Connecting internal

hardware components

L O 1 : I D E N T I F Y A N D C AT E G O R I Z E
I N T E R N A L H A R D WA R E C O M P O N E N T S
1.1 Identify and categories the different internal
hardware components

Components in computer systems are continually

being refined and improved.
 At the time of writing this unit the following types of
hardware components may be found internally in a
computer:
 Computer hardware is the collection of physical
elements that constitute a computer system.
Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or
components of a computer such as monitor,
keyboard, Computer data storage, hard drive disk,
mouse, system unit (graphic cards, sound cards,
memory, motherboard and chips), etc. all of which
are physical objects that you can actually touch.
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Hardware components are classified into

following categories:
 Input Devices
 Output Devices
 Storage Devices
 Processing
 The major component of a computer

 adapter cards
 cooling systems
 cpu components & features
 display device components
 memory component and features
 motherboard components
 power supply components
 Storage devices
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1. Adapter card a printed circuit card

required to allow a computer to support a
new device or unicate with a peripheral; also
called controller card.
 2. The Processor (CPU)

Central Processing Unit (CPU) The CPU is the

brain of a computer, containing all the
circuitry needed to process input, store data,
and output results. The CPU is constantly
following instructions of computer programs
that tell it which data to process and how to
process it.
The CPU is composed of five basic
components: general purpose registers,
special purpose registers, buses, the ALU,
and the Control Unit.
The process inside CPU
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General Purpose Registers: these

components are general use memory storage
in the CPU that can be accessed very fast (as
compared to RAM); they are created from
combining latches with a decoder.
The latches create circuitry that can
remember while the decoder creates a way
for individual memory locations to be
selected.
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Special Purpose Registers: these
components are dedicated memory storage in
the CPU that can be accessed very fast. Three
SP registers are shown: the Instruction
Register (IR), the Program Counter (PC), and
the Accumulator.
Buses: these components are the information
highway for the CPU. Buses are bundles of tiny
wires that carry data between components.
The three most important buses are the
address, the data, and the control buses.
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 ALU: this component is the number
cruncher of the CPU.
The Arithmetic / Logic Unit performs all the
mathematical calculations of the CPU. It is
composed of complex circuitry similar to the
adder presented in the previous lesson. The
ALU, however, can add, subtract, multiply,
divide, and perform a host of other
calculations on binary numbers.
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Control Unit: this component is responsible

for directing the flow of instructions and data
within the CPU. The Control Unit is actually
built of many other selection circuits such as
decoders and multiplexors. In the diagram
above, the Decoder and the Multiplexor
compose the Control Unit.
3. cooling system

Typical cooling mechanism:

 CPU and case Fans
• A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached
to, a computer case used for active cooling,
and may refer to fans that draw cooler air
into the case from the outside, expel warm air
from inside, or move air across a heat sink to
cool a particular component.
Heat sinks

• component that absorbs heat and cools a

device by driving away heat into the
surrounding air.
• Common type of heat sink used with CPUs is
cooling fins.
• In computers, heat sinks are used to cool
central processing units or graphics
processors.
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A processor is an integrated circuit (IC)

supplied on a single silicon chip.
 All of the components and pathways
necessary for the movement of data around
the processor are attached on this single
chip.
memory component

Memory consists of electronic components

that store instructions waiting to be executed
by the processor, data needed by those
instructions, and the results of processing the
data.
 it Stores three basic categories of items:
 The operating system and other system
software
 Application programs
 Data being processed and the resulting
information.
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The internal hard drive is the computer's

memory; this is where the applications
software, disk operating system and data
files are stored.
The main advantage of these memories is
the fast data transfer/access times and their
large capacity to store
 Main/Internal memory
(including ROM and RAM)
This is the type of memory that can be read
from and written to by the processor and
other devices.
 Programs and data are loaded into RAM from
storage devices such as a hard disk and
remain in the RAM as long as the computer
has continuous power.
The system unit contains two types of
memory:
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Random access memory (RAM) is an
internal chip where data is temporarily stored
when running applications.
This memory can be written to and read from.
Since its contents are lost when power to the
computer is turned off, it is often referred to
as a ‘volatile’ or ‘temporary’ memory.
 RAM chips usually reside on a memory
module and are inserted into memory slots.
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There are Two Basic types of RAM chips

exist:
 Static RAM (SRAM) : SRAM retains its
contents as long as the power is connected
and is easy to interface , but uses six
transistors per bit.
 Dynamic RAM (DRAM) Dynamic RAM is
more complicated to interface to and When
stored in dynamic memory, one transistor (not
counting addressing, refresh, or buffer
circuits) are required to store one bit.
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Identify the names, purposes, and
characteristics of motherboards.
 Identify the names, purposes, and
characteristics of CPUs.
 Identify the names, purposes, and
characteristics of cooling systems.
 Identify the names, purposes, and
characteristics of ROM and RAM.
 Identify the names, purposes, and
characteristics of storage drives.
 Identify the names, purposes, and
characteristics of internal cables
 Explain purpose and characteristics of
internal hardware component

 A. Identify the names, purposes, and

characteristics of motherboards.
A motherboard is also known as the system
board ,backplane, or main circuit board.
The motherboard accommodates the central
processing unit (CPU), RAM, expansion slots,
heat sink/fan assembly, BIOS chip, chip set,
and the embedded wires that interconnect the
motherboard components. Sockets, internal
and external connectors, and various ports are
there on motherboard.
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 The form factor of motherboards pertains to the
board's size and shape. It also describes the
physical layout of the different components and
devices on the motherboard. Motherboards have
various form factors:
 Advanced Technology (AT)
 Advanced Technology Extended (ATX)
 Smaller footprint than Advanced Technology
Extended (Mini-ATX)
 Smaller footprint than Advanced Technology
Extended (Micro-ATX)
 Low-Profile Extended (LPX)
 New Low-Profile Extended (NLX)
B. Identify the Names, Purposes, and
Characteristics of CPUs

The central processing unit (CPU)is

considered the computer’s brain.
It is sometimes called the processor. Most
calculations take place in the CPU.
In terms of computing power, the CPU is
the most important element of a computer
system.
CPUs come in different form factors, each
style requiring a particular slot or socket on
the motherboard. Common CPU
manufacturers include Intel and AMD.
C. Identify the Names, Purposes, and
Characteristics of Cooling Systems

 Electronic components generate heat.

