COMPUTER

SYSTEMS
SERVICING
NCII
UNIT II – UNDERSTANDING Basic Computer
Components
 LESSON 2: Basic Hardware
Components of Computer Systems
INTRODUCTION
A computer system consists of hardware and software
components. As important as the software which are the
programs that run the computer, the hardware is the
physical equipment such as the case, storage drives,
keyboards, monitors, cables, speakers, and printers that
builds up and let the software run. It is important to learn
about these components as these will be the basis before
you handle equipment especially in disassembling and
assembling a computer system.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 Computer System
02 The System Unit

Ports, Sockets, Slots, &

03 Connectors
 01
COMPUTER
SYSTEMS
The complete computer made up of the CPU, memory and
related electronics (main cabinet), all the peripheral devices
connected to it and its operating system.

• Computer systems fall into two broad divisions: clients

and servers.
• Client machines fall into three categories from low to
high end: laptop, desktop, workstation.
• Servers range from small to large: low-end servers,
midrange servers and mainframes.
 Processing Devices
Processing devices are the computer's circuitry in the
system unit.
Motherboard - the
circuit board housing
the memory and the
central processing unit
(CPU)
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Manipulates input data into the
information needed by the users.
Memory
Also known as Random Access Memory or RAM. It is a
series of electronic elements that act as temporary storage of
data and program instructions while the instructions are
being processed by the CPU.
Chips
These make up the CPU and the memory;
these are electronic devices that contain
many microscopic pathways designed to
carry electrical currents. (picture 6.3) (Intel)
 Storage Devices
Store data and programs. These hold data, information,
and programs permanently.
Solid State Drive (SSD)
Mass storage device that stores data in a
permanent state even without power.
Similar to an HDD's function, only the
internal components are different. SSDs
do not have moving parts but store data
on magnetic platters making use of flash
memory.
 Hard Disk Drive
(HHD)
Often called hard drive or hard disk. This is
the most common storage device that does
not need power to maintain data; these store
data through spinning platters or magnetic
disks, recording individual bits written into
the disk.
Flash Drive
Highly portable small data storage devices
making use of flash memory and a Universal
Serial Bus (USB) port connection
CD
“Compact Disc", this storage device
can hold up to 700 MB; it is read by
an optical drive through a laser.
 INPUT
DEVICES
Input devices allow the user to communicate with the computer
by entering data or commands.
Keyboard – primary input device used to input alphanumeric
data and commands to the computer.

Mouse – primary input device used to navigate

and interact with the monitor output.
 Scanner – scans documents and
converts them digitally, which can
be edited on a computer.

Webcam - small cameras attached to a monitor

or desk that record or broadcast video.

Joystick - device used to control

video games, aside from the
keyboard.
 OUTPUT
DEVICES
Output devices enable the computer to show the processed data
and information understandably to the user.
Printer - prints paper documents, photographs, and other outputs
called hard copies which are physical versions of the documents.
Monitor - acts as the primary display of the
unit where the user interface and programs
are reflected.

Speakers – sound system device that

produce audio output from the computer.
 THE
02 SYSTEM
UNIT
 SYSTEM UNIT
The System Unit is the overall structure that houses the
processor, memory, and electronic components of the computer
that are used to process data. All input and output devices are
connected into the system unit. The system unit is housed by
what is known as system case or computer case. It holds and
protects most components of a computer.
 The Computer Case contains the framework to support and
enclose internal components of the computer. It helps to
prevent damage from static electricity. It typically made up
of plastic, steel, and aluminum which are available in a
variety of styles. The size and layout of a case is called a
form factor. It is also designed to keep internal components
cool by using airflow vents and cooling fans.
Computer cases are referred to in a number of ways:
Computer chassis Cabinet
Tower Box
Housing Types:
Tower (Full, Mid, Mini)
Desktop (Standard, Slim line)
Power Supply
Power supplies serve as the source for electricity to the computer.
Attached are vital hardware cables and buses for transferring power
to various components in the computer
The following are the basic connector you can see in a power supply:
ATX AT (P8, P9) ATXv12 24-
12V pin

ATX 4-pin ATX 6-pin

Berg Molex ATX 20-pin

ATX 24-pin main power connector is
the standard motherboard power
connector used in nearly every computer.

