Computer Hardware
Dell Lab Computer without case
What is all this stuff??? Power Supply Motherboard Processor Video Card RAM (Random Access Memory) Hard Drive Cooling I/O devices (Input/Output)
The Power Supply Turns AC power from the outlet into DC voltage 110v AC converted to 3.3v, 5v, and 12v DC This process generates heat Why is the power supply designed with all of the slots in it?
The Motherboard The motherboard is what ties all of the parts of a computer together Power Supply, Processor, RAM, Hard Drive, Video Card, Fans, I/O devices all are plugged into the motherboard. Motherboard controls all of the systems that make a computer work
The Processor The Processor is what calculates code incoming from the motherboard All calculations are done in binary code. Binary Code only consists of 2 digits 0s and 1s Generates a lot of heat
Video Card The video card is responsible for getting the image to the monitor. I do not see this in our Dell computer. Why?
Video Card Some motherboards are designed with a video card integrated into it. Achieves a cost savings but loss in performance
Random Access Memory RAM is a place for the motherboard to store data that will be used by the processor for calculations RAM has a very fast data transfer rate
Hard Drive The hard drive is another place the computer uses to store data. Different than RAM Much slower transfer speeds New technology uses RAM in harddrives instead of platters Operating System/Software stored here
Cooling a Computer Fan in back of power supply Computers generate heat and that heat must dealt with to avoid damage Fans are the most common ways to dissipate heat. Heat Sinks are another way to deal with the heat problem. Processors and Power supplies generate so much heat a combination of fan and heat sink are used Heat Sink without fan Heat Sink with fan
Input and Output Devices Keyboard Mouse Speakers Scanner Bar Code Reader Monitor Can you name more?