Introduction
Today, the labor market requires a basic knowledge of computers, not only with regard to the software, but hardware also. It is important to know, for example, what is a HD (Hard Disk), what is the processor, which function of memory RAM, and so on. Nothing of advanced features, this can be left for those who want to delve deeper in the subject. However, have basic knowledge of the subject is essential, up to even to deal with certain situations, how to observe repair your PC by a technician, for example. This article, aimed to complete beginners or those who have had a “white” in the subject, it will show a summary on each of the major components of a personal computer, as well as it will cover your utilities and their major functions.
Division of computer
Hardware: all the equipment, their parts, that is, all that “can be touched”, is called hardware. Some equipment, such as monitor, keyboard and mouse are also called of peripherals. Other examples of hardware: memories, processors, cabinets, hard disk, etc.
Software: consists of the part that “can not play”, that is, all that part of the virtual, where they are included the drivers, the programs and the operating system.
Processor
This is the great pivot of history. The processor, basically, it is the “brain” of the computer. Virtually everything goes through him, since that is the processor responsible by running all the necessary instructions. As more “powerful” is the processor, the faster your tasks will be performed.
Every processor should have a cooler (or some other system control of the temperature). This piece (a kind of fan) is responsible for maintaining the processor temperature at levels acceptable. The lower the temperature, the greater will be the the useful life of the chip. The suggested temperature for each processor varies according to the manufacturer, with the engine and with the performance.Inquire with the manufacturer what the ideal temperature for your processor. If the value is above the threshold, it may be necessary to improve the internal ventilation of the machine. To know the temperature, manufacturers of motherboards usually offer programs own for this. In many cases, it is also possible to to obtain this information in the BIOS setup (as seen on the item card-mother,more on this later).
It is worth mentioning that each processor has a number of pins or contacts. For example, the old Athlon XP has 462 pins (this combination it is called Socket A) and, therefore, it is necessary to make use a motherboard that supports this model (this socket). Thus, in the assembly of a computer, the first decision to take is which processor to buy, because from there is that if you choose the motherboard, and then the rest of the parts.
The market of processors is dominated, essentially, by two companies: Intel and AMD. Here are some examples of their processors: Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Core i7, Intel Atom (for portable devices), AMD Athlon X2, AMD Phenom II, and AMD Turion X2 (also for portable devices). Below, a photo of a processor.
Memory RAM
RAM means Random Access Memory (memory random-access). In it, the data is lost when the computer it is turned off. Memory modules, also known as “memory sticks”, are responsible for the storage of instructions and data that the processor need to perform their tasks. These data are provided by the user and/or withdrawn from the HD (Hard Disk – Disk Hard). There is also a category called memory ROM, which stores data permanently. You can inform yourself better about the differences between RAM and ROM here. There is more than one type of RAM. Each one has a the form of encapsulation, and an operation mode. Currently, the type memory used is the standard DDR3), whose image it is seen in the following.
Hard disk (HD)
The Hard Disk, whose name in English is Hard Disk (HD), is used to store data permanently or until these can be removed. Physically, the HDs are made by disks. These are divided into tracks and, in turn, these are formed by sectors. The HDs can store up to hundreds of gigabytes. The speed of access to information of the discs depends, in part, to the speed in which they rotate. The most common standards are 5,400 rpm (rotations per minute), 7,200 rpm and 10,000 rpm.
To be used by the computer, the HDs need an interface control. The existing ones are IDE(Integrated Drive Electronics), SCSI (Small Computer System Iinterface) and SATA (Serial ATA).
Motherboard
This component can also be interpreted as the “backbone backbone” of the computer, after all, he is the one who connects all devices of the equipment. For this, the motherboard (or, in English, motherboard) has several types of connectors. The processor is installed in its socket, the HD is connected on the IDE ports or SATA, the video card can be connected slots, AGP 8x or PCI-Express16x and the other boards (sound card, network card, etc.) can be seated in the slot PCI or, more recently, in entries PCI Express (this technology not only serves for connecting video cards). There is still the source connector, the fittings of the memories, anyway.
All motherboards have BIOS (Basic Input Output System). This is a small control software stored in a chip of ROM memory that saves settings hardware and information relating to the date and time. To keep the BIOS settings, in general, a battery nickel-cadmium or lithium is used. This so, even with the computer turned off, it is possible to keep the system clock active, as well as the settings hardware.
The image below shows an example of the motherboard. In The are the connectors for the mouse, to the keyboard, to the audio, etc. In B, the slot where the processor must be inserted. In C are the slots where the memory sticks are inserted. D shows an IDE connector. In And it is possible to be the connectors on the SATA. Finally, F shows the expansion slots (where you can add sound cards,network cards, etc.), with emphasis on the slot PCI Express 16x (blue) for the fitting of the video card.