SATA 15 pin power supply connector is one of several

standard peripheral power connectors. SATA power connectors
only connect to SATA drives like hard drives and optical
drives. SATA power connectors do not work with older PATA
devices.
Molex 4 pin power supply connector is a standard
peripheral power connector. Molex power connectors connect
to many different kinds of internal peripherals including PATA
hard drives and optical drives, some video cards, and even
some other devices.
Floppy drive 4 pin power supply connector is the standard
floppy drive power connector. The floppy power connector,
also called a Berg connector or Mini-Molex connector, is
included in even the newest power supplies even though floppy
drives are becoming obsolete.
ATX 4 pin power supply connector is a standard
motherboard power connector used to provide +12
VDC to the processor voltage regulator. This small
connector usually attaches to the motherboard near
the CPU.
ATX 6 pin power supply connector is a motherboard power
connector used to provide +12 VDC to the processor voltage
regulator but the 4-pin variety is the more commonly used
connector. This small connector usually attaches to the
motherboard near the CPU.
Motherboard
The motherboard is also known as mainboard, system board, logic
board, or MOBO. It holds and allows communication between the
crucial components of the computer such as the CPU and memory.
It also provides connection for other peripherals.
This provides the path
which the processor (CPU)
communicates with all the
components of the
computer.
There are several components that are attached to the
motherboard. These include:
1. Chip – small piece of semiconducting material, where more
integrated circuits are embedded. They have standard-sized pin
connectors that allow them to be attached to the motherboard.
2. Bus – an electrical path that enables data flow between various
system components.
3. Integrated Circuit (IC) – contains microscopic pathways that
carry electric current. The IC contains millions of elements such as
resistors, capacitators, and transistors. Many different kinds of
chips are located in the motherboard
4. Microprocessor – this is the central processing unit on a chip.
Different variety of chip packages:

1. Dual Inline Package (DIP) – this has two parallel rows of

pints that attach the chip package to the circuit board
2. Pin Grid Array (PGA) – holds a larger number of pins
because the pins are mounted on the surface of the package.
3. Flip Chip-PGA (CF-PGA) Package – higher performance
PGA packaging that places the chip on the opposite sides of the
pins.
4. Single Edge Contact (SEC) Cartridge – does not use pins
but connects to one of the edges in the motherboard.
The form factor of motherboards pertains to the size and
shape of the board. It also describes the physical layout of
the different components and devices on the motherboard.
Various form factors exist for motherboards:
AT-Advanced Technology
ATX-Advanced Technology Extended
Mini-ATX-Smaller footprint of ATX
Micro-ATX-Smaller footprint of ATX
Extended
NLX-New Low-profile Extended
BTX-Balanced Technology Extended
The function of the Northbridge is primarily a fast
path between the CPU and the video bus and system
RAM. While the Southbridge connects with the slow
hardware/components of the system.
See the photo to
understand the
function of these
bridges:
Central Processing Unit
Commonly known as the CPU or processor, this is the brain of the
computer. It interprets and carries out the basic instructions to operate a
computer. It impacts overall computing power and manages most of the
computer. operations. The motherboard contains a socket to hold the
processor or CPU. The central processing unit (CPU), also called the
processor or microprocessor, does most of the processing of data and
instructions for the entire system. Because the CPU generates heat, a fan
and heat sink might be installed on top to keep it cool. Nowadays,
processors have multiple cores called multi-core processors. This means
that the processor is a single chips that has two or more separate
processors. In multi-core processors, each of the processors run at a
slower clock speed as compared to a single-core processor, but this
efficient process typically increases performance.
There are two kinds of common multi-core processors today:
1. Dual Core Processor – chip that contains two separate processors
2. Quad Core Processor – chip with four separate processors

AMD and Intel are the two most popular brands of processors in
the market nowadays. Bundled with the processors are the heat
sinks. A heat sink consists of metal fins that draw heat away from
a component. The fan and heat sink are
called the processor cooler.
The photo bellow shows CPU with a heat sink mounted on the
motherboard.
 Random Access Memory
(RAM)
The Random Access Memory or
RAM acts as temporary storage as
long as the computer is running.
The contents of the RAM change
as programs are executed. These
are chips that are placed directly on
the motherboard. These RAM
consists of switches which are
triggered by changes in electric
current.
Three basic types of RAM:
1. Dynamic RAM (DRAM) - This kind of RAM needs to be
recharged by the CPU. If not, it loses its contents. There are many
variations of DRAM such as:
● Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) – faster than DRAM because it
is synchronized to the system clock. Double Data Rate (DDR)
SDRAM-faster than SDRAM because they transfer data twice for
each clock cycle
● DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAM – faster than DDR SDRAM
● Ambus DRAM (RDRAM) – type of DRAM faster than SDRAM
that uses pipelining techniques.
2. Static RAM (SRAM) – This kind is faster and more reliable
than any form of DRAM. Unlike the DRAM, this does not
need to be re-energized. However, it is much more expensive
and it used for special purposes.

3. Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) – This kind stores data

using magnetic charges instead of electrical charges. It has
greater storage capacity, consume less power, and faster
access times.
 The RAM chips are housed in a small circuit board called the
memory module, which is inserted into the motherboard.
Three types of memory modules:
1. Single Inline Memory Module (SIMM) – this has pins on
opposite sides of the circuit board which connect together to form
a single set of contacts. This houses SDRAM chips along with
DIMMs.
2. Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) – the pins on the
opposite sides of the circuit board do not connect and form two
sets of contacts. This houses SDRAM chips along with SIMMs.
3. Rambus Inline Memory Module (RIMM) – this houses
RDRAM chips. The RAM chips are housed in a small circuit
board called the memory module, which is inserted into the
The computer will need a certain amount of memory to
be able to handle programs, data, and information,
depending on the types of applications used. The more
RAM a computer has, the faster the computer will be.
● To be able to use basic application software such as Office Suite,
one needs at least 1GB of RAM.
● Using programs and multimedia should have at least 4GB.
● Playing modern games or using editing software will require at
least 8GB.

