2. • The motherboard is the
main component inside
the case. It is a large
rectangular board with
integrated circuitry that
connects the other parts
of the computer
including the CPU, the
RAM, the disk drives
(CD, DVD, hard disk, or
any others) as well as
any peripherals
connected via the ports
or the expansion slots.
3. • Random access memory
(RAM) is a form of computer
data storage. Today, it takes
the form of integrated
circuits that allow stored
data to be accessed in any
order with a worst case
performance of constant
time. Strictly
speaking, modern types of
DRAM are therefore not
random access, as data is
read in bursts, although the
name DRAM / RAM has
stuck. However, many types
of SRAM, ROM, OTP, and
NOR flash are still random
access even in a strict
sense. RAM is often
associated with volatile
types of memory (such as
DRAM memory
modules), where its stored
information is lost if the
power is removed.
4. • The central processing unit
(CPU) is the portion of a
computer system that
carries out the instructions
of a computer program, to
perform the basic
arithmetical, logical, and
input/output operations of
the system. The CPU plays
a role somewhat analogous
to the brain in the computer.
The term has been in use in
the computer industry at
least since the early 1960s.
The form, design and
implementation of CPUs
have changed dramatically
since the earliest
examples, but their
fundamental operation
remains much the same.
5. • The BIOS software is built into
the PC, and is the first code run
by a PC when powered on ('boot
firmware'). When the PC starts
up, the first job for the BIOS is
the power-on self-test, which
initializes and identifies system
devices such as the video
display card, keyboard and
mouse, hard disk drive, optical
disc drive and other hardware.
The BIOS then locates boot
loader software held on a
peripheral device (designated as
a 'boot device'), such as a hard
disk or a CD/DVD, and loads
and executes that
software, giving it control of the
PC. This process is known as
booting, or booting up, which is
short for bootstrapping.
6. • A chipset is usually designed
to work with a specific family
of microprocessors. Because
it controls communications
between the processor and
external devices, the chipset
plays a crucial role in
determining system
performance.
• In computing, the term
chipset is commonly used to
refer to a set of specialized
chips on a computer's
motherboard or an
expansion card. In personal
computers, the first chipset
for the IBM PC AT was the
NEAT chipset by Chips and
Technologies for the Intel A Motherboard
80286 CPU. Chipset
7. • Read-only memory (ROM) is a
class of storage medium used in
computers and other electronic
devices. Data stored in ROM
cannot be modified, or can be
modified only slowly or with
difficulty, so it is mainly used to
distribute firmware (software that
is very closely tied to specific
hardware, and unlikely to need
frequent updates).
• In its strictest sense, ROM refers
only to mask ROM (the oldest
type of solid state ROM), which
is fabricated with the desired
data permanently stored in
it, and thus can never be
modified. Despite the
simplicity, speed and economies
of scale of mask ROM, field-
programmability often make
reprogrammable memories more
flexible and inexpensive.
8. • A computer fan is any fan inside,
or attached to, a computer case
used for active cooling, and may
refer to fans that draw cooler air
into the case from the outside,
expel warm air from inside, or
move air across a heat sink to
cool a particular component. As
processors, graphics cards, RAM
and other components in
computers have increased in
speed and power consumption,
the amount of heat produced by
these components as a side-
effect of normal operation has
also increased. These
components need to be kept
within a specified temperature
range to prevent overheating,
instability, malfunction and
damage leading to a shortened
component lifespan.
9. • A video card, display card, graphics
card, or graphics adapter is an expansion
card which generates a feed of output
images to a display. The graphics card is
most commonly known as a GPU. Most
video cards offer various functions such
as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes
and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4
decoding, TV output, or the ability to
connect multiple monitors (multi-monitor).
• Video hardware can be integrated into the
motherboard but recently it has been
integrated into the CPU, however all
modern motherboards, and even
motherboards from the 90's provide
expansion ports to which a video card can
be attached. In this configuration it is
sometimes referred to as a video
controller or graphics controller. Modern
low-end to mid-range motherboards often
include a graphics chipset manufactured
by the developer of the Northbridge (i.e.
an nForce chipset with NVidia graphics or
an Intel chipset with Intel graphics) on the
motherboard.
10. • A sound card (also known as an
audio card) is an internal computer
expansion card that facilitates the
input and output of audio signals to
and from a computer under control of
computer programs. The term sound
card is also applied to external audio
interfaces that use software to
generate sound, as opposed to using
hardware inside the PC. Typical uses
of sound cards include providing the
audio component for multimedia
applications such as music
composition, editing video or
audio, presentation, education and
entertainment (games) and video
projection. Many computers have
sound capabilities built in, while
others require additional expansion
cards to provide for audio capability.
11. • A power supply is a device
that supplies electrical
energy to one or more
electric loads. The term is
most commonly applied to
devices that convert one
form of electrical energy to
another, though it may also
refer to devices that convert
another form of energy
(e.g., mechanical, chemical,
solar) to electrical energy. A
regulated power supply is
one that controls the output
voltage or current to a
specific value; the controlled
value is held nearly constant
despite variations in either
load current or the voltage
supplied by the power
supply's energy source.
