Understanding the Computer System

As an aspiring computer technician, it is very important to know the different

components of a computer system. These are the hardware, software and people ware.
Each component plays an important role, without each other computer systems will not
work properly.

1.1 Hardware- the physical, touchable, electronic and mechanical parts of a computer
system.

A. Major hardware components of a computer system

The following list represents a basic set of hardware found in most PCs.

1. System Unit- The main part of a microcomputer, sometimes called the chassis. It
includes the following parts: Motherboard, Microprocessor, Memory Chips, Buses, Ports,
Expansion Slots and Cards.

Figure 1. Tower Type System Unit

2. Motherboard / Mainboard / System Board- The main circuit board of a computer.
It contains all the circuits and components that run the computer.

Figure 2. Modern Motherboard

3. CPU (Central Processing Unit) - The processor is the main “brain” or “heart” of a
computer system. It performs all of the instructions and calculations that are needed and
manages the flow of information through a computer.

Figure 3. Examples of CPU (Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Athlon)

4. Primary storage- (internal storage, main memory or memory) is the computer's

working storage space that holds data, instructions for processing and processed data
(information) waiting to be sent to secondary storage. Physically, primary storage is a
collection of RAM chips.
Two (2) Types of Memory

a. ROM – (Read Only Memory) ROM is non-volatile, meaning it holds data even when
the power is ON or OFF.

b. RAM – (Random Access Memory) RAM is volatile, meaning it holds data only
when the power is on. When the power is off, RAM's contents are lost.
 Figure 4. Examples of RAM
5. Expansion Bus - A bus is a data pathway between several hardware components
inside or outside a computer. It does not only connect the parts of the CPU to each other,
but also links the CPU with other important hardware.

Figure 5. Expansion Bus

6. Adapters- Printed-circuit boards (also called interface cards) that enable the
computer to use a peripheral device for which it does not have the necessary connections
or circuit boards. They are often used to permit upgrading to a new different hardware.

Figure 6. Adapter (Network Adapter)

7. Power Supply Unit (PSU) - Installed in the back corner of the PC case, next to
the motherboard. It converts 120vac (standard house power) into DC voltages that are
used by other components in the PC.

Figure 7. Power supply

8. Hard Disk Drive (HDD) - Also known as hard drive, is a magnetic storage device
that is installed inside the computer. The hard drive is used as permanent storage for
data. In a Windows computer, the hard drive is usually configured as the C: drive and
contains the operating system and applications.

Figure 8. Power supply

9. Optical Drive- An optical drive is a storage device that uses lasers to read data
on the optical media. There are three types of optical drives: Compact Disc (CD), Digital
Versatile Disc (DVD) and Blu-ray Disc (BD).
 Figure 9. CD ROM

10. Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) - Designed to optically access data stored on a DVD.
A laser moves back and forth near the disk surface and accesses data at a very fast rate.

Figure 10. CD ROM

B. Input Devices - Accepts data and instructions from the user or from another computer
system.

Two (2) Types of Input Devices

1. Keyboard Entry – Data is inputted to the computer through a keyboard.

Keyboard - The first input device developed for the PC. Data is transferred to the
PC over a short cable with a circular 6-pin Mini-din connector that plugs into the
back of the motherboard.

Figure 11. Keyboard

2. Direct Entry – A form of input that does not require data to be keyed by someone
sitting at a keyboard. Direct-entry devices create machine-readable data on paper, or
magnetic media, or feed it directly into the computer’s CPU.

Three Categories of Direct Entry Devices

1. Pointing Devices - An input device used to move the pointer (cursor) on screen.

Mouse - The most common 'pointing device' used in PCs. Every mouse has two buttons
and most have one or two scroll wheels.

Figure 12. Mouse

• Touch screen- A display screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger or stylus.
Used in myriad applications, including ATM machines, retail point-of-sale terminals,
car navigation and industrial controls. The touch screen became wildly popular for
smart phones and tablets.

Figure 13. Touch Screen Devices

• Light Pen - A light-sensitive stylus wired to a video terminal used to draw pictures or
select menu options. The user brings the pen to the desired point on screen and
presses the pen button to make contact.

Figure 14. Light Pen

• Digitizer Tablet - A graphics drawing tablet used for sketching new images or tracing
old ones. Also called a "graphics tablet," the user contacts the surface of the
device with a wired or wireless pen or puck.
Often mistakenly called a mouse, the puck is
officially the "tablet
cursor."

Figure 15. Digitizer Tablet

2. Scanning Devices- A device that can read text or illustrations printed on paper
and translates the information into a form the computer can use.

Figure 16. Image scanner

Figure 17. Bar Code Reader

3. Voice- Input Devices - Audio input devices also known as speech or voice
recognition systems that allow a user to send audio signals to a computer for processing,
recording, or carrying out commands. Audio input devices such as microphones allow
users to speak to the computer in order to record a voice message or navigate software.
 Figure 18. Microphones
C. Output Devices - Any piece of computer hardware that displays results after the
computer has processed the input data that has been entered.

1. Computer Display Monitor- It displays information in visual form, using text and
graphics. The portion of the monitor that displays the information is called the screen
or video display terminal.
Types of Monitor

a. CRT Monitors - Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) were the only type of displays for use with
desktop PCs. They are relatively big (14" to 16" deep) and heavy (over 15 lbs).

