UNIT 11 — COMPONENTS

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Reading: Computer Hardware Components

Due to convergence, the traditional categories we divide computing into are blurring. But
for practical reasons, IT professionals can still divide hardware into two main classes:
components and peripherals.

Components are primarily core internal devices of a computer which help define what
type a computer is, what it is capable of doing, and how well it is capable of doing it.
Nothing affects the overall quality of a computer more than its components.

Normally the more expensive a component is, the better it performs. This is a general
guideline however and not a steadfast rule. Sometimes you can spend a lot more money
on a component with only slightly better performance than one costing half as much.
Other times a very expensive component might be based on a completely new technology
that is not ready for mass production. In these cases, one is often better off buying a more
mainstream part.

Being an early adopter is not always the most practical move when speccing components
for a new system. Often you can find very powerful hardware at the medium price
ranges. There is normally a relatively large sweet-spot in the market.

How can you know if a component is good or bad? You want to be an IT professional,
right? IT professionals need good computers without performance bottlenecks. So do
some research. Read articles about components on a website. Where do you find them?
Just Google it!

One of my favorite places for objective customer reviews of components is Tom's

Hardware Guide. Another place for objective information is on well-known websites
such as Amazon.com or NewEgg.com. On sites like these, customers will often write
both positive and negative reviews shortly after receiving their products. This can help
you decide what to buy!

Imagine you want to build your own computer. It's not that difficult or expensive really. I
personally think it's kind of fun, How would you start? If you are experienced, you would
start by choosing the components first! Components must be compatible with each other
in order to function correctly. For example not all processors are compatible with all
motherboards. Research is necessary to solve your dependencies.

If you can't afford the exact parts you want to get all at the same time, you can use old
parts or buy cheaper parts at first if you have to. Why? Because certain components can
be upgraded to attain increased performance. For example, a video card (or graphics
card) can be upgraded to improve the graphics for a CAD/CAM application or 3D
gaming experience.

At the heart of the computer lies several key components sitting on the motherboard
including the microprocessor, the chipset, RAM and a ROM firmware instruction set
called the BIOS. These core components are connected by several "buses" made to carry
information around the system and eventually out to display devices and other
peripherals.

The CPU is another name for the 'brain' of the computer and normally includes the
microprocessor and RAM. This is what does all the calculations. One or more
coprocessors may or may not be needed depending on what the computer is used for. In
the 20th century, coprocessors were often used for mathematics such as floating point
operations. Today however coprocessors are mostly used for 3D graphics (GPUs), sound
generation, and physics applications.

As you probably learned in an earlier chapter, RAM is the memory which allows your
computer to hold the operating system and all running programs while your computer is
in use. On the contrary, ROM is a kind of permanent memory which is still in tact even
when the computer is off. The BIOS is a good example of an application using ROM.
The BIOS controls very low-level access to the hardware.

Busses and ports are general terms for connectivity components with connect the
different parts of the PC together. These include the serial port, parallel port, PCI and
PCIe busses, and the Universal Serial Bus (USB) controller. These devices allow
communication between different parts of the system. Also network interface cards are
now standard on most motherboards, although USB and PCI versions of the devices are
also available.

Your optical drives and hard disk drives are also components in your computer. To allow
data interchange between your CPU and drives, SATA, ATA, and SCSI controllers are
still widely used.

The core multimedia components include the sound card and graphics card. They make
computing more fun and useful for creative professionals such as designers, gamers, and
musicians. Multimedia is definitely a place where high-quality components really matter.

Feeding all these components with a steady supply of energy is another component called
the power supply. This is an often overlooked piece of hardware but obviously very
important! A low quality power supply can cause havoc in a computer system. On the
other hand a bigger than necessary power supply can increase system heat, waste power,
and make a lot of noise. Choose wisely!

At the most exterior of the computer we see the computer case. This is meant to look
good, protect the components, and provide an easy interface to plug in peripherals. If you
are buying or building your own computer, make sure it has a good case.

Apple is well-known for high quality PC and laptop cases, although most major
companies have fair to medium quality PC cases. Beware of computers with cheap
looking plastic cases. If a computer manufacturer uses a cheap case, it's very likely they
are also using other cheap components inside as well. Cheap components equal a slow
computer which will break after moderate use. If you intend to use a computer for several
hours every day, it makes sense to buy the very best one which fits your needs and
budget.

I hope this reading inspires you to learn more about the components in your computer.
Just remember that putting computers back together is harder than taking them apart!

Discussion Questions
What components are in your computer right now? Make a list of them. If you can't take
your computer apart, look up the model number on the Web.

If you could upgrade any three components inside your computer, which ones would you
replace and why?

Imagine you are a system administrator and your manager is asking you to spec a new
workstation for some game testers. Your budget is $2,500 per workstation, not including
the monitor. What components would you spec?