Briefs of Computer Parts

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These are the first paragraph or so of the Computer Parts articles from previous issues of Ray's Computer Tips. If you want to read more, there are links at the end of the article to the full article.

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Motherboard

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        If you were to open up your computer, you would see a big circuit board along one side of the box. This is the motherboard. It is the main circuit board of your computer. The main parts of the motherboard are the BIOS, memory chips, the CPU chip, hard drive connections, PCI slots, sound card, graphics card, and various other connections. Some of these components are separate with only connections to them on the motherboard and others are a part of the motherboard. Read more.

CPU

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        In the previous issue we talked about the motherboard. On the motherboard is a square chip. This is the CPU (Central Processing Unit) also known as the microprocessor.
        The CPU does all of the calculating or thinking of the computer. If there is any figuring or deciding that has to be done on your computer, it goes through the CPU. Because of this, the CPU is often a bottleneck for the speed of your computer and the trend has been to make CPUs bigger and faster. Read more.

BIOS

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        BIOS is the beginning brain of your computer. It is located on the motherboard and contains the opening instructions and settings for your computer. When you turn your computer on, BIOS initializes certain settings and then hands over the operation of your computer to the boot section of your hard drive. Read more.

RAM Memory

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        One part of the brain of your computer is the RAM. If we compare RAM to the memory in your brain, it would be the immediate memory, the electrical impulses firing off in your brain right now. It is short term and not long term memory. RAM only has information in it while the computer is on. Turn your computer off, and RAM forgets everything.
        In order for your computer to do things, it has to have information in its memory banks. For example, if you have more than one program running, your computer has to remember what the other program is doing. This is especially important when you realize that the CPU can only do one thing at a time. This also holds true when just one program is running. Certain information about the program and what it is doing has to be remembered. This is done in RAM. The bigger the program the more RAM is used. Read more.

PCI Slots

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        PCI Slots connect graphics cards, ethernet cards, wireless cards, and a number of other components to your computer. If you look on the back of your desktop computer (laptop computers do not have them), you will see PCI cards or access opening for the PCI slots. There should be four or five of them running horizontally. The slots themselves are actually located on the motherboard perpendicular to the openings. New, unused slots have a metal punchout covering their opening. Read more.

Hard Drives

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        My first computer, a Commodore 64, did not come with a hard drive. When I wanted to use it, I had to either type in programming code by hand, load the code from a tape player, or load it from a floppy disk. What an inconvenience! Those days are gone. Today you turn on your computer and it immediately loads Windows from the hard drive and has all of your programs there ready to be used with the click of a button. Read more.

Graphics Card

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        What you see on your monitor is made of over a million tiny dots called pixels. Your computer has to decide what to do with every one in order to create an image. To do this, it needs a translator - something to take data from the CPU and turn it into a picture you can see. This is the job of the graphics card.
        Many computers have motherboards that handle the job of a graphics card without a separate graphics card. But the graphics that they can handle are limited. For most people this is adequate, but when a computer has to show 3D images fast, like with action games and 3D editors, it needs the help of a graphics card. Plugging a graphics card into one of these motherboards overrides the onboard graphics functions. Read more.

Sound Cards

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        In the olden days if you wanted any sound besides a beep on your computer, you had to get a sound card. The sound card allowed you to hook up speakers and a microphone to the computer for playing and creating music and sound files. Today most computers come with these sound abilities already built in. Read more.

CD/DVD Drives

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        There is a drawer on the front of your computer. Though some people use it as a cup holder, that is not its purpose. It is a CD or CD/DVD drive. Read more on CDs. Read more on DVDs. Read even more.

Monitor

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        If you don't know what a monitor is, you are looking at it. The monitor is that part of your computer that looks like a television screen. It allows your computer to communicate with you. Without it your computer is useless.
        Sooner or later you will need to buy one. This article explains the basic features of a monitor which you need to know about to help you in purchasing a monitor. Read more.

Computer Case

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        Put your plain looking desktop computer up next to a real nice looking one and do you know what the main difference is? That's right, the case. But even though a nice looking case will impress people, it does more than just sit around looking pretty. Whether you have a plain or nice looking case, there are a few things that you need to know about it. Read more.

Keyboard

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        I am sure you already know what the keyboard is. You probably even have your hands resting on it right now. But lets take a closer look at it. Read more.

Mouse

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        In 1963 Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute invented the first version of a mouse. He nicknamed it the "bug". It was one of several experimental pointing devices that Engelbart's team developed. The other devices were designed to exploit other body movements, such as, the chin or nose. Ultimately the "bug" won out. Read more.


Questions on our Discussion Board

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• WindowsXP Reboots when Turn Off Commanded
  
• Wake on LAN Questions
  
• New computer. Old hard drive. blue screen
  
• compressing video files
  
• Error message 1935
  
• antivirus
  
• pci simple communications controller
  
• right mouse button problems
  
• Connection Optimizing
  
• Reg VAc Screen View
  
• QUICK TIME
  
• Windows XP Recovery CD
  
• going into standby
  
• RegVac and Start-Up
  
• backup of hard drive
  
• Building my first computer. (BoneKit)
  
• internet explorer favorites
  
• How improve Disk Copy with Casper 5
  
• regvac and symantic
  
• install program gone
  
• Windows Installer
  
• Does RegVac work in Vista 64?
  
• RegVac
  
• crashed computer
  
• Log Off Ken in the Start Menu
  
• What is included in the basic memory?
  
• Speed Startup Lineup
  
• XP Problem with rt click mouse button
  
• Hard drive failure
  
• How to Remove User
  
• Failed installation of Windows Updates
  
• Speed Startup
  
• Driver For USB VID=13FE PID=1F00
  
• Run Time Errors
  
• cpu hyperthreading handles overload
  
• Error report repaired
  
• RegVac on Windows 7 Beta
  
• A1Click Ultra PC Cleaner locks up
  
• sfc/scannow
  
• Installing XP
  
• Determine what models a Dell Resource CD covers
  
• website blocked
  
• Defrag Solid State Disks
  
• keyboard problem on boot
  
• mouse freezes
  
• windows media center won't download guide
  
• Computer to TV
  

Thanks for reading,
Ray Geide