Basic Computer Hardware
Saturday, December 11, 2010|
adminThe personal computer (PC) is one complex piece of machinery. Its made up of many individual components that will baffle the uninitiated. To learn about PCs, one has to have a desire to learn and experiment. This is not to say that PC technology is terribly hard to learn. All you need to know is the how a basic PC is set up, and what components are required.
After learning the basics, its a matter of self experimentation and reading - with time, you'll be one of the pros! This article aims to provide you with at least some basic knowledge of PCs so that you can move on to learn more if you wish.
Here are the Basic Computer Hardware
- Motherboard: The motherboard is one of the most important components in your PC. The motherboard is the glue that brings all the separate PC components together. There are several factors you need to look at when choosing motherboards, like the form factor (usually ATX), supported CPU, bus speed, supported RAM, form factor, built-in sound/video/LAN.
- CPU or Central Processing Unit: The CPU is another important component, since it is the 'brain' of your PC. You'll want to look at either Intel or AMD CPUs.
- Computer Case: The computer case is your computer's housing. You need this to store your components, the largest of which is your motherboard. These days, the PC cases out there come in ATX form, which means they can accomodate ATX motherboards.
- Computer Memory or RAM (Random Access Memory) - think of it as the storage area in the computer's brain. Typically, RAM sizes nowadays come up to 512 MB to 1 GB on average. Computers which are run as full servers typically have memory in the range of 4 GB or more.
- Monitor: The monitor will be the most expensive component in your system. Newer monitors tend to have large 17-inch or 19-inch LCD screens which are easy on the eyes. There are also conventional CRT monitors which are bulkier but cost much less.
- Hard drives and Floppy Drives: A hard drive is essential for storing your system's data, including the operation system software. Hard drives are extremely sensitive devices and prone to failure, so get your hard drives from respected brands like Seagate, Maxtor and IBM. Floppy drives are important for reading 5.25 inch diskettes - these are fast becoming obsolete with the increasing commercial adoption of USB storage devices like Pen Drives.
- CD-ROM Drives: A CD-ROM drive used to be an 'optional extra' in computers - it is no longer so. Most software packages come in CD format, so you must have a CD-ROM drive to read them. Typically, CD-ROM drives today need to be at least 24X speed to keep up with the newer software applications out there.
- Video Card: Unless you have built-in video on your motherboard, the video card is a must have component because it displays images on your monitor. The latest video cards support 3D graphics rendering and games - they are also the fastest changing technology in the PC world.
- Keyboard and Mouse: These two input devices are obviously needed, otherwise you can't interact with the computer system. These components are fairly standard stuff and can be purchased at pretty cheap prices.
Optional Computer Hardware Components
Next, there are the optional hardware components that need not be in every computer setup. These include:
- Sound Card: Some may argue that the sound card is an essential component in the PC, since it translates digital signals into analog audio for your listening pleasure. Well, that's true, if you want to play games or run multimedia applications in your PC. Otherwise, it may not be necessary, especially in business environments.
- LAN Card or NIC (Network Interface Card): Once used only in corporate environments, the LAN card is now increasingly used at home for connecting various computer together to form a network. Many motherboards now also feature built-in LAN ports so you don't have to buy a separate card.
- CD Writer and DVD Writer: These two devices, especially the DVD writer, are selling like hotcakes in the market. Essentially CD writers allow you to burn images of your data into a 600 MB to 700 MB CD, which is really handy for performing data backups. DVD writers are even better, since they allow you to burn data onto a 4.7 GB DVD.
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