Video card
Here’s another important item in a computer. It is up to the board video generate everything that will appear on your video monitor, as images of games and applications, effects, etc. Today, has a huge variety of plates, however, the most well-known brands this segment are the AMD (after this buy ATI) and NVIDIA two strong competitors. In fact, both produce the graphics chip or the GPU (a kind of processor responsible for the generation of images, especially in 3D applications). Who produces the plates are other companies, such as MSI, Zotac, ECS, Gigabyte, ASUS, etc.
It is possible to find on the market motherboards that have video cards onboard, this is where the video is provided in an integrated way. This feature allows you to economy of expenses, but it can affect the performance of the computer, the reason why this type of hardware is recommended only for computers intended for basic activities.
The video cards old used the PCI slots and AGP. Today, the standard technology is PCI Express (PCI-E).
Floppy Drives and CD-ROM/DVD
The floppy drives are items that have fallen into disuse, or it is very rare to find on the market computers that use this device. The floppy disk consists of a kind of cover-square that protects a magnetic disk that supports up to 1.44 MB. By offering little space for data storage and for your fragility, these disks have lost their usefulness.
The CD-ROM drive/DVD is basically a device that reads CDs and/or DVDs. Today it is common to have appliances, readers, CDs/DVDs that also make the recording of data. A long time ago, the market was only with readers and CD burners. The following is a list of the different types of disk drives exist:
CD-ROM: it serves only to read CDs. More information about it here;
CD-RW (burner): serves to read and write to CD-Rs and CD-RWs. For more information about this media type, click here;
CD-RW + DVD (combo): serves as a reader of CD-ROM and DVD, in addition to recorder CDs;
DVD-RW (burner): this drive is one of the most complete, it read and record CDs, as well as reads and writes to DVDs.
Note that, although in a smaller amount, it is also possible to find computers equipped with drives Blu-ray.
Video Monitor
Similar to a TV, is responsible for transmitting the information visuals of the computer. For a long time, the technology used in the monitors was the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), which today lost space for the technology LCD display (Liquid Crystal Display).
The monitors are the most common found on the market offer screens in sizes ranging from 17″ to 23″ (read the symbol” as inches), in the format wide screen (wider). Today, it is much more advantageous to have a monitor with at least 19″, since the price difference in relation the smaller models is small.
The cabinet is a metal box (and/or with elements of plastic vertical or horizontal, which keeps all the components of the computer (cards, HD, processor, etc.). Usually found in the colors beige and black, increasingly appear models that have some type art, that is, that come with colors, lights, and other elements eye-catching. Many times, are the users themselves that elaborate of these ornaments. Is the so-called case modding.
In the office, is also located the source power, that serves to convert alternating current in continuous current to feed the computer’s components. Thus, the motherboard, the drives, the HD and the cooler, should be connected to the source. The cards connected in the slots of the motherboard receive the energy for this, so that you hardly need a feeder unique. Offices, sources, and motherboards need to be the same the standard, otherwise, it ends up being practically impossible connect them. The standard in use today is the ATX.
The cabinets vertical can be found in 3 basic types:
Mini Tower: small, has only 3 bays (seen in the image below);
Mid Tower: average, has 4 bays;
Full Tower: large, with more than 4 bays.
The bays are those “gavetinhas”, in Portuguese the ordinary, located on the front of the cabinet. In the space of bays is that the drives CD, DVD and others are embedded.
In offices, it is still possible to find the following items:
– TURBO button (only in the cabinets of the ancients)
– RESET button
– Button or key to turn on the computer (POWER)
– LED POWER ON
– LED indicator of turbo mode (only on cabinets that are old)
– LED indicator for hard disk access (indicates that the hard disk is being accessed)
– Digital Display for indication of clock (only on cabinets old)
Peripheral general
To finish, there is still lack of mention of the keyboard and the mouse. Obviously, the the keyboard is used for typing, but it also can be used in games and in key combinations for quick access to certain apps. There are also a number models of keyboards that are outside the standard conventional and add extra features on the access to various types of applications.
The mice, devices that serve to guide an arrow (cursor) on the screen of the computer, are also essential items. There are, basically, two types of mouse: the “ball”, that uses a ball to move the cursor (in disuse); and the optical mouse, that makes the movement of the arrow by means of laser,technology that offers more precision to capture of movements.
Mice and keyboards are usually connected to the computer through ports calls to PS/2 (number 1 in the image below). But these are falling into disuse, giving place to the connections USB, which also serve to connect digital cameras, MP3-players, usb sticks, printers, scanners, etc. Some motherboards sophisticated also offer entries FireWire widely used for the connection of external hard Drives and digital camcorders. In the past, mice used connectors serial (number 3 in the image below), keyboards were use of a port called DIM, and printers and scanners used a entry call parallel (number 2 in the image below).
Ending
This guide was developed to serve as a basis for people who taking the first steps in the world of computing. The text focused on the main hardware components found in a computer of the type desktop. It is evident that the subject is much more broad, therefore, refer to the links included in the text it is a good way to increase the knowledge on the topic. Other texts can be found in section. The Hardware of the AbbreviationFinder.