Figure 19 . Cathode Ray Tube Monitor

b. LCD Monitors - Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology has been used in laptops for
some time. It has recently been made commercially available as monitors for desktop
PCs.
 Figure 20. Liquid Crystal Display Monitor

c. LED Monitors (Light Emitting Diode) - A display and lighting technology used in
almost every electrical and electronic product on the market, from a tiny on/off light to
digital readouts, flashlights, traffic lights and perimeter lighting.

Figure 21. Light Emitting Diode Monitor

2. LCD Projectors- utilize two sheets of polarizing material

with a liquid crystal solution between them. An electric
current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to
align so that light cannot pass through them. Each
crystal, therefore, is like a shutter, either allowing light to
pass through or blocking the light.

Figure 22. LCD Projector

3. Smart Board - A type of display screen that has a touch sensitive transparent panel
covering the screen, which is similar to a touch screen.
 Figure 23. Smart Board
4. Printer - A device that prints text or illustrations on paper.

Types of printer

• Ink-Jet or Bubble-Jet Printer - bprays ink at a sheet of

paper. Ink-jet printers produce high-quality text and
graphics.

Figure 24. Ink- Jet Printer

• Laser Printer - Uses the same technology as copy

machines. Laser printers produce very high quality text
and graphics.

Figure 25. Laser Printer

• LCD and LED Printer- Similar to a laser printer, but uses

liquid crystals or light-emitting diodes rather than a laser to
produce an image on the drum.

Figure 26. LCD Printer

• Line Printer - Contains a chain of characters or pins that

print an entire line at one time. Line printers are very fast,
but produce low-quality print.
Figure 27. Line Printer
• Thermal Printer- An inexpensive printer that works by pushing heated pins against
heat-sensitive paper. Thermal printers are widely used in calculators and fax
machines.

Figure 28. Thermal Printer

5. Speakers - Used to play sound. They may be built into the system unit or connected
with cables. Speakers allow you to listen to music and hear sound effects from your
computer.

D. Ports - External connecting sockets on the outside of the computer. This is a pathway
into and out of the computer. A port lets users plug in outside peripherals, such as
monitors, scanners and printers.

Table 1. The Ports and their function

Type of Port Function Illustration
Serial Port Intended for serial type
mouse and older camera

Parallel Port Also called as printer port.

This is only for old model
printer. It has 25 pins. It is a
female port.
VGA (Video Graphic Used to connect monitors.
Array) Port It has 15 pins and it is a
female port.

USB (Universal Serial High speed serial interface

Bus) Port that is used with almost all
devices. It is used to
connect latest model
printers, pen drives, cell
phones etc. it has 4 pins.

PS/2 Port Simple, 6-pin, low-speed

serial connections
commonly dedicated to a
keyboard and mouse.
 Power Port Intended for power cord.

Type of Port Function Illustration

S-Video Port S-Video connections are
available on certain source
components and video
display devices, and offer a
higher level of video
performance over
composite video signals.
Audio Port Intended for plugging in the
speaker or headset.

LAN (Local Area A physical interface often

Networking) Port used for terminating twisted
pair type cables used to
connect computers onto a
local-area networks (LAN),
especially Ethernet RJ-45
connectors

E. Cables and Wires- A cable is most often two or more wires running side by side and
bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly, but can also refer to a
heavy strong rope.

Table 2. The Cables and Connectors

Illustration Function
These jacks are intended for
the PS/2 port specifically for
PS/2 type of keyboard and
mouse.
 This type of jack is intended for
the audio and microphone
port.

Illustration Function
S-video jack is obviously for
S-Video port

This monitor jack is intended

for the VGA (Video Graphic
Array) port

This USB (Universal Serial

Bus) plug is intended for USB
port. Modern or new model of
peripherals like printer,
camera, scanners and even
other portable computer
attachments used USB type of
plugs.

This printer cable jack is

intended for the parallel port.
 RJ45 ("RJ" in RJ45 stands for
"registered jack," since it is a
standardized networking
interface and the "45" simply
refers to the number of the
interface standard) is a type
of connector commonly used
for Ethernet networking.

Illustration Function

Power cord is the most

important cord because it
connects the computer to the
main source of electricity to
make it functional.

1.2 Software is the set of instructions (also called a program) that guides the hardware
to operate effectively. Software can be split into two main types:

1. System Software – Any software required to support the production or execution of

application programs, but which is not specific to any particular application. Common
operating systems include Windows, the Macintosh OS, OS/2 and UNIX.

LINUX
MAC

WINDOWS

2. Application Software – Designed to help the user to perform singular or multiple

related tasks. Examples of application software are as follows:

a. Word processing software - Creates, edits, saves, and prints documents. Example:
MS Word, WordPerfect, Ami Pro, MacWrite.
 b. Spreadsheet software - An electronic spreadsheet consisting of rows and columns
is used to present and analyze data. Example: MS Excel, Lotus 123, Quattro Pro.

c. Database management software - Used to structure a database, a large collection

of computer programs. Data is organized as fields and records for easy retrieval.
Example: MS Access, dBase, Fox Pro, Oracle.

d. Graphic software - Graphics programs display results of data manipulation for

easier analysis and presentation. Example: Macromedia Flash, Harvard Graphics, 3D
Studio Max, Adobe Photoshop

1.3 People ware - Refers to people involved in the data

processing operations such as the system administrator,
office workers, students and others.