Today the RAM ranges up to 64GB depending on the programs that

will be used for the computer.
 Cooling Technology
Cooling technologies are essential in avoiding the computer from
overheating and maintaining a good, well- ventilated system.
Several cooling technologies are present throughout the system unit:

● Fans are also present in several components such as the power

supply, ports, processor, hard disk etc.
● Heat sink, on another hand, is a small metal or ceramic
component with fins on the surface which absorbs and distributes
heat produced by electrical components.
● Heat pipe is used on smaller devices like notebook computers
since this is smaller in size.
Expansion Cards

A motherboard has expansion slots to be used by

expansion cards. An expansion card, also called
an adapter card, is a circuit board that provides
more ports than those provided by the
motherboard.
The photo below shows a Video Card where it provides three video ports.
Notice the cooling fan and heat sink for most ports in a system to be provided
by the motherboard (called onboard ports) and less use of expansion cards.

There are also other variants of expansion cards such as network cards, sound
cards, video capture cards, interface cards, and other expansion cards that cater
to whatever the computer user for his/her needs and improvements for the
system.
The photo below shows a Video Card where it provides three
video ports. Notice the cooling fan and heat sink for most ports
in a system to be provided by the motherboard (called onboard
ports) and less use of expansion cards.
 Storage
A system might have one or more hard drives, an optical
drive, a tape drive, or, for really old systems, a floppy drive.

A hard drive, also called a hard

disk drive (HDD), is permanent
storage used to hold data and
programs.
For example, the Windows operating system
and applications are installed on the hard
drive. All drives in a system are installed in
a stack of drive bays at either the front or on
the lower portion of the case. Nowadays,
users use Solid State Drive or SSDs because
of its use of flash memory, which does not
use physical disks to write memory/data.
Each drive has two connections for cables: the power cable
connects to the power supply and another cable, used for data and
instructions, connects to the motherboard.
PORTS, SOCKETS,
SLOTS 03
& CONNECTORS
The motherboard has several ports, sockets, slots, and
connectors that link the computers' components, input,
and output devices among each other. First we'll look at
the port which are usually found at the side of the
motherboard or the back of the system case.

The port basically serves as an interface between the

computer and other computers or peripheral devices.
Port
A port generally refers to the female part of connection.
Computer ports have many uses, to connect a monitor, webcam,
speakers, or other peripheral devices.

On the physical layer, a computer port is a specialized

outlet on a piece of equipment to which a plug or cable
connects. Electronically, the several conductors where the
port and cable contacts connect, provide a method to
transfer signals between devices.
Familiarize yourself with the following ports usually
found with computer systems below:
VGA Port (or DB-15 port) – 15 pin female port that
transmits analog video.

S-video Port – 4-pin or 7-pin round video port used

to connect to a television.

DVI (Digital Video Interface) Port – transmits

digital or analog video.
HDMI (or High-Definition Multimedia
Interface) Port – transmits digital video and
audio. Used in home theater and modern
monitors.
DisplayPort – transmits digital video and audio.
This replaces VGA and DVI ports nowadays.
Thunderbolt – transmits both video and data on
the same port and cable. Similar to a DisplayPort,
it is compatible with the devices with the
DisplayPort
Audio Ports (Sound Ports) – usually has
three ports, for a microphone, audio in/audio
out, and stereo audio out
S/PDIF (Sony-Philips Digital Interface) Sound Port
– connects to an external home theatre audio system

USB (Universal Serial Bus) – multipurpose I/O

port used by many different devices, including
printers, mice, scanners, keyboards, flash drive,
etc. USB 3.0 is faster than the regular USB 2.0.

Firewire Port (IEEE1934 Port) – used for high-

speed multimedia devices (such as digital
camcorders)
External SATA (eSATA) Port – used by an
external hard drive using the eSATA interface.
This is faster compared to Firewire.

PS/2 Port (Mini-DIN Port) – round 6-pin port

used by keyboard or mouse. Purple is for
keyboard. Green is for mouse. However,
nowadays USB ports are used for keyboards and
mouse.

Serial Port (DB9 Port) – a 9-pin male port used

by older computers.
Slots
 Sockets
The following are the most common sockets found in the
motherboard. The CPU socket where the CPU itself is inserted and
the CMOS slot where the CMOS battery (which lets the
motherboard remember the date and time of the computer) that is
replaced after it has worn out.
Connectors and Ports
Connectors and Ports
 THANK
S!
End of Unit 2 Lesson
2