Most computers today, and those from the past years, are built of components mostly made of silicon, which interact with each other, allowing the computer to function. Computers are made of the following components:
v Computer case: It holds the computer components; it can be compared to the shell of a turtle, which holds the turtle’s body and organs inside.
v Power Supply: It gives power to all the computer components; it alone is fed power from the wall socket.
v Motherboard: All computer components are hooked into it, and it provides power to them, as it is one of the few computer components directly hooked up to the power supply. Also it serves as a basis for all computer information to be transferred to and from. Ex. Information from the hard drive is transferred into the motherboard, and then out to the CD drives.
v Hard drive: The storage center of the computer holding all of its information. It however can only hold so much information; the amount it can hold is specified on the hard drive itself. You can have more than a single hard drive in a computer.
v The processor: The heart of the computer, it processes the tasks given to the computer. They come in numerous speeds, the faster the speed, the faster the speed of task processing. Speeds are read in MHZ (Megahertz). The processor plugs into the ZIF or processor slot.