Chapter 2

Computer Hardware
 2 Chapter Contents
 Section A: Personal Computer Basics
 Section B: Microprocessors and Memory
 Section C: Storage Devices
 Section D: Input and Output Devices
 Section E: Hardware Security

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 2

 2
SECTION
A
Personal Computer Basics
 Personal Computer Systems
 Desktop and Portable Computers
 Home, Media, Game, and Small Business
Systems
 Buying Computer System Components

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 3

 2 Personal Computer Systems

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 4

 2 Desktop and Portable Computers
 The term form factor
refers to the size and
dimensions of a
component, such as a
system board or
system unit
 A desktop computer fits
on a desk and runs on
power from an
electrical wall outlet

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 2 Desktop and Portable Computers
 A portable computer is a small, lightweight personal
computer
 A notebook computer (also referred to as a laptop),
is a small, lightweight portable computer that opens
like a clamshell to reveal a screen and keyboard
 A tablet computer is a portable computing device
featuring a touch-sensitive screen that can be used
as a writing or drawing pad
 An ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) is a small form factor
tablet computer designed to run most of the
software available for larger portable computers
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 2 Desktop and Portable Computers

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 7

 2 Home, Media, Game,
and Small Business Systems
 A home computer system offers a hardware
platform with adequate, but not super-charged
support for most computer applications
 A Media Center PC officially uses Windows Media
Center Edition operating system
 Some of the most cutting-edge computers are
designed for gaming
 Computers marketed for small business
applications tend to be middle-of-the-line models
pared down to essentials

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 2 Buying Computer
System Components
 Decide how your computer will be used, and
how much you want to spend
 Decide on a platform (Mac, PC, Linux)
 Look at ads in computer magazines and at
computer/electronic stores
 Understand the computer jargon
 Expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred
to several thousand dollars

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 9

 2 Buying Computer
System Components
 Instead of buying a new computer, you might
consider upgrading

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 10

 2
SECTION
B
Microprocessors and Memory
 Microprocessor Basics
 Today’s Microprocessors
 Random Access Memory
 Read-only Memory
 EEPROM

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 2 Microprocessor Basics
 A microprocessor is an integrated circuit
designed to process instructions
– ALU
– Registers
– Control unit
– Instruction set

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 2 Microprocessor Basics
 Front side bus
– HyperTransport
 Microprocessor clock
– Megahertz
– Gigahertz
 Word size
 Cache
– Level 1 cache (L1)
– Level 2 cache (L2)
 CISC vs. RISC
technology

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 2 Microprocessor Basics
 Serial processing
– Pipelining
 Parallel processing
 Dual core processor
 Hyper-Threading Technology

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 2 Today’s Microprocessors

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 15

 2 Random Access Memory
 Random Access Memory is a temporary
holding area for data, application program
instructions, and the operating system

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 2 Random Access Memory
 Microscopic capacitors hold the bits that
represent data
 Most RAM is volatile
– Requires electrical power to hold data

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 2 Random Access Memory
 RAM capacity is expressed in megabytes or
gigabytes
 Personal computers typically feature between
256MB and 2GB of RAM
 An area of the hard disk, called virtual
memory, can be used if an application runs
out of allocated RAM

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 18

 2 Random Access Memory
 RAM speed is often expressed in
nanoseconds or megahertz
 SDRAM is fast and relatively inexpensive
– DDR
 RDRAM is more expensive, and usually
found in high-performance workstations

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 2 Read-Only Memory
 ROM is a type of memory circuitry that holds
the computer’s startup routine
– Permanent and non-volatile
 The ROM BIOS tells the computer how to
access the hard disk, find the operating
system, and load it into RAM

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 20

 2 EEPROM
 Electrically Erasable
Programmable Read-
Only Memory
 More permanent than
RAM, and less
permanent than ROM
 Requires no power to
hold data

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 21

 2
SECTION
C
Storage Devices
 Storage Basics
 Magnetic Disk and Tape Technology
 CD and DVD Technology
 Solid State Storage
 Storage Wrap-up

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 2 Storage Basics
 A storage medium contains data
 A storage device records and retrieves data
from a storage medium
– Data gets copied from a storage device into
RAM, where it waits to be processed
– Processed data is held temporarily in RAM
before it is copied to a storage medium

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 2 Magnetic Disk and
Tape Technology
 Magnetic storage stores data by magnetizing
microscopic particles on the disk or tape
surface

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 24

 2 Magnetic Disk and
Tape Technology

Hard disk platters and read-write

heads are sealed inside the
drive case or cartridge to screen
out dust and other
contaminants.

