Parts Of A Computer Hardware

Nowadays, there are many types of data available for us in order to become well informed about computers and computer hardware components. It is important to learn about what kind of computer hardware components we can find within our PCs and which are their functions within the computer system. This is because there are many parts of computer hardware within any type of computer and they are very important to be analyzed in order to learn important information about our computers so that we might work easier and more properly with them. It is also important to become aware of these important functions within the computer system in order to be able to overcome certain problems that we might encounter while working with our computers. In this way, the users can easily learn how to solve their computer problems by following certain troubleshooting steps and avoid losing time by getting to a specialist in order to help them solve these problems.
Among the most important parts of computer hardware that users should be familiar with are the motherboard, the central processing unit, the keyboard, the monitor, the chips, the printers, the random access memory, the input devices, the networking cards and others. They are all very important in determining whether the computer is functioning properly or not because they are connected with each other in one way or another and they determine the way in which the computer operates. The motherboard is considered to be a very important part of computer hardware because it ties components together within the PC. The motherboard is also very important because it allows all the parts of the computer hardware to be powered on, which enables the computer to function. Another important aspect to be mentioned about the computer motherboards is the fact that they have passed through many changes in the last few years, because the computer technology has evolved offering the specialists the possibility to improve these parts of computer hardware as well. The main difference between the first models of motherboards and the modern ones is the fact that the old ones supported very few computer components in comparison to the number of components that we can nowadays find on our motherboards within the computers.


The motherboard is an essential part of computer hardware which actually enables the computer to function. It has been considered that without the other components that can be found on the computer motherboard this components would actually be somehow useless but taking in account that it supports and powers up the most important computer hardware components it is important to be mentioned the fact that without it the computer would not be able to function in any way. The computer motherboard contains the microprocessor chip to which all of the other important parts of computer hardware are being connected. The form factor term is also an important aspect related to the motherboard. It represents the layout of this important part of computer hardware. The form factor is considered to be very important because according to it the other hardware components are being placed within the computer on the motherboard. The form factor is not the only important one related to the motherboard. Also important are considered to be the socket of the microprocessor, the chipset, the basic input output type of system and the real time clock type of chip. Each of these features has their own important role in influencing the performance of the computer. The socket which is specific for the microprocessor determines the type of central processing unit to be used within the motherboard. The chipset is also very important and it consists of two main parts: the northbridge part and the southbridge one. The basic input output system (BIOS) is also very important for the computer because it deals with controlling its most important functions. These components are all very important and they have to function properly in order to support the computer system to operate properly.

The motherboard is also a very important part of computer hardware because it includes important types of slots and ports for the computer. These are the peripheral type of component interconnect, the accelerated type of graphics port, the integrated drive electronics, the important memory slots and the universal type of serial bus. These are not the only components included within a motherboard. Nowadays, the modern motherboards are also able to support other types of more technologically advanced components and features such as the RAID, which stands for redundant array of independent discs, the PCI Express and on board sound features. These are the newest types of features which can be said to also represent the latest technology in motherboards.



The central processing unit is another vital part of computer hardware especially in what concerns the speed and the performance of the computer. It influences very much the way in which the computer functions. In the case in which the central processing unit is a good one it will improve the functions of the computer hardware. In the other case, the performance of the computer will be badly affected and the speed of the computer will be diminished as well. In the past, all central processing units included the same set of pins used to connect them to the motherboard in order to make it possible for the computer to operate. In this way, it was the case that any type of processor was suitable for any motherboard included within any computer. Nowadays, this is not the case. Central processing units are being connected to motherboards with different types of pins, and this means that it is no longer possible to use any type of processor within any type of motherboard. There are many types of sockets included within computers nowadays as well. Some examples would be the Socket 478, the Socket A, the Socket AM2 and many other types. They are different and specially made to be appropriate for certain types of processors included within computers.

Nowadays, everyone is interested in finding as much information as possible about the latest technology in computers. It is also very important to be aware of the necessity for us first of all to have the basic knowledge about computers and the parts of computer hardware in order to be able to work with the components presented as parts of the latest technology.

We need to firstly understand how they work in order to actually be able to use them within our computers properly. Also, this knowledge will help us overcome certain problems that we might encounter while working with our computers.


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Computer Hard Drive Connectors

How to Install the Hard Drive in Your Homebuilt Computer
How to install a hard drive in your homebuilt computer. . ( On hard drives, pin 1 usually -- but not always -- is the one closest to the power connector.

-> ATA Hard Drive Configuration
How to configure PATA drives. Intended for home computer builders. . By convention, the master drive is attached to the connector on the IDE cable .　->


HowStuffWorks "How to Add a Hard Drive to Your Computer"
. old? If so, then you may be running out of disk space. Learn how to add a new hard drive to your computer. . plug in the drive's power connector to the power .　->


IDE Hard Drive Connectors: How to Install Internal Drives on a PC .
IDE Hard Drive Connectors. Part of the series: How to Install Internal Drives on . Computer Hardware " Computer Drives & Storage " IDE Hard Drive Connectors .　->

Mikes Hardware | How To | Connecting IDE Hard Drives
Inside your computer, you generally have two (2) IDE hard drive controller connections. . The Master for 40-wire cables goes on the the Middle connector. .　->
How to install a new hard drive
Newer hard drives have the #1 pin facing towards the power cable connector. . then you can mount the hard drive into the computer case, using an available bay. .　->

Hard Drive Technologies - Geek Speak
. concept of a hard drive as a large receptacle for computer data is understood by . Serial ATA, the latest hard drive connector technology, is an evolutionary .　->Installing A Hard Drive – Step by Step | PCMech
A step-by-step guide on installing a new hard drive. . connectors in your computer, then double check what connector your drive requires and go buy it. .　->



Hard drives connectors pinouts listing @ pinouts.ru
Hard drives connectors pinouts listing. Computer Pinouts. Buses and Slots pinouts. ISA, USB. The internal hard disk has a 48-pin connector that carries .　->

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Material Of Compleate Computer (What Is Computer Hardware)

Your PC (Personal Computer) is a system, consisting of many components. Some of those components, like Windows XP, and all your other programs, are software. The stuff you can actually see and touch, and would likely break if you threw it out a fifth-story window, is hardware.

Not everybody has exactly the same hardware. But those of you who have a desktop system, like the example shown in Figure 1, probably have most of the components shown in that same figure. Those of you with notebook computers probably have most of the same components. Only in your case the components are all integrated into a single book-sized portable unit.



The system unit is the actual computer; everything else is called a peripheral device. Your computer's system unit probably has at least one floppy disk drive, and one CD or DVD drive, into which you can insert floppy disks and CDs. There's another disk drive, called the hard disk inside the system unit, as shown in Figure 2. You can't remove that disk, or even see it. But it's there. And everything that's currently "in your computer" is actually stored on that hard disk. (We know this because there is no place else inside the computer where you can store information!).

The floppy drive and CD drive are often referred to as drives with removable media or removable drives for short, because you can remove whatever disk is currently in the drive, and replace it with another. Your computer's hard disk can store as much information as tens of thousands of floppy disks, so don't worry about running out of space on your hard disk any time soon. As a rule, you want to store everything you create or download on your hard disk. Use the floppy disks and CDs to send copies of files through the mail, or to make backup copies of important items.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

There's too much "stuff" on your computer's hard disk to use it all at the same time. During the average session sitting at the computer, you'll probably use only a small amount of all that's available. The stuff you're working with at any given moment is stored in random access memory (often abbreviated RAM, and often called simply "memory"). The advantage using RAM to store whatever you're working on at the moment is that RAM is very fast. Much faster than any disk. For you, "fast" translates to less time waiting and more time being productive.

So if RAM is so fast, why not put everything in it? Why have a hard disk at all? The answer to that lies in the fact that RAM is volatile. As soon as the computer is shut off, whether intentionally or by an accidental power outage, every thing in RAM disappears, just as quickly as a light bulb goes out when the plug is pulled. So you don't want to rely on RAM to hold everything. A disk, on the other hand, holds its information whether the power is on or off.

