© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Identifying Personal Computer Components Chapter 2

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Overview In this chapter, you will learn to –Describe how the PC works –Identify the essential tools of the trade and avoid electrostatic discharge (ESD) –Identify the major internal and external components of a PC –Identify the different connectors on a typical PC system unit

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved How the PC Works Software –Operating system (Windows, MAC OS X, Linux) –Applications (PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Internet Explorer) Hardware –Pieces you can touch (mouse, monitor, motherboard, etc.)

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved How the PC Works Computer functions through four stages: –Input provides the computer with data Keyboard and mouse –Processing occurs when the computer processes or manipulates your data –Output is provided as the result of processing your data Monitor, printer, speakers –Storage is how you keep your data for later use Hard drive, CD-ROM disc, floppy diskette

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Tools of the Trade and ESD Avoidance

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved PC Tool Kit The basic tech toolkit: a Phillips-head screwdriver –Most toolkits contain a few other items It’s a good idea to include –Magnifying glass –Small flashlight

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved IT Essentials CompTIA A+ Essentials

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Electrostatic Discharge Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is the passage of a static electrical charge into your PC or a PC component such as a RAM stick –Static electricity can destroy sensitive parts of a PC –ESD damage is much more prevalent in dry, cool environments

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Anti-static Tools Anti-static wrist strap –Keeps you and the PC at the same electrical potential to prevent ESD Anti-static mats –Used temporarily to place parts taken out of your PC Anti-static bags –Used to store electrical components from your PC Always unplug a PC when you work on it. Don’t just turn it off.

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved The Complete PC

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved External Connections Plug goes into a port Port/jack accepts a plug Connector can be either a port or a plug

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved DIN Connectors DIN connectors are round and come in two sizes: –DIN –Mini-DIN Always a female connector Used frequently by a keyboard or mouse

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved USB Connectors Universal Serial Bus (USB) –Used by many devices today –Devices are hot- swappable You can insert or remove the device while the PC is powered on –USB B plugs into devices –USB A plugs into computers USB B USB A

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved FireWire Connectors FireWire connectors move data at incredibly high speeds –Also known as IEEE 1394 –Popular with video applications –Uses 6-wire connector (note the rounded edge) –Hot-swappable

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved DB Connectors DB connectors have a slight D-shape –Male DB connectors have pins –Female DB connectors have sockets –Oldest type of connector in the PC

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved RJ Connectors Registered jack or RJ connectors RJ-11 used by telephone lines RJ-45 used in network interface cards (NICs)

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Audio Connectors Audio connectors are used on sound cards –Used to connect speakers, microphones, and other audio devices

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Devices and Their Connectors

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Cards vs. Onboard Connectors exposed on rear and front of PCs –Some connectors attach directly to motherboard –Some connectors attach to boards that plug into motherboard

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Keyboard Keyboards connect into dedicated mini-DIN (usually purple) or USB Plugs and ports usually purple

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Video Cards Video cards connect to monitors –S-Video connector (left) –Digital video interface (DVI) connector (center) –15-pin female DB connector (right) –Newer High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Sound Cards Sound cards –Convert digital information into sound –Convert sound from a microphone into digital data –Mini-audio jacks for speakers and microphones –DB-15 connector for a joystick or musical instrument –Newer Sony/Phillips Digital Interface Format (S/PDIF)

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Network Cards Networks: groups of PCs connected together –Network interface cards (NICs) typically on motherboard (can be expansion card) –Typical connector is RJ-45

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mouse A mouse enables you to select graphical items on a screen –Connects through mini- DIN port (usually light green) or USB port (most common) –Trackball may be used instead of mouse

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Modem Modems convert analog telephone signals into digital data and vice versa –Internal modems are expansion cards –External modems connect to a serial port –Uses two RJ-11 sockets One to the telephone jack in the wall One to a telephone if you wish

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Serial Ports Serial ports are used to add external devices to a PC –Accept and transmit serial data –Male DB-9 or DB-25 –Largely replaced by USB

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Printer Printers output data from the PC onto paper –Historically used a female DB-25 –Today printers almost exclusively use a USB or FireWire port

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Joystick Joysticks are used almost exclusively to play games on the computer –Originally designed as an input device to be used like a mouse –Connector typically orange –Most joysticks now use USB

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Inside the System Unit

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Case The case houses all of the internal components –Protects internal components –External connections in front and rear –Provides access to storage devices such as CDs

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved CPU Central processing unit (CPU) –Also called a microprocessor –Performs calculations –CPUs generate a lot of heat Cooling fan and/or heat sink used to keep them cool

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved CPU Makes –Intel –AMD Models –Celeron –Athlon –Sempron –Pentium CPUs come in different packages –Pin grid array (PGA) Most common today

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved RAM Random access memory (RAM) –Stores programs and data currently used by the CPU –Measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB) –Each piece or module of RAM is called a stick Dual inline memory module (DIMM) most common today

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Motherboard The motherboard is a thin, flat piece of circuit board –Everything connects directly or indirectly to the motherboard –Contains sockets for the CPU, RAM, power, and external devices such as mice, printers, and keyboards –Expansion slots allow the addition of new components

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Power Supply Provides electrical power to PC components –Uses 110VAC power from the wall outlet –Has power connectors for the motherboard and other devices –Uses a fan to keep itself and the PC cool inside –Safety Alert High voltage capacitor holds power after unplugged

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Floppy Drive The floppy drive uses floppy diskettes to store data –Connects to the computer via a ribbon cable –Connects to the floppy controller on the motherboard –Uses a connector from the power supply

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Hard Drive Hard drives store programs and data not currently in use by the CPU –Capacity quoted in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB) –A typical PC has one hard drive but may contain more –Common types include Parallel AT attachment (PATA) Serial AT attachment (SATA) Small computer system interface (SCSI) Uses a power cable from the power supply

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Optical Media Two groups –CD Stores about 700 MB CD-ROM (read only) CD-R, CD-RW (allows writing to CD) –DVD Stores about 4 GB of data DVD-ROM, DVD+R, DVD- R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW