An Introduction to PC Components

The Main PC Components

If you are thinking about building or repairing computer equipment, there are only six main classes of component that you need to know about:

CPU (Central Processing ): this is the chip that processes the instructions: it is sometimes likened to the brain of the PC Motherboard: this is the main circuit board that all the other components slot into. This can be likened to the nervous system - enabling all the components to communicate with each other RAM (Random Access Memory): this is the temporary storage area used by the computer whilst it is operating to hold both instructions and data. As anything in RAM is lost when the computer is switched off, this can be likened to our short-term memory

Drives: these are used for permanent storage or for loading in programs and data. As anything stored on a drive is retained when the power is removed, this can be likened to our long-term memory Power Supply (PSU): this is the unit that takes the AC mains power and transforms it into reliable DC power for the PC components. This can be likened to the heart of the computer - supplying vital lifeforce to all components

Case: this is the housing (-normally a combination of metal inner cage and plastic outer) that the other components are mounted inside. This can be likened to the skeleton of the computer, both protecting and holding everything together

Expansion Cards: these are smaller daughterboards that plug directly into the expansion slots on the motherboard and give the PC some additional capability. You can think of these as training/education in that it extends the capabilities of the computer

If you are thinking about building or repairing computer equipment, there are only six main classes of component that you need to know about Most home PCs will normally contain:

A single CPU: although there are multi-CPU machines, home machines currently all have a single chip (-albeit with multiple Cores) A single Motherboard: the Motherboard will have a single slot that allows a chip from a single CPU family, plus one or more RAM slots One or more RAM DIMMs: the maximum amount of RAM will be determined by the number of slots in the Motherboard One or more Drives: the maximum amount of drives possible will be determined by the number of data connectors on theMotherboard and the number of power connectors from the PSU A single PSU: this should generate enough power for all components attached to the system A single Case: this should be large enough to accomodate all the other (internal) components

The Central Processing Unit (CPU)

What is a CPU?
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is a highly sophisticated set of Integrated Circuits (IC) on a single silcon chip - hence it it also know simply as the Chip. It is also known as a processor. The CPU is where instructions (-for example, of the operating system or an application) are run (executed). Each instruction is loaded in sequence into the CPU from the RAM and then carried out. Without the CPU, the computer will not do anything - except consume electricity! Without the CPU, the computer will not do anything - except consume electricity Due to the mass of circuits packed tightly inside the CPU, it is normally topped by a heatsink (-a passive cooling device designed to thermally conduct heat away from the chip) and, on top of that, normally an electrically operated fan. In the picture below, the chip is totally obscured under the fan housing and (below that), the finned heatsink;

Manufacturers and Processor Family

There are many different chip manufacturers out there but, these days, home users realistically only have a choice of two:

Intel : Intel Website AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) : Advanced Micro Devices Website

Each of these these companies will have multiple chip lines or families (-this would be analagous to "car model" in the automotive industry), for example:

Intel sell the following processor lines (-not an exhaustive list by the way):

o Atom (low power consumption) o Celeron (entry level laptops and PCs) o Core i3 (low level PCs) o Core i5 (mid level PCs) o Core i7 (top end gaming PCs) Similarly, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) are currently marketing the following lines for home users: o Fusion APU (low power consumption, integrated graphics) o Sempron (entry level laptops and PCs) o Athlon II (mid end PCs) o Phenom II (top end gaming PCs)

Within each of these chip lines there are a number of processors (-think "trim level"), for example within the AMD Sempronline, there are no less than 37 processors, running at from 1.6 to 2.3GHz in speed and consuming from 35 - 62W of power!

Choosing a CPU
As you can see from the above, there is an awful lot of choice out there! Which CPU you opt for depends mainly on the following (-in order of importance): .. the fastest processors will be those with the highest clock speed and largest numbers of cores .. 1. The processor must be compatible with the socket on your Motherboard. If you are buying a new motherboard, it should state which socket is used - for example socket AM2 / AM3 (AMD) or Socket 778 (Intel). If you are using an old motherboard, you will need to find out which socket you have (looking at the top of the chip should at least define if the chip is Intel or AMD). The motherboard may also have the socket number stamped next to the processor but the best way is probably to type in the product number of your PC (-normally found on the reverse side) to your favourite search engine and let the web do the work! What you need the PC for: if all you want it for is writing letters and surfing the web, then you do not need a particularly powerful chip but if you are going to be running the latest 3D rendering games then you will. In general the higher the clock speed, the faster the processor (-so 3.0GHz is faster than 2.8GHz) and the higher the number of cores the more tasks it will be able to handle simultaneously. As a result, the fastest processors will be those with the highest clock speed and largest numbers of

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cores. If you need to make a compromise, then go for a slower clock speed with more cores as this will generally outperform a faster single core (-unless you only ever run one program at a time!) Price: the faster processors will be the most expensive. There is generally a price premium to the leading edgeprocessors, so it is normally best to consider those a little behind the zenith, unless money is no object.. Power consumption: if you will be running the PC away from home a lot (laptop), using it a server which is "always on" or are just worried about your carbon footprint, then you should consider a processor with a low wattage (power consumption). Low wattage CPUs will also run cooler, meaning less heat related problems. However, lower-power chips tend to have slower clock speeds and are more expensive to buy than their power-hungrier siblings

The Motherboard
What is a Motherboard?
The motherboard is the guts of any modern PC: it is a large circuit board into which all the other components either slot or are connected via cables. The motherboard defines which Processor Family can be used, the type and how much RAM -as well as the type and number of Drives that can be attached. The motherboard is .. a large circuit board into which all the other components either slot or are connected via cables The motherboard size will also dictate which Cases that can be used; although most will accomodate the main motherboard sizes (-aka form factors) that are currently widely available, you should always check those supported by the case prior to purchasing. Currently, the most popular form factors are:

ATX (244x305mm) micro-ATX (-around 171x171mm) mini-ITX (170x170mm)

Motherboards are specific to a Processor Manufacturer (-i.e. Intel or AMD) and will have a socket suitable for one or more of that company's processors.

Choosing a Motherboard
As with processors, there are a lot of different motherboards out there! Which one you choose depends mainly on the following (-in order of importance): 1. Which processor you are planning to use: this needs to be compatible with the socket on the motherboard - for example socket AM2 / AM3 (AMD) or Socket 778 (Intel). Beware that both Intel and AMD use multiple sockets and only a subset of their processors will fit each Beware that both Intel and AMD use multiple sockets and only a subset of their processors will fit each 2. What resources you need: o The maximum amount of RAM supported: different motherboards will have a different number of memory slots o The maximum amount of Drives supported: different motherboards will have a different number of SATA and/or IDEports available to connect to devices such as CD/DVD burners, hard drives and SSDs o Any other requirements - such as build in graphics or sound support Price: the more facilities and cutting edge features that the motherboard supports, the costlier it will be Manufacturer: with motherboards, it's best to stick with a well known manufacturer (-examples include Asus, Gigabyte,ASRock): I find it useful to use a search engine to see what other people think about a motherboard manufacturer if they are an unknown quantity

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Random Access Memory

What is Random Access Memory?
Random Access Memory (RAM for short) is the work area used to hold both instructions and data whilst the computer is working on it. It is Random Access in that it takes the computer the same amount of time to retrieve data from any part of the memory, unlike a hard drive -for example- where the position of the data on the disc will affect the speed of it's retrieval. RAM is said to be volatile in the sense that anything in RAM is lost when the computer is switched off, as opposed to data ondrives which, once written, is retained even after power down. Random Access Memory .. is the work area used to hold both instructions and data whilst the computer is working on it So, why do we use RAM? The short answer is because it's fast and (relatively) cheap! Reading and writing data from a hard drive (-or even an SSD) is slow, so any computer that dispensed with RAM would be too slow to be of much use. As a result, data is normally read from a drive, into RAM, where the processor works on it. If the output is important, it can then be written back from RAM to a drive to persist it, after the power is pulled.

Types of Random Access Memory

There are many different types of RAM available, but the overwhelming majority of memory available for home PCs currently falls into two main types:

DDR2 (clock doubled): this is the older type of memory. It is generally cheaper but is gradually being phased out in favour of DDR3, so if you are buying a new Motherboard, go with DDR3 if you want to keep your options open for future expansion. I would advise only using DDR2 if you will be using a existing motherboard which requires it DDR3 (clock trebled): DDR3 is the latest incarnation of memory chips. It is generally available in quicker speeds but you do have to pay more for it. The majority of new Motherboards are now switching to DDR3

Within both DDR2 and DDR3, you will see a number of different speeds (-specified in megahertz or MHz): the higher the MHz value, the faster the RAM. So, for example, both DDR2 and DDR3 are available running at speeds of 1066MHz, 1333MHz, 1600MHz. In this example, 1600MHz is the fastest - and also the most expensive! You should also pay attention to the latency values of the RAM: this is the delay in accessing RAM on the DIMM -and the lower the latency, the better the memory will perform.

Choosing RAM
There are a number of things that you need to verify before you order your RAM, notably: 1. If you are adding RAM to a laptop, you are likely to need the smaller, SO-DIMMs whereas if you are adding it to a desktop/server, you almost certainly need 240-pin DIMMs. SO-DIMMs are incompatible with DIMMs - so make sure you order the correct type! Also, check the number of pins on your motherboard (-the norm is 240 pins for most DIMMs currently, but older motherboards can have differing numbers) If you are adding RAM to a laptop, you are likely to need the smaller SO-DIMMs .. Check your Motherboard supports the RAM. The best way to do this is to go to the motherboard manufacturers website and check the list of supported RAM for that board If you are adding more than one DIMM/SO-DIMM, try to keep them identical if possible, to avoid incompatibility problems. If not identical, try and keep them as similar (size, clock speed, latency) Where possible, check the feedback from other users on your desired RAM: most sites allow users to review products and leave feedback, so be sure to take note of the experience of others

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Computer Drives
What is A Drive?
The term Drives covers a multitude of devices. These devices are non-volatile in that data written to a drive, unlike RAM, ispersisted after the power is pulled from the PC (-assuming, of course, that the write completed prior to the power being dropped). [Drives] are non-volatile in that data written to a drive, unlike RAM, is persisted after the power is pulled .. Reading and writing data from a hard drive is mucher slower than from RAM, partly because the drive needs to physically seek to the correct sector on the disc and read it (-i.e. there is some physical movement needed before the read/write can even start) and partly because RAM is more tightly coupled to the CPU via the Memory Controller Hub (-aka Northbridge) chip.

Different Types of Drive

There are five basic drive types currently available:

Hard Drive: this is a magnetic media device. It is the traditional non-volatile storage used by computers and is reasonably fast, able to store vast amounts of data and very competitive price-wise per Gb of storage. Hard drives can differ hugely in performance, so check the read and write speeds for your selected drive before purchase

CD-ROM, DVD ROM, BluRay Player: these are all read-only, optical devices (-i.e. they use lasers to read the pits andlands on the surface of a disc) : the difference being the speed they run and amount of data on the disc. These are generally a lot faster than a Burner drive, but still relatively slow

CD Burner, DVD Burner: these are all read-write, optical devices (-i.e. they use lasers to burn or read the pits and landson the surface of a disc) : again, CDs and DVDs differ in their speed and amount of data they can get on the disc. Great for backing up data, but very slow

SSD (Solid State Device): these are basically non-volatile memory devices containing no moving parts: the computer sees them as a normal hard drive, but they are effectively a special bank of href="/Hardware/hwCompRAM.php">RAM chips that continue to store data even when the power is off. These are the quickest - and most expensive devices - out there, although some are not much quicker than the fastest hard drives (-so beware). They also do not have the capacity to store the amounts of data that hard drives can (yet). They can be likened to a larger, faster, internal version of a USB Memory Stick [SSDs] are the quickest - and most expensive devices - out there, although

some are not much quicker than the fastest hard drives ..

Hybrid Drive: some manufacturers offer hard drives combined with a limited SSD (-such as Seagate Momentus), to speed up data transfers. This may become an affordable alternative to SSDs for the less well healed..

Choosing a Drive
The good thing with most Motherboards is that you can mix and match a number of drive types in your PC! Each board will differ, but a common number of drive ports is around six: meaning up to six drives can be connected if so desired. The minimum you can get away with is a single hard drive. However, here is some criteria for choosing when to use each type of device: There are five basic drive types currently available:

Hard Drive: for the bulk of your long-term storage or if funds are tight CD-ROM, DVD ROM, BluRay Player: use if you need to load a lot of commercial software or play CDs, DVDs or BluRay discs CD Burner, DVD Burner: use for backing up important data from your other drives SSD: to turbocharge your PC, invest in a small, fast, SSD to contain your operating system and temporary files only: this will cut boot times and tool startup times dramatically. The smaller SSDs (e.g. 32Gb) are much also more affordable (-the price tends to increase exponentially)! Hybrid Drive: could be a higher speed alternative to the hard drive for the bulk of your data if funds allow or you are limited to a single drive

SATA verses IDE

Drives are connected to the Motherboard using one of two incompatible interfaces:

IDE: this is the older, parallel, interface. Nowadays, you would be hard pressed to find much other than CD/DVD Players or burners using this interface; transfer rates are generally slower than with SATA drives (-but not necessarily so) SATA: this is a serial interface that has all but replaced IDE in new builds. Be aware that they are several SATA versions: SATA-1, SATA-2 and SATA-3. SATA-3 is the fastest (600MB/s) and is just appearing on new boards. Note that whilst older SATA devices (SATA-1 or 2) can be used on newer (e.g. SATA-3) motherboards (-albeit slowing things down), the reverse is not true: if you have a SATA2 motherboard, you cannot connect a SATA-3 device to it

As a general rule, it is best to go for SATA drives (-if you have a choice) to allow future upgrade options.

Power Supply Units

What is a Power Supply Unit?
The job of the Power Supply Unit is simply to take the raw (A/C) power coming out of a household power socket and deliver a reliable DC current in the following voltages to the various components on the Motherboard:

0V: [Mandatory] -12V: [Mandatory] -5V: [Optional] +3.3V: [Mandatory] +5V: [Mandatory] +12V: [Mandatory]

The job of the Power Supply Unit is .. to take the raw (A/C) power coming out of a household power socket and deliver a reliable DC current ..

The PSU will include an integral cooling fan and the whole unit screws into the top/rear of the Computer Case. PSUs are rated in Watts based on the maximum electrical power output they can sustain.

Connectors
Each PSU comes with a number of different power connectors, suitable to power different devices. These normally include most or all of the following:

A single 20 or 24 pin Motherboard Connector: main power to the Motherboard One or more Molex connectors: these supply power to IDE drives One or more SATA connectors: these supply power to SATA drives One or more PCI connectors: these power add on PCI cards, such as graphics cards

Be sure to check that your chosen PSU provides enough connectors for all your devices before you part with any cash!

Computer Cases
What is a Computer Case?
The computer case is often thought of as simply a decorative "wrapper" around the outside of the actual computer components. In reality, it is much more than that. It's main functions include the following:

Protecting the internals Securing / anchoring the internals, so they cannot move about Facilitating efficient cooling of the internals Allowing easy access to ports and removable media