Introduction To Computer

Hardware
Objectives

 Student will be able to Understand basic concepts of

computer hardware part
 Student will be able to Assemble and dissembling a
desktop computer
 Student will be able to Identify how to maintain
computer parts and solve the common problems related
to hardware
What is hardware?

Hardware are the computer's physical components

Examples : Monitor, Keyboard, Motherboard, and Hard drive etc.

Hardware are handled by software

Software uses hardware for four (4) basic functions:

input, processing, storage, and output

Extra function: electrical supply, and communication

 PC Hardware Components

Input Outside the computer

Output

Processing and Inside the computer

Storage Components
Mother board
• The motherboard is the main component of any PC or laptop.
• The motherboard is a Printed Circuit Board which acts as the main
platform for communication between all other components of a
system.
• All the other computer parts are either directly installed or connected
to various motherboard components and all the data is transferred
between them through the motherboard.
 Motherboard Components
1. Expansion Slots 10. The Computer Chip-sets
2. RAM(memory) slots 11. Central processing unit (CPU)
3. CPU Socket 12. Coolers, fans, and heat sinks
4. BIOS 13. RAM(memory) slots
5. CMOS Battery, 14. CPU Socket
6 . Power Connectors 15.BIOS
7. IDE connector 16. CMOS Battery
8. SATA connector 17.Power Connectors
9. I/O interface connectors
Expansion Slots

ISA Slot
The oldest expansion slots in the history of motherboards. They were identified by
black color .Conventional display cards, Sound cards & video cards were installed
in these slots

PCI Slot
PCI means Peripheral component interconnect. The PCI slot is one of the
important component in motherboard.
Vastly used to install add-on cards on the motherboard. (Network card, sound
card, video card)

PCI Express
Also know as PCIe, these are the latest and fasted component of the motherboard
to support add-on cards. It supports full duplex serial bus.

AGP Slot
AGP means Accelerated Graphics Port is specifically used to install graphics card.
Both PCI and AGP can be used to install high end gaming display cards.
RAM (Memory) Slots

SIMM slots
Single in-line memory module. These slot can be found in older mother board.

DIMM slots
Double in-line memory module. These are the latest RAM slot which run on faster
mother board

CPU Socket
Very important motherboard component. Used to install the processor

BIOS
Bios means Basic input output system. This is a integrated chip. This chip contains
all the information and setting of motherboard.

CMOS Battery
This is a 3 volt battery. The battery is responsible for storing the information in
BIOS
 Power Connectors
AT connector:
It consists of 2 number of 6 pin male connectors and is found on old types of
motherboards.

ATX connector:
The latest in the series of power connectors, they are either 20 or 24 pin female
connectors. Found in all the latest types of motherboards.

IDE connector
The Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) is a standard interface for connecting a
motherboard to storage devices such as hard drives and CD-ROM/DVD drivers.

SATA connector
Latest in the series, the connectors, Serial Advance Technology Attachment(SATA)
are 7-pin connectors to interface latest SATA hard disks or optical drives. They are
much faster than IDE interface.

I/O interface connectors

The Computer Chip-sets
A chipset is a group of small circuits that coordinate the flow of data to and from
a PC's key components. These key components include the CPU itself, the main
memory, the secondary cache, and any devices situated on the buses. A chipset
also controls data flow to and from hard disks and other devices connected to the
IDE channels.

A computer has got two main chipsets:

The North Bridge :
The North Bridge also called the memory controller. It is in charge of controlling
transfers between the processor and the RAM, which is why it is located physically
near the processor. It is sometimes called the GMCH, for Graphic and Memory
Controller Hub.

The South Bridge :

The South Bridge also called the input/output controller or expansion controller.
It handles communications between slower peripheral devices. It is also called the
ICH (I/O Controller Hub). The term "bridge" is generally used to designate a
component which connects two buses.
 Computer Ports
• The interfaces which connect
computer with its devices or with
other computers are called ports.
• Ports are positioned in the front or
back of the computer.
• There are symbols to identify
posts.
• All the ports are connected to the
motherboard.
1. PS/2 Port
Used to connect the keyboard and the mouse to
the computer system. The purple port is for the
keyboard and the green port is for the mouse.
However, USB port is mostly used today to connect
the keyboard and the mouse to the computer

2. Parallel Port
Used to connect the printer to the computer
system. This consists of 25 holes. However, USB
port is mostly used today to connect printers to
computer systems.

