Computer Anatomy - Maplin Electronics

Sound card - Together with the speakers, a sound card determines
a computer’s ability to reproduce sound for watching DVD movies,
listening to music and realistic game sound effects. Most computers
come with a built-in sound card, a separate sound card that can be
fitted into a computer’s expansion slot offers better sound quality
and added features for recording and creating digital music and
sounds.
TV Cards - A TV tuner allows you to watch free-to-view
analogue/digital (depending on the PC) television on your computer.
It also allows you to record television on to your hard disk.
Operating systems (O/S)
Windows - Windows XP Media Center provides the advanced
computing power of Windows XP Home and also allows you to
watch DVDs, record TV (if the PC has a TV tuner), listen to music,
share your digital photos and more; all through simple, easy to use
menus. The new Vista range represents the next generation and a
different style of Windows operating system.
Linux - A similar O/S to Windows, based on a graphical user
interface. The major difference is that Linux is largely free to
download over the internet. You may have to pay for support
services.
PCI expansion slots
PCI - (Peripheral Component Interconnect) expansion slots allow
your computer to be compatible with future technology or
additional hardware such as memory. Most computers now have
several PCI slots allowing you to easily upgrade your computer.
PCI-X! - Not used for graphics but uses up less space and power
than the normal PCI. Used for modems, TV Cards and soundcards.
USB Connections - Universal Serial Bus connections allow you to
‘Plug ‘n’ Play’ peripherals, such as a printer without needing to shut
down the computer. The more USBs, the better: USB 2.0 is much
faster than USB 1.0 at speeds up to 480MB/s.
PC Case
ATX – Standard form factor for putting a motherboard in.
Micro ATX – Smaller than ATX. You may need to buy a micro ATX
motherboard to fit.
What does that mean?
AGP – Advanced Graphics Port
ATX - Advanced Technology eXtended
BIOS - Basic Input / Output System
Clock speeds – Number of clock cycles –
the speed of processing of your chip
CPU – Central Processing Unit
DDR – Double Data Rate
DVI - Digital Visual Interface
FDD – Floppy Disc Drive
HDD - Hard Disk Drive
Heatsink Fans – Cools the chip. A good fan cools better and
increases the chip’s performance
Modder – Someone who ‘styles’ their PC
Overclocking – Increasing the voltage to get more processing power.
Shortens the life of your PC
PSU – Power Supply Unit
PATA - Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect
PCI-E - PCI Express was formerly known as Arapaho or
3GIO for 3rd Generation I/O
RAM - Random Access Memory
SATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
SLI - Scalable Link Interface
VGA - Video Graphics Array
More information
Make sure you ask one our members of staff to
ensure you buy the right product or visit
www.maplin.co.uk/howto.asp
Maplin Electronics Ltd
Valley Road, Wombwell, Barnsley,
South Yorkshire, S73 0BS
Your guide to the
Components that
make up a PC

What makes up a PC?
Processors
The processor is one of the major components that determine a
computer’s performance.
What difference do the different processor speeds make?
The speed is measured in Gigahertz (GHz). Generally the better the
processor, the faster your computer will run: an Athlon 3200 will not
have the same power as a Athlon 3500. This is the speed of the
computer brain.
What are the advantages of dual-core processors?
A dual-core CPU combines two independent processors and their
respective caches and cache controllers on to a single silicon chip
or integrated circuit allowing you to run more applications
simultaneously compared to a single core processor.
What is MHz FSB for processors?
The units used to measure the frequency of electric vibrations per
second, typically this is used as a measure of a processor’s Front
Side Bus (FSB). Eg. 533MHz FSB. In computers, the front side bus or
system bus is the physical bi-directional data bus that carries all
electronic signal information between the central processing unit
(CPU) and other devices within the system such as Random Access
Memory (RAM), AGP video cards, PCI expansion cards, hard disks,
the memory containing the system BIOS etc.
What is a cache?
Cache is a computer's short-term memory and is measured in
Kilobytes (kB) and Megabytes (MB). Recently modified documents
are stored in the computer system’s cache allowing you to access
them quicker. The more cache in a computer’s processor, the better
the computer will perform.
Motherboards
The motherboard of a computer is the primary circuit board where
all the internal components of a computer are connected.
Memory
Memory is measured in Megabytes (MB) and Gigabytes (GB).
The more memory you have in your computer, the quicker the
processing of documents, downloads and programs.
RAM
RAM (Random Access Memory) is where the computer system
stores software applications and data that are being used. DDR or
Double Data Rate effectively almost doubles the stated data
transmission rate. Like DDR, DDR2 is a form of RAM. DDR2 is the
next evolutionary step in the DDR infrastructure.
Power supplies units (PSUs)
You need to ensure your power supply can provide enough power
for your PC, so as general rule; the more wattage, the better. If you
want to run dual graphics cards, you will need two graphics power
connectors that most PSUs don’t have; certainly on the lower
wattages. Modern PSUs have a huge amount of connectors, so to
help you out, we’ve compiled this handy guide to steer you through
the power cable minefield:
4-Pin ATX 12V - This small connector is usually located next to the
Central Processing Unit socket and provides the CPU with an extra
dose of current at 12V.
8-Pin EPS 12V - Not surprisingly, dual-core CPU and dual-CPU
motherboards require twice as much power as single-processor
designs. This connector is essentially two 4-pin ATX 12V connectors
linked together.
24-Pin ATX - Modern motherboards consume more power than their
predecessors, so the 24-pin ATX connector replaced the 20-pin.
Molex - The ‘handyman’ of PSU connectors, used to provide power
to everything from hard disks to graphics cards. If your PSU doesn’t
have enough Molex connectors, it won’t perform.
PCI-E - This 6-pin connector was recently introduced to provide
extra power for graphics cards. If you want to build an SLI PC then
make sure your PSU has two PCI-E connectors.
S-ATA – This is not the strongest of connectors. It powers S-ATA and
S-ATA II hard disks and optical drives.
Hard Drive - The hard drive (hard disk) of a computer provides you
with space to store your programs and personal files and is
measured in Gigabytes (GB). Although the size of hard drives in
today’s computers are generally larger than you will ever require;
you can never be too sure, so the larger the better. A gigabyte (GB)
is a data storage capacity measure that equals approximately
1000MB or 1 billion bytes.
Optical Drive - Most disk drives available today have the ability to
read and write DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs) and provide a far
greater storage capacity (around 5GB compared to 700MB on a CD).
This in turn means that you can store more multimedia files such as
films, music and photos on one single disc.
Graphics Card - Graphics cards are responsible for the quality of
images displayed on your monitor. A good graphics card is needed
for graphics intensive tasks such as computer gaming.
There are five types of card:
PCI - allows you to upgrade your computer quickly and easily.
Mainly used for adding soundcards, modems, TV cards etc.
AGP - Replaced the PCI. Much better performance and therefore
much better for gaming.
PCI-E – (PCI Express) The latest graphics cards: as future proof as
an IT component can be. You need a PCI-E slot on your
motherboard to use one.
SLI and Crossfire - NVidia's SLI and ATI's CrossFire technology
represent a major revolution in 3D gaming and rendering. Both SLI
and CrossFire combine two graphics cards to produce nearly twice
as much 3D processing power than just a single card.
The Anatomy of a PC Motherboard
Graphics
Card Slot
(AGP)
Sound Card
PCI
Expansion
Slots
Network Connector
USB Ports
SATA
Connectors IDE and FDD
Connectors
Power
Connections
Processor
Socket
Memory
Slots