- CPU
- Heat Sink
- Fan
- Computer Hardware Information about computer Motherboards
- Ram
- Hard Drive
- CD-Rom
CPU
Also known as a processor or microprocessor the CPU was first developed by Intel in 1974 and is short for Central Processing Unit. The computer CPU is responsible for handling all instructions and calculation it receives from other hardware components in the computer and software programs running on the computer. Below is a graphic example of what the original Intel Pentium processor looks like.
Today there are several different manufactures of computer processors. However, Intel and AMD are the leaders in the PC market. - Additional information and help with computer processors can also be found on our CPU help page.
- Additional information about installing a computer hardware including a computer processor can be found on document CHADD.
Many new computer users may improperly call their computer and even sometimes their monitor a CPU. When referring to your computer or monitor it is proper to refer to them as either computer or monitor and not CPU.
Heat sink
An electronic device that incorporates either a fan and/or a peltier device that allows a hot device such as a processor to keep cool. There are two types of heatsinks: active and passive.
Active heatsinks utilize power and are usually a fan type or some other peltier cooling device. If you are looking to purchase an active heatsink, it is recommended that you purchase fans with ball-bearing motors that often last much longer than sleeve bearings.
Passive heatsinks are 100% reliable, as they have no mechanical components. Passive heatsinks are made of an aluminum-finned radiator that dissipates heat through convection. For Passive heatsinks to work to their full capacity, it is recommended that there is a steady air flow moving across the fins. To the right is an example image of a heat sink that is both active and passive.
- See our heat sink and fans help section for additional help and support with heat sinks
Fan
A fan mounted directly over the integrated-circuit chip containing a computer's central processing unit to prevent overheating. Computer Hardware
Information about computer Motherboards.
Quick links
Motherboard ABCs
AT / ATX differences
Troubleshooting
Motherboard definitions
The motherboard is the main component found in PC and Macintosh computers. The motherboard is what allows various hardware components to transfer information to each other. As computers advanced, so did motherboards; below is a listing of the various Motherboard form factors.
Full-AT (12" wide x 13.8" deep) Matches the original IBM AT motherboard design, which only fits into full size AT or tower cases only, not being produced much any more, if any.
- This form factor is no longer produced because it cannot be placed into the popular Baby-AT chassis.
Baby-AT (8.57" wide x 13.04" deep) Almost the same as the original IBM XT motherboard with modifications in the screw hole position to fit into AT style case, with connections built onto the motherboard to fit the holes in the case.
- Specific placement of the keyboard and the I/O slots.
- This board also cannot be placed into the slimline case.
LPX (9.00" wide x 13.00" deep) Developed by Western Digital when making motherboards, which was duplicated by many other manufacturers and is no longer made by Western Digital.
- The LPX motherboard riser card contains all of the expansion slots.
- Placement of the video, parallel, two serial and PS/2 connections have changed locations.
Full-ATX – (12" wide x 9.6" deep) / Mini-ATX – (11.2" wide x 8.2" deep) The official specifications were released by Intel in 1995 and was revised to version 2.01 in February 1997. The ATX form factor is an advancement over previous AT style motherboards. Therefore requires a new case design. ATX is not an abbreviation, it is actually a trademark which belongs to Intel.
- The ATX motherboard has a stacked I/O connector panel mounted on the motherboard.
- On a socket 7 ATX motherboard, the socket has been placed a further distance from the expansion slots, allowing for long boards to be placed in easier.
- Single keyed internal power supply connector. This is the Molex power connector, ATX 2.01. Standby voltage needs to be greater than 720 mA. The connector now cannot be placed in improperly. While the Molex power connector allows for 5v and 3.3v to be connected, it is recommended that only a 3.3v be connected to the motherboard.
- Relocation of the memory and the CPU creating better ventilation and easier upgrade.
- Power management possible with proper BIOS support.
NLX (Supports motherboards with overall dimensions of 9.0" x 13.6" [maximum] to 8.0" x 10.0" [minimum]) Implemented in 1998 by Intel and is similar to the LPX form factor; however, includes several new improvements.
