What’s Inside a Computer
a Computer
Power it Up!
—Every
computer needs a power supply.
—When
your computer is turned on, the power supply supplies electricity to the other
components inside the computer.
Motherboard
—Found
at the bottom of a desktop case or the side of a tower case, the motherboard is
the largest circuit board and has many smaller circuit boards plugged into it.
Expansion Cards
—On the
motherboard, you will find several expansion cards. Each of these cards
has a special purpose.
—The sound
card contains special circuits for operating the computer's sound.
—The video
card handles graphics that are displayed on the monitor. There are also
expansion cards for other computer components including the drives and ports.
Network Card
—The network
card is an expansion card that allows computers to talk to each other.
—Sometimes
referred to as the NIC-Network Interface Card
—A
network card plugs the computer in to an RJ-45 network port or DSL connection
so that information can be transferred between computers
CPU
—The
brain of a computer is the CPU or Central Processing Unit. It
controls information and tells other parts what to do.
—The
type of CPU in a computer also determines how fast that computer can operate.
—A CPU
generates lots of heat, so there is usually a small fan nearby to cool it down.
BIOS
—In
very simple terms, the BIOS chip wakes up the computer when you turn it on and
reminds it what parts it has and what they do
Have you ever heard the terms?
RAM and ROM
RAM
•RAM stands for Random
Access Memory.
•RAM chips will remember what
you tell them and can even change to remember new information. But, when the
computer is turned off, RAM forgets everything you told it.
•This is why it is so important to save your work ! If
the computer gets turned off, RAM will lose all of your work!
ROM
—ROM
stands for Read Only Memory.
—ROM is
good at remembering, but cannot change it's mind. It holds information that is
built into it.
—ROM is
like reading a book - lots of information is there, but you can't change it.
Ports
•Ports are the places
on the outside of the computer case where you plug in hardware. On the inside
of the case, they are connected to expansion cards.
•The keyboard, mouse, monitor, and printer all plug into
ports. There are also extra ports to plug in extra hardware like joysticks, game pads, scanners, digital cameras and the like.
Ports and Cables
•The ports are controlled by their expansion cards which are
plugged into the motherboard and are connected to other components by cables
- long, flat bands that contain electrical wiring.
Disk Drives
—Disk
drives read information
— off
storage disks.
Hard Drive
•The hard drive is a
set of rigid storage disks that is hidden inside the computer because they are
not meant to be removed. Data is magnetically read from and written to the hard
drive disks
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