The Hard Disk

All of the information that's "in your computer", so to speak, is stored on your computer's hard disk. You never see that actual hard disk because it's sealed inside a special housing and needs to stay that way. Unlike RAM, which is volatile, the hard disk can hold information forever -- with or without electricity. Most modern hard disks have tens of billions of bytes of storage space on them. Which, in English, means that you can create, save, and download files for months or years without using up all the storage space it provides.

In the unlikely event that you do manage to fill up your hard disk, Windows will start showing a little message on the screen that reads "You are running low on disk space" well in advance of any problems. In fact, if that message appears, it won't until you're down to about 800 MB of free space. And 800 MB of empty space is equal to about 600 blank floppy disks. That's still plenty of room!

The Mouse

Obviously you know how to use your mouse, since you must have used it to get here. But let's take a look at the facts and buzzwords anyway. Your mouse probably has at least two buttons on it. The button on the left is called the primary mouse button, the button on the right is called the secondary mouse button or just the right mouse button. I'll just refer to them as the left and right mouse buttons. Many mice have a small wheel between the two mouse buttons, as illustrated in Figure 3.

The idea is to rest your hand comfortably on the mouse, with your index finger touching (but not pressing on) the left mouse button. Then, as you move the mouse, the mouse pointer (the little arrow on the screen) moves in the same direction. When moving the mouse, try to keep the buttons aimed toward the monitor -- don't "twist" the mouse as that just makes it all the harder to control the position of the mouse pointer.

If you find yourself reaching too far to get the mouse pointer where you want it to be on the screen, just pick up the mouse, move it to where it's comfortable to hold it, and place it back down on the mousepad or desk. The buzzwords that describe how you use the mouse are as follows:

• Point: To point to an item means to move the mouse pointer so that it's touching the item.

• Click: Point to the item, then tap (press and release) the left mouse button.

• Double-click: Point to the item, and tap the left mouse button twice in rapid succession - click-click as fast as you can.

• Right-click: Point to the item, then tap the mouse button on the right.

• Drag: Point to an item, then hold down the left mouse button as you move the mouse. To drop the item, release the left mouse button.

• Right-drag: Point to an item, then hold down the right mouse button as you move the mouse. To drop the item, release the right mouse button.

The Keyboard

Like the mouse, the keyboard is a means of interacting with your computer. You really only need to use the keyboard when you're typing text. Most of the keys on the keyboard are laid out like the keys on a typewriter. But there are some special keys like Esc (Escape), Ctrl (Control), and Alt (Alternate). There are also some keys across the top of the keyboard labeled F1, F2, F3, and so forth. Those are called the function keys, and the exact role they play depends on which program you happen to be using at the moment.

Most keyboards also have a numeric keypad with the keys laid out like the keys on a typical adding machine. If you're accustomed to using an adding machine, you might want to use the numeric keypad, rather than the numbers across the top of the keyboard, to type numbers. It doesn't really matter which keys you use. The numeric keypad is just there as a convenience to people who are accustomed to adding machines.

Most keyboards also contain a set of navigation keys. You can use the navigation keys to move around around through text on the screen. The navigation keys won't move the mouse pointer. Only the mouse moves the mouse pointer.

On smaller keyboards where space is limited, such as on a notebook computer, the navigation keys and numeric keypad might be one in the same. There will be a Num Lock key on the keypad. When the Num Lock key is "on", the numeric keypad keys type numbers. When the Num Lock key is "off", the navigation keys come into play. The Num Lock key acts as a toggle. Which is to say, when you tap it, it switches to the opposite state. For example, if Num Lock is on, tapping that key turns it off. If Num Lock is off, tapping that key turns Num Lock on.

Combination Keystrokes (Shortcut keys)

Those mysterious Ctrl and Alt keys are often used in combination with other keys to perform some task. We often refer to these combination keystrokes as shortcut keys, because they provide an alternative to using the mouse to select menu options in programs. Shortcut keys are always expressed as:

key1+key2

where the idea is to hold down key1, tap key2, then release key1. For example, to press Ctrl+Esc hold down the Ctrl key (usually with your pinkie), tap the Esc key, then release the Ctrl key. To press Alt+F you hold down the Alt key, tap the letter F, then release the Alt key.

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