Computer Technology

1
Computer Technology

• Week 2 Inside the Chassis

2
Systems of a PC

• PC computers have several kinds of components
  inside the chassis
• Disk Drives
• Cables
• Cards
• The motherboard (mainboard)

3
Disk Drives

• In most PCs there are 3 types of disk drives, all
  of which are used to store data
• Hard Disks
• Floppy Disks
• CD ROM Drives

4
Cables

• Cables either transfer data form one part or the
  PC to another or they provide power
• Power Cables
• Ribbon Cables
• Panel Cables (wires)

5
Cards

• Cards are small boards that connect to the
  motherboard in little slots.
• The most common cards are for video, sound and
  network
• Cards only fit into one kind of slot AGP, PCI or
  ISA

6
Slot Diagrams
AGP Video PCI Network ISA Sound
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How to tell cards apart

• Always look at the end of a card to identify it!
• Video cards have a 15 hole D connector
• Network cards have a phone type socket
• Sound cards have headphone like plugs

8
The motherboard

• The motherboard is the heart of a computer. All
  parts connect to the motherboard.
• The chips on the motherboard control data
  transfer across the computer.
• Slots, sockets and ports provide the connections
  to all parts of the computer.

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Chips on the motherboard

• There are 3 most important chips on a motherboard
• The north bridge controls most of the motherboard
  especially the memory.
• The south bridge controls the slots and ports.
• The BIOS holds the program that boots up the
  computer.

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Chips on the motherboard
South Bridge
BIOS
North Bridge
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Connections to the motherboard

• Sockets (for processor or power)
• Slots (for cards and memory)
• Ports (for disk drives and peripherals)

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Connections on the motherboard
Ports
Slots
Sockets
Slots
Ports