Introduction to Computers and the Internet

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Introduction to Computers and the Internet 5 Personal Computer Hardware n Hardware refers to all the pieces of physical equipment that make up a computer system. The computer hardware you are most familiar with is probably the personal computer or PC. n A PC includes several pieces of hardware or devices: l The power supply is a device that distributes electricity to the various components of the system. The electrical cord runs from the power supply to an electrical outlet. The power supply also includes a fan that cools the internal components. l The motherboard is the largest circuit board inside your personal computer. It contains millions of electronic circuit elements on chips of silicon. These chips store programmed instructions in active memory (see RAM on the next page). They also execute the instructions stored in other chips. The motherboard has expansion sockets or slots (known as the bus, see the next page). These slots permit installation of additional circuit boards. l On the motherboard are some special ROM (Read-Only Memory) chips that contain the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). The BIOS is the component that checks your computer’s components and causes the operating system to start. WORDS TO KNOW LCD Liquid crystal display technology, similar to that used in some television sets, is used to display input on the monitor. Monitor An output device that displays input and the results of processing. Motherboard The largest circuit board inside your personal computer. Output Results of processing. peripheral A device connected to the computer through the bus. Personal computer (PC) Any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals. Figure 1.1 A motherboard is like the brain of your computer. l To work properly, the BIOS needs to know the configuration of your computer’s hardware. This hardware information is stored in the CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)— a chip whose configuration is controlled by a setup program. The CMOS includes information about the following components: n System date and time n Mouse n Keyboard n Hard drive (number of drives and their sizes) n DVD±R/W drive Power supply A device that distributes electricity to the various components of the system. Processing Actions that computer programs perform on the input. RAM Special chips connected to the CPU, is the area where programs and data reside while in use. ROM Read-Only Memory chips that contain the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System).
6 Introduction to Computers and the Internet l The settings are permanently saved in a 64-byte piece of CMOS. The CMOS power is supplied by a small battery, so its contents are not lost when the PC is turned off. l The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is a chip, located on the motherboard, which performs mathematical calculations and logic functions (determining if one value is greater than another, and so on). The CPU is often referred to as the brain of the computer because it administers the functions of the other components. When users say their machine has a Core 2 Duo processor, they are talking about the CPU chip. l RAM (Random Access Memory), special chips connected to the CPU, is the area where programs and data reside while in use. When you start an application (Microsoft Word, for example), the computer places the program into RAM. If you then open a document, it also loads the document into RAM. n When you save a document, the CPU copies the document from RAM to permanent storage. When you close a document, the CPU frees up the memory that was occupied by the document. When you close a program, memory is also freed up. n RAM holds data only so long as it has electricity. If the machine is turned off or loses power, information in RAM is lost. That’s why any changes not saved before the machine is turned off cannot be retrieved. n In modern PCs, RAM capacity is measured in gigabytes. (See the section “Bits and Bytes” for a definition of bits and bytes.) In general, the more RAM your computer has, the better it is able to run programs that require processing power. Figure 1.2 The Core 2 Duo processor by Intel is a widely used CPU chip. l The bus is the main communication path, or series of paths, on the motherboard that connects the system’s components with the CPU. The bus also connects external components through expansion slots. These slots can contain plug-in cards that let the computer communicate with other devices, such as monitors and printers. Figure 1.3 The size and type of RAM varies on different computers.
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Introduction to Computers and the Internet

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