- Support for the Pentium II
- Support for AGP
- Support for USB.
- Support for DIMM.
- Easier Access to internal components
- Support for motherboards that can be removed without using tools.
Below is some of the ways in determining if your motherboard is an AT motherboard or an ATX motherboard.
The Keyboard:
AT Motherboard = 5 pin large connector
ATX Motherboard = 6 pin mini connector.
MB Power Connector:
AT Motherboard = Single Row two connectors 5v & 12v
ATX Motherboard = Double row single connector 5v,12v, and 3.3v.
RAM
RAM (random access memory) is the place in a computer where the operating system, application programs, and data in current use are kept so that they can be quickly reached by the computer's processor. RAM is much faster to read from and write to than the other kinds of storage in a computer, the hard disk, floppy disk, and CD-ROM. However, the data in RAM stays there only as long as your computer is running. When you turn the computer off, RAM loses its data. When you turn your computer on again, your operating system and other files are once again loaded into RAM, usually from your hard disk.
RAM can be compared to a person's short-term memory and the hard disk to the long-term memory. The short-term memory focuses on work at hand, but can only keep so many facts in view at one time. If short-term memory fills up, your brain sometimes is able to refresh it from facts stored in long-term memory. A computer also works this way. If RAM fills up, the processor needs to continually go to the hard disk to overlay old data in RAM with new, slowing down the computer's operation. Unlike the hard disk which can become completely full of data so that it won't accept any more, RAM never runs out of memory. It keeps operating, but much more slowly than you may want it to.
How Big is RAM?
RAM is small, both in physical size (it's stored in microchips) and in the amount of data it can hold. It's much smaller than your hard disk. A typical computer may come with 256 million bytes of RAM and a hard disk that can hold 40 billion bytes. RAM comes in the form of "discrete" (meaning separate) microchips and also in the form of modules that plug into holes in the computer's motherboard. These holes connect through a bus or set of electrical paths to the processor. The hard drive, on the other hand, stores data on a magnetized surface that looks like a phonograph record. Most personal computers are designed to allow you to add additional RAM modules up to a certain limit. Having more RAM in your computer reduces the number of times that the computer processor has to read data in from your hard disk, an operation that takes much longer than reading data from RAM. (RAM access time is in
Why Random Access?
RAM is called "random access" because any storage location can be accessed directly. Originally, the term distinguished regular core memory from offline memory, usually on magnetic tape in which an item of data could only be accessed by starting from the beginning of the tape and finding an address sequentially. Perhaps it should have been called "nonsequential memory" because RAM access is hardly random. RAM is organized and controlled in a way that enables data to be stored and retrieved directly to specific locations. A term IBM has preferred is direct access storage or memory. Note that other forms of storage such as the hard disk and CD-ROM are also accessed directly (or "randomly") but the term random access is not applied to these forms of storage.In addition to disk, floppy disk, and CD-ROM storage, another important form of storage is read-only memory (ROM), a more expensive kind of memory that retains data even when the computer is turned off. Every computer comes with a small amount of ROM that holds just enough programming so that the operating system can be loaded into RAM each time the computer is turned on.
Hard Drive
The term "hard drive" is actually short for "hard disk drive." The term "hard disk" refers to the actual disks inside the drive. However, all three of these terms are usually seen as referring to the same thing -- the place where your data is stored. Since I use the term "hard drive" most often, that is the correct one to use.
CD-Rom
Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory, a type of optical disk capable of storing large amounts of data -- up to 1GB, although the most common size is 650MB (megabytes). A single CD-ROM has the storage capacity of 700 floppy disks, enough memory to store about 300,000 text pages.
CD-ROMs are stamped by the vendor, and once stamped, they cannot be erased and filled with new data. To read a CD, you need a CD-ROM player. All CD-ROMs conform to a standard size and format, so you can load any type of CD-ROM into any CD-ROM player. In addition, CD-ROM players are capable of playing audio CDs, which share the same technology.
CD-ROMs are particularly well-suited to information that requires large storage capacity. This includes large software applications that support color, graphics, sound, and especially video.
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