Basics of computer hardware

The Basics of Computer Hardware
By: Stephen Lomangino
Dr. Fahey
ITT-Technical Institute: College of Information Technology

Abstract
This paper identifies the many different parts a computer needs to operate and perform basic tasks. Among these are the motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), and random access memory (RAM). While these components are somewhat mandatory for computer performance this paper will also cover optional pieces of hardware that can improve quality and speed of the computer. These can include graphics processing units (GPU) and additional RAM. All parts of the computer can be upgraded but one must take into consideration the size and airflow capabilities of the computer case to be sure that all upgrades will fit without getting too hot or crowded. If the case were to get too hot the CPU could overheat and shut down the computer. Due to this possible situation this paper will go over the special precautions that must be made to accommodate the size and heat generation of upgraded hardware.

The Basics of Computer Hardware Building a computer is similar to building a house, first you build the foundation then everything gets built on top of it. Instead of building on concrete, the foundation for a computer is the case and the motherboard. The case is equivalent to the walls and ceiling of the house, once you have those you can put any other amenities into the house as needed. Computer cases come in many different sizes and colors and one must be chosen to fit the needs of all the other hardware. According to Chambers (2008) “You can choose from three standard types of cases: pizza‐ and shoe‐box, desktop, and tower” (Chapter 3, para. 6). For a computer that is going to be used primarily for word processing and office type applications a smaller, mid-tower or pizza-box case would be favorable, but for an avid gamer a larger full-tower case would be more practical. The difference between a full-tower case and a mid or mini-tower case is simply the size, the bigger the case the more hardware can fit into it without crowding. In addition to the size there is another factor that goes into choosing an appropriate computer case, airflow. Airflow is a key component to having an effective computer case, the number of fan mounts, numbers of vents and size all have a role in determining the amount of airflow in and out of the case. Notice: in AND out of the case, because if you have a few fans blowing into the case but no fans pulling air out the air will just build up inside and there will be no flow. Now if there are fans pulling air out of the case as well as blowing into the case there will be a current flowing over the hardware, cooling it down and pulling the hot air out of the computer case. There are other cooling systems that could be used to replace the airflow method and these will be discussed later in the paper. The second part of the foundation of a computer is the motherboard. The motherboard is similar to the electrical wiring that goes in the walls of a house. It connects all the plugs in the case and all peripheral components and accessories. This includes sockets and ports for the random access memory (RAM), video card or graphics processing unit (GPU), hard drive, central processing unit (CPU), network card and sound card. For the sound card and graphic processing unit the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) slot would be used. Different from the GUI and sound card, the hard drive will be plugged into either the IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) slot or the newer SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) port. The SATA ports perform better and have faster data transfer rates because the data is transferred in serial rather than parallel as in IDE. In the opinion of Chambers (2008) “shopping for motherboards is a feature comparison fun‐fest” (Your Motherboard is your best friend section) so be sure that proper research is done before investing in a motherboard. The following two parts that plug into the motherboard do most of the computing power of the computer, the Central Processing Unit and the Random Access Memory.
The Central Processing Unit
The CPU is the brain of the computer; it tells everything else what to do and where to go to fetch data. Since the CPU does so much work it gets very hot very quickly. Attached to the CPU chip there is a heat sink and usually a fan in order to compensate for the heat generated. According to Andrews (2007), a new processor runs at about 3.2GHz (Gigahertz) or 3,200,000,000 beats per second, which is more than a human heart beats in a whole lifetime (Processors section, para. 7). Overclocking capability is a feature utilized by some processors that makes the frequency of the processor run at a higher rate. Mainly this is used by enthusiasts looking to push their CPU to the limit and harness all the processing power that is available. Due to the height in processing capability, overheating now becomes an issue that must be addressed. For people not pushing their CPU to the limits usually a heat sink and fan assembly will keep the processor running beautifully but for the hardcore hobbyist that just isn’t going to get the job done. Specialty cooling systems may be utilized in their case such as refrigeration and liquid cooling. In refrigeration cooling there is a small compressor inside the case and can cool the air to below 0 degrees. During liquid cooling there is a small pump that moves water over the processor to keep it cool (Andrews, 2007, Heat Sinks and Cooling fans, para. 8). Many times when purchasing a CPU the fan and the heat sink are included so no compatibility issues arise. Similar to the mother board, the CPU has many different specifications. Some of these include system bus speed, processor core speed, and the number of cores, multiprocessing ability and how much onboard cache is included with the CPU. Much research should be done before purchasing one.