3.HDMI (High - Definition Multimedia Interface)

port
This port can be seen especially in laptops. It
connects the monitor, multimedia projector,
digital TVs, and digital speakers to the computer.

4.RJ 45 Port
This port connects computer of a computer
network to the network router, network switch.
5.Audio Ports/ Jacks
This port connects audio media like microphones,
speakers and head phones to the computer
system.
Blue – Line In
Green – Line Out, Head Phone
Pink – Microphone

6.USB (Universal Serial Bus Port)

This port is used to connect many types of input
and output devices to the computer

7.Video port - VGA (Video Graphics Adaptor)

This is also called the Graphic Port. This connects
the monitor, or multimedia projector to the
computer system. The port consists of 15 holes.

8.Serial port
This port connects devices such as modem to the
computer. Today, USB port is used instead of the
serial port.
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)

The CPU is a silicon chip that contains millions of tiny electrical components.
CPU also known as brain within the computer.
It performs most of calculation and is responsible for smooth running of OS as
well application program and governs the overall speed of the computer.
CPU controls all of the other resources within the system, in order to accomplish
a task.
The CPU is comprised of three main parts
1. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU):
Executes all arithmetic and logical operations. Arithmetic calculations like as
addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Logical operation like compare
numbers, letters, or special characters

2. Control Unit (CU):

controls and co-ordinates computer components.
The motherboard, or system board, is the main circuit board of the control unit.
The processor, control the computer base on the given instructions.

3. Registers :
Registers are small holding areas on the processor chip that work much as RAM
does outside the processor. Registers hold counters, data, instructions, and
addresses that the ALU is currently processing.
Coolers, fans, and heat sinks

Due to processor generates so much heat, computer systems use a cooling

assembly to keep temperatures below the Intel maximum limit of 185 degrees
Fahrenheit/85 degrees Celsius.
The cooler sits on top of the processor and consists of a fan and a heat sink,
which are fins that draw heat away from the processor. The fan can then blow
the heat away.
A cooler is made of aluminium, copper, or a combination of both. Copper is
more expensive, but does a better job of conducting heat.
Storage Devices

Storage devices can be classified into main 2 categories

1. Primary Storage
2. Secondary Storage
Primary Storage
The memory that can be directly accessed by the Central Processing Unit
is called primary memory/storage. There are three types of Primary
Memory.

01.RAM - Random Access Memory.

02.ROM - Read Only Memory.
03.Cache memory
 RAM

Primary Storage
Random Access Memory - RAM Read Only Memory - ROM

 responsible for storing data on a temporary basis  storing data on a permanent form of storage
 It typically contains manufacturer’s instructions.
 operating system, application programs and the data
 Non- Volatile memory (data will Not be erased
in current use are kept temporarily
once supply to the storage device is turned off)
 Volatile memory (data will be erased once computer  Read only
is turned off)

 Can be Read & Write

Random access memory (RAM)
This memory temporarily stores data. The data stored in RAM will be deleted
when the computer is switched off. Therefore this is also called volatile memory.
Data coming from input devices as well as data sent to output devices are held in
RAM.

Read Only Memory (ROM)

The data in Read Only Memory is not erased when the computer is switched off.
Therefore it is a Non-volatile Memory. The commands required for booting up a
computer are stored in ROM. These commands are called BIOS (Basic Input Output
System). Computer Manufacturing companies store these commands in a ROM with
a smaller capacity and is connected to the motherboards

Cache Memory
Though this is smaller in capacity than other memory, it is faster. This is
also called CPU Memory. This acts as the mediator between CPU
(Central Processing Unit) and Primary Memory. The data frequently used
by are stored here
Secondary memory
Secondary Memory Secondary Memory or the Secondary Storage is the device
which stores data and information permanently. This is also called External
Storage. There are internal storage devices as well as external portable
secondary storage devices. Secondary memory is called non-volatile memory
since it does not erase when electricity is not available.
1. Magnetic Media Devices
Data is stored here by using magnetic field.
Example 1 - Hard disk Drive
The Hard Disk Drive (HDD), which is commonly used to store data and
information, is located inside the computer. However, there are external hard
disks as well. Today there are hard disks with large capacity due to the
development of the technology. The user can read and write the data stored in
HDD. Therefore, this medium is called Read / Write Memory. The capacity of a
hard disk ranges from 250 GB to 4 TB. The maximum capacity will increase with
technological development.

Example 2 - Magnetic Tape

Used mostly in sever computers for back up due to its larger storage capacity.
But tape is not used in day today life as it is slow in reading and writing
 2.Optical media Devices
Since data stored digitally on a disk is read and written by laser
beam, it is called optical media. Optical media is commonly used to
carry data and information and there are several types. The followings
are some of them;
Input Devices

Data and instructions are fed to the computer system using input devices

Mouse

This is the most popular pointing device used. Mouse provides

input via buttons. The mouse contains a left button and a right
button. Mouse has a wheel to roll up and down in the screen
Keyboard

A computer keyboard is a hardware device that

functions in accordance to the instructions made by the
user. It comprises circuits, switches and processors that
help in transferring keystroke messages to the
computer.

Scanner

A scanner is a device that reads spatial pattern such as

images, graphics and texts, and then generates digital
signals of that pattern. Converted digital data may be
processed by a computer, stored in a disk, printed by a
printer or displayed on a monitor.

Scanners are commonly used to capture graphic images

that can then be placed in a page or on any document.

Scanners usually include optical character recognition

(OCR) software so that scanners can read and capture
texts
directly through optical scanning.
Light Pen

Light pen is used to select menu items on the screen or

to draw/write on the screen.

Touch screen
This is the input and output device in the modern
computers and mobile phones. Data is fed by touching
the screen. It also acts as a pointing device.

Joy Stick
This is also a pointing device used in computer
games which can move the cursor.

Microphone
Microphone is used to feed sound to a computer.
Output Devices

Output devices are peripheral devices that enable us to view or hear the
computer's processed data. This processed data is called information because it
has been organized for users to view and manipulate. Types of output include:
• Visual output – Text, graphics, and video
• Audio output – Sounds, music, and synthesized speech

Monitor

The monitor receives signal from the video adapter card

through the (DAC) Digital to Analogue Converter circuit and
displays that information on the screen. The DAC converts
numeric pixel
color values to voltage levels for red, green and blue which are
send to monitor through the monitor cable. There are many
display technologies available in the industry.
• DLP (Digital Light Processing)
• CRT (Cathode Ray Tube )
• Flat-screen CRT
• Plasma Screen
• Flat-panel LCD (Liquid Crystal Display )
• LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon)
• HTPS (High Temperature Poly Silicon)
Projectors

A monitor gives excellent performance when only two or three

people are viewing, but you may want to use a projector in
addition to a monitor when larger groups of people are
watching.
Projectors are great in the classroom, for sales presentations,
or for watching the Super Bowl with your friends. The prices of
projectors have dropped significantly in the past few years,
making them more of an option for business and pleasure. One
portable projector, shown in
Figure 9-27, has a native resolution of XGA 1024 x 768, and can
connect to a desktop or notebook computer by way of a 15-pin
video port or S-Video port.

Plotter

Plotters create hard-copy in a very different way to printers.

Instead of building up text and images from tiny dots, plotters
draw on the paper using a pen. The pens are
held in an arm which can lift the pen up or down, and
which can move across the paper. The arm and pen create
a drawing just like a human could, but much more
accurately and more quickly.
Printers

A printer is an external hardware device responsible for

taking computer data and generating a hard copy of
that data. Printers are one of the most used peripherals
on computers and are commonly used to print text,
images, and photos. There are many different types of
printers.

Speakers

A speaker is also an output device which is used to

listen sound from computer. Multimedia PCs come with
a sound card. A sound card translates digital signals into
analog ones that drive the speakers. With the right
software, you can use your PC to edit sounds and
create special sound
effects.
Assembling a Personal Computer
operating system
An operating system or OS is a software program that enables the computer
hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a
computer operating system, a computer and software programs would be useless.
When computers were first introduced, the user interacted with them using a
command line interface, which required commands. Today, almost every computer
is using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) operating system that is much easier to
use and operate.

• Microsoft Windows 10
PC and IBM compatible operating system. Microsoft Windows is the most common
and used operating system.
• Apple macOS
Apple Mac operating system. Today, the only Apple computer operating system is
macOS.
• Ubuntu Linux
A popular variant of Linux used with PC and IBM compatible computers.
• Google Android
Operating system used with Android compatible phones and tablets.
Thank you!!