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 25

 2 Magnetic Disk and
Tape Technology
 A controller positions the disk and read-write
heads to locate data
– SATA
– Ultra ATA
– EIDE
– SCSI
 Not as durable as many other storage
technologies
– Head crash

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 26

 2 Magnetic Disk and
Tape Technology
 A floppy disk is a round piece of flexible Mylar
plastic covered with a thin layer of magnetic
oxide and sealed inside a protective casing
 A tape drive is a device that reads data from and
writes data to a long stream of recordable media
similar to the tapes used in audio cassettes
 A tape is a sequential storage
medium

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 2 CD and DVD Technology
 Optical storage stores data as microscopic
light and dark spots on the disk surface
– CD and DVD storage technologies

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 28

 2 CD and DVD Technology
 Today’s DVD drives typically have 16X
speeds for a data transfer rate of 177.28
Mbps
 Three categories of
optical technologies
– Read-only (ROM)
– Recordable (R)
– Rewritable (RW)

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 2 CD and DVD Technology
 CD-DA
 DVD-Video
 CD-ROM
 DVD-ROM
 CD-R
 DVD+R or DVD-R
 CD-RW
 DVD+RW or DVD-RW

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 2 CD and DVD Technology

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 31

 2 Solid State Storage
 Solid state storage technology stores data in
an erasable, rewritable circuitry
 Non-volatile
 Card reader may be required
to read data on solid state
storage

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 2 Solid State Storage
 A USB flash drive is a
portable storage device that
plugs directly into a
computer’s USB port using
a built-in connector
 A U3 drive is a special type
of USB flash drive that is
preconfigured to autoplay
when it is inserted into a
computer

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 2 Storage Wrap-up

Most desktop computers have

several drive bays, some
accessible from outside the
case, and others—designed for
hard disk drives—without any
external access. Empty drive
bays are typically hidden from
view with a face plate.

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 2 Storage Wrap-up

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 35

 2
SECTION
D
Input and Output Devices
 Basic Input Devices
 Display Devices
 Printers
 Installing Peripheral Devices

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 36

 2 Basic Input Devices
 Keyboard
 Pointing device
– Pointing stick
– Trackpad
– Trackball
– Joystick
 Touch screen

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 2 Display Devices
 A CRT display device
uses a bulky glass tube
 An LCD manipulates
light within a layer of
liquid crystal cells
 Plasma screen
technology illuminates
lights arranged in a
panel-like screen

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 38

 2 Display Devices
 Viewable image size
 Dot pitch
 Viewing angle width
 Refresh rate
 Color depth
 Resolution
– VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA, UXGA, and WUXGA

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 39

 2 Display Devices

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 40

 2 Display Devices
 Graphics circuitry generates the signals for
displaying an image on the screen
– Integrated graphics
– Graphics card
– Graphics processing
unit (GPU)

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 41

 2 Printers
 An ink-jet printer has a nozzle-like print head
that sprays ink onto paper
 A laser printer works like a photocopier

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 42

 2 Printers

Laser printers are a popular

technology when high-volume
output or good-quality printouts
are required.

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 43

 2 Printers
 Dot matrix printers produce characters and
graphics by using a grid of fine wires
– The wires strike a ribbon and the paper

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 44

 2 Printers
 Printer features
– Resolution – Duplex capability
– Print speed – Memory
– Duty cycle – Networkability
– Operating costs

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 45

 2 Installing Peripheral Devices
 The data bus moves data within the computer
 Expansion cards are small circuit boards that
give the computer additional capabilities
– Expansion slot
• ISA
• PCI
• AGP
– PCMCIA slot
• PC card

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 46

 2 Installing Peripheral Devices

An expansion card simply slides

into an expansion slot and is
secured with a small screw. Before
you open the case, make sure you
unplug the computer and ground
yourself—that’s technical jargon
for releasing static electricity by
using a special grounding wristband
or by touching both hands to a metal
object.

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 47

 2 Installing Peripheral Devices
 An expansion port
passes data in and out
of a computer or
peripheral device
 Peripheral device may
include the Plug and
Play feature, or require
a device driver

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 48

 2 Installing Peripheral Devices

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 49

 2
SECTION
E
Hardware Security
 Anti-theft Devices
 Surge Protection and Battery Backup
 Basic Maintenance
 Troubleshooting and Repair

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 50

 2 Anti-Theft Devices

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 51

 2 Surge Protection
and Battery Backup
 A power surge is a sudden increase or spike in
electrical energy, affecting the current that flows to
electrical outlets
 A surge strip is a device that contains electrical
outlets protected by circuitry that blocks surges and
spikes
 A UPS is a device that not only provides surge
protection, but also furnishes your computer with
battery backup power during a power outage

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 52

 2 Surge Protection
and Battery Backup

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 53

 2 Basic Maintenance
 Computer component failures can be caused
by manufacturing defects and other
circumstances beyond your control
 Keep the keyboard clean
 Clean your computer screen on a regular
basis
 Keep the area clean around your computer
 Make sure fans are free of dust

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 54

 2 Basic Maintenance

Carefully use a Q-tip and a can

of compressed air or a vacuum
cleaner to remove dust and
debris from your keyboard.

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 55

 2 Troubleshooting and Repair
 There are several telltale signs that your
computer is in trouble
– Failure to power up
– Loud beep
– Blue screen of death
 Help and Support Center
 Safe Mode

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 2 Troubleshooting and Repair

Chapter 2: Computer Hardware 57

Chapter 2 Complete
Computer Hardware