Heat is caused by the flow of current within
the components.
Computer components perform better when
kept cool.
If the heat is not removed, the computer may
run slower.
If too much heat builds up, computer
components can be damaged.
Increasing the air flow in the computer case
allows more heat to be removed.
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D. Identify the Names, Purposes, and Characteristics
of ROM and RAM

 ROM and RAM provide memory for a vast

amount of computer equipment.
 They come in different memory sizes and
module sizes and have different features.
The following sections cover ROM and RAM
in greater detail.
 ROM

 Read-only memory (ROM)chips are located on

the motherboard. ROM chips contain
instructions that the CPU can access directly.
ROM stores basic instructions for booting the
computer and loading the operating system.
ROM chips retain their contents even when
the computer is powered down. The contents
cannot be erased, changed, or rewritten by
normal means. ROM types include the
following:
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 Programmable read-only memory (PROM):
Information is written to a PROM chip after it is
manufactured. A PROM chip cannot be erased or
rewritten.
 Erasable programmable read-only memory
(EPROM): Information is written to an EPROM chip
after it is manufactured. An EPROM chip can be erased
with exposure to UV light. Special equipment is
required.
 Electrically erasable programmable read-only
memory (EEPROM): Information is written to an
EEPROM chip after it is manufactured. EEPROM chips
are also called flash ROMs. An EEPROM chip can be
erased and rewritten without removing the chip from
the computer
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 Note
 ROM is sometimes called firmware. This is
misleading, because firmware is actually the
software that is stored in a ROM chip.
 RAM
Random-access memory (RAM)is the
temporary storage for data and programs that
are being accessed by the CPU.
RAM is volatile memory, which means that the
contents are erased when the computer is
powered off.
The more RAM in a computer, the more
capacity the computer has to hold and process
large programs and files, as well as enhance
system performance.
 E. The different types of RAM are as follows

Dynamic RAM (DRAM)is a memory chip

that is used as main memory.
 DRAM must be constantly refreshed with
pulses of electricity to maintain the data
stored in the chip.
■ Static RAM (SRAM) is a memory chip
that is used as cache memory. SRAM is much
faster than DRAM and does not have to be
refreshed as often.

 F. Identify the Names, Purposes, and Characteristics
of Adapter Cards

Adapter cards increase a computer's

functionality by adding controllers for specific
devices or by replacing malfunctioning ports.
Adapter cards are used to expand and
customize the computer's capability:
 NIC connects a computer to a network using
a network cable.
 Wireless NIC connects a computer to a
network using radio frequencies.
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 Sound adapter: provides audio capability.

 Video adapter :provides graphic capability.
 Modem adapter :connects a computer to the
Internet using a phone line.
USB port connects a computer to peripheral
devices.
Parallel port connects a computer to
peripheral devices.
Serial port connects a computer to peripheral
devices.
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Computers have expansion slots on the

motherboard to install adapter cards.
 The type of adapter card connector must
match the expansion slot.
Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) is
expansion slot. This is older technology and is
seldom used.
peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
is expansion slot. PCI is the standard slot
currently used in most computers.
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Advanced Graphics Port (AGP) is

expansion slot.
 AGP is designed for video adapters.
 PCI-Express is a serial bus expansion slot.
PCI-Express is backward-compatible with
PCI slots.
 G. Identify the Names, Purposes, and
Characteristics of Storage Drives

A storage drive reads or writes information to

magnetic or optical storage media.
It can be used to store data permanently or to
retrieve information from a media disk.
 Storage drives can be installed inside the
computer case, such as a hard drive.
For portability, some storage drives can
connect to the computer using a USB port, or
a SCSI port.
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SCSI (Small Computer System

Interface) is used to connect and
communicate between computers such as
hard disk drives, , CD/DVD drives, floppy
disk drives.
These portable storage drives are
sometimes called removable drives and can
be used on multiple computers.
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floppy drive
Hard drive
Optical drive
Flash drive
Network drive
G. Identify the Names, Purposes, and Characteristics
of Internal Cables

 Drives require both a power cable and a data cable.

 A power supply has a SATA power connector for
SATA drives, a Molex power connector for PATA
(IDE) drives, and a Berg four-pin connector for
floppy drives. The buttons and the LED lights on the
front of the case connect to the motherboard with
the front panel cables.
 Data cables connect drives to the drive controller,
which is located on an adapter card or the
motherboard.
 Some common types of data cables are as follow:
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Floppy disk drive (FDD) or ribbon: data

cable has up to two 34-pin drive connectors
and one 34- pin connector for the drive
controller.
PATA (IDE) data cable has 40 conductors, up
to two 40-pin connectors for drives, and one
40-pin connector for the drive controller.
SATA data cable has seven conductors, one
keyed connector for the drive, and one keyed
connector the drive controller.
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TO BE CONTINUE……..
Brain storming

What are types of cable connectors?

What are types of data cables connector?
What are types of power cable connector?
What is the difference between data cable and
power cable connectors?
Write at least 5 drives?
Write the differences between hard disk cable
connector and floppy disk data cable
connectors?
Write the pin numbers of power and data cable
connectors for hard disk , floppy disk, optical
drive ?