.
•  The motherboard should support all customer
required applications and still fit properly in the case.
•  The case should host the motherboard, the proper
power supply and provide good airflow for the
internal components.
•  The CPU must be compatible with motherboard CPU
slot and voltage; it should be compatible with the
chosen memory speed for maximum performance.
•  The memory must also be compatible with
motherboard memory slots and voltage.
•  The amount of memory will depend on the type of
applications requested by the customer.

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 9
Select Computer Components
Select PC Components (Cont.)
§  Select the Case and Fans
•  Case and fans must be chosen to maximize internal
airflow.
•  The fans must fit the case and be within the power
limits provided by the power supply.

§  Select the Power Supply

•  The power supply should be selected based on the
maximum amount of power required by all the
internal components.
•  Remember that some components will draw more
power while under heavy load.

§  Select Adapter Cards

•  Make sure the motherboard has compatible
expansion slots to support the adapter cards.
•  The motherboard must also have enough expansion
slots to receive all the required adapter cards.
•  Customer needs will define what adapter cards must
be procured and installed.
Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 10
Select Computer Components
Select PC Components (Cont.)
§  Select Hard Drives
•  Important hard drive factors to be considered are
speed, storage space and communication interface
type.
•  The drive’s underlying technology (HDD vs SSD)
directly impacts speed.

§  Select a Media Reader

•  The media reader must be compatible with customer
media.

§  Select Optical Drives

•  Make sure the drive is compatible with customer
media.
•  Other factors to consider are speed, communication
interface type and the ability to write to the media.

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 11
Select Computer Components
Select PC Components (Cont.)
§  Select External Storage
•  Important factors when selecting external storage are
storage space, speed and communication interface.
•  Make sure the computer has enough ports to
accommodate the external devices and peripherals.
•  Note: Some external devices do not require an
external power supply but rely on a second USB port
for power.

§  Select I/O Devices

•  The selection of I/O devices is application specific
and will depend on customer requirements.
•  Make sure the computer has enough communication
ports and that they are compatible with the types
required by the I/O devices.

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 12
1.3 Configurations for
Specialized Computer
Systems

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 13
Configurations for Specialized Computer Systems
Specialized Computer Systems
§  Thick and Thin Clients
•  Thin clients have little processing power and are
designed to act as a terminal to a server (thick
client).
•  Thick clients have more powerful CPUs, more
memory and their own storage. They serve as
processing stations for thin clients.

§  CAx Workstations
•  Designed to support CAD and CAM applications.
•  Plenty of RAM, fast disks, powerful CPU and special
input devices are common resources.

§  Audio and Video Editing Workstations

•  Common editing workstation resources include much
RAM, fast disks, powerful CPU and special adapter
cards such as audio and video capture.

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 14
Configurations for Specialized Computer Systems
Specialized Computer Systems (Cont.)
§  Virtualization Workstations
•  These workstations are designed to run virtual computers
•  Virtual computers use and share the workstation’s physical
resources such as CPU, memory and disks.
•  The selection of physical resources will depend on the number
and purpose of the virtual machines.

§  Gaming PCs
•  Due to high resource requirements of modern games, gaming
PCs are very resource demanding.
•  A few requirements of gaming PCs are: top end CPU, lots of fast
RAM, fast disks, high performance input devices and audio
systems.

§  Home Theatre PCs

•  These computers must be able to play various media formats
and, in some cases, receive TV signals.
•  Common HTPC requirements include powerful CPU, fast RAM,
large disks, fast NIC and video card with TV input.
Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 15
1.4 Chapter Summary

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 16
Chapter Summary
Summary
§  This chapter introduced the components that comprise a personal computer system and
what to consider when choosing upgrade components.
§  Information technology encompasses the use of computers, network hardware, and
software to process, store, transmit, and retrieve information.
§  A personal computer system consists of hardware components and software applications.
§  The computer case and power supply must be chosen carefully to support the hardware
inside the case and allow for the addition of components.
§  The internal components of a computer are selected for specific features and functions. All
internal components must be compatible with the motherboard.
§  Use the correct type of ports and cables when connecting devices.
§  Typical input devices include the keyboard, mouse, touch screen, and digital cameras.
§  Typical output devices include monitors, printers, and speakers.
§  Cases, power supplies, the CPU and cooling system, RAM, hard drives, and adapter
cards, must be upgraded when devices fail or no longer meet customer needs.
§  Specialized computers require hardware specific to operate. The type of hardware used in
specialized computers is determined by how a customer works and what a customer wants
to accomplish.
Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 17
Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 18
Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 19
Section 1.1
New Terms and Commands
adapter bnc coaxial
agp bus computer
amd byte cooling
amplifier cache cpu
analog capacitors crt
architecture card desktop
ata cartridge digital
atx case digitizer
atx12v cathode diode
backbone chassis dip
biometric chip disk
bios chipset display
bit cisc displayport

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 20
Section 1.1
New Terms and Commands (cont.)
dlp fps gpu
dot pitch fsb grounded
drive gamepads keyboard
dvd ghz kvm
dvi gui laptop
eisa hardware lasers
eps12v hdd lcd
ethernet hdmi led
eufi headphones lga
fan heatsink mca
firmware hertz mhz
flash hub microchannel
floppy intel micromirror

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 21
Section 1.1
New Terms and Commands (cont.)
microphone oled program
microprocessor optical qsxga
midi outlets radiator
mobile overclocking radio
modem pathways ram
monitor pcb rca
monochromatic pci resistance
motherboard pga resolution
multicore pixel rgb
nic plasma risc
nonvolatile power rom
northbridge printers rpm
ohms processor sata

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 22
Section 1.1
New Terms and Commands (cont.)
satellite speakers thunderbolt
scanner spindle transistor
screen sram xga
scsi ssd uefi
semiconductor ssds uid
serial sshd urls
servers storage usb
setup svga uxga
signal swappable vga
sink switch volt
slot tape Voltage
software terabytes wattage
southbridge tft watts

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 23
Section 1.1
New Terms and Commands (cont.)
web
webcams
wireless

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 24
Section 1.2
New Terms and Commands
application microsd subwoofer
autocad mp3 tuner
backplane multimediacard vrm
cds multiplier workstation
clock pcie
compactflash raid
controller sd
cycle sdhc
decoder sdxc
dvds serial
emmc smartphones
esata socket
memory sony

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 25
Section 1.3
New Terms and Commands
blueprints sdd
cam server
cax shares
cockpit simulators
code ssd
dvi sshd
fat vdi
htpc virtualization
linux
mac
mouse
remote
rpm

Presentation_ID © 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 26