Random Access Memory
The next piece of hardware is the RAM. The RAM comes in the form of rectangular plates that slide into the motherboard. There are many different sizes and types of RAM that include DDR2, DDR3, SRAM, and DRAM memory. The difference between DDR2 and DDR3 is the speed at which the memory runs at. DDR3 runs faster than DDR2 and is also a more recent technology. SRAM and DRAM are also two different types of memory. SRAM is short for static RAM and DRAM is short for dynamic RAM, Static RAM is used primarily in the CPU as L1 and L2 cache storage. Dynamic RAM is the memory that is plugged into the motherboard in the form of RAM sticks. Many mother boards will have slots where you can put RAM sticks; many times there are only 2 slots. As computers become more advanced, mother boards may have 4, 6, or even 8 slots for RAM. These additional memory sticks allow for much more computing power and keep computers running at amazing speeds. Although computers these days can have many gigabytes of RAM, the frames per second while playing video games can sag if there is no graphics processing unit.
Video Cards
When thinking about a video card there are a few things to consider, first of which is what you will be using your computer for. If the computer is for an office user, maybe a video card is not mandatory but for a heavy gamer or one that is going to be using video editing or graphic intensive software it is a must have piece of hardware. For an office user, one who does mostly word processing and web browsing, an integrated video card is a much more inexpensive option than getting a PCI express video card. An integrated video card comes included with the motherboard and can handle usually low intensity graphic processes, things like internet videos and movies. This is a perfectly good option if users are looking to save a bit of money and not invest in a more valuable piece of hardware. If you are a heavy video gamer and need a better video card there are many options you can choose from. But before you get into that you have to get a video card that is compatible with the motherboard that you have or plan to have. There are several peripheral slots in the mother board and all three of them are compatible with certain video cards. The older peripheral component interconnect (PCI) slots and Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slots are not used as much for video cards as the newer PCIe or PCI express slot. So before investing in an expensive video card be sure that it is compatible with the motherboard you plan to use it with. The second thing is that there are two major brands in the market for video cards: AMD and NVIDIA. AMD has the Radeon 6000 series lineup competing head to head with the best of NVIDIA’s GeForce collection. The brands are relatively equal and choosing one is merely preference. Of course there are die-hard fans on both sides that say their brand is best, but it is up to the user to make the ultimate choice for what they are using it for. Casual gamers will obviously want an inexpensive but most bang for their buck video card. There are some key points that must be taken into account when looking into video cards, one being the onboard RAM, another being the speed at which the card will run at. Generally more of each is better but also more expensive. AMD is boasting their most recent product, at the time of this writing, is complete with 4GB of GDDR5 RAM and a 1250MHz clock speed (“AMD RadeonTM , “ n.d. ). The company is saying that “It is quite simply the fastest graphics card in the world” (“AMD RadeonTM , “ n.d.). Clock speeds and amounts of memory may be inaccurate in the future because new technology is constantly being developed and the new today is very old in a couple of weeks. After all, you need something to upgrade to in the future.
Summary
Computers are immensely complex and only a select crowd of people know how they really work, the basics however, everyone should have some knowledge of. The central processing unit, RAM, motherboard and the case are things that are essential to computers functionality and are the core of computer components in its simplest form. It doesn’t have to be the fastest or the latest and the greatest to work well. You just know how to put them together.

References
Andrews, Jean. ( © 2007). A+ guide to hardware: managing, maintaining and troubleshooting, fourth edition. [Books24x7 version] Available from http://common.books24x7.com.proxy.itt-tech.edu/toc.aspx?bookid=26261.
Chambers, Mark L.. ( © 2008). Build your own pc do-it-yourself for dummies. [Books24x7 version] Available fromhttp://common.books24x7.com.proxy.itt-tech.edu/toc.aspx?bookid=29525.
AMD RadeonTM Graphics for Desktop PCs: AMD RadeonTM HD 6990 Graphics. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/DESKTOP/GRAPHICS/Pages/desktop-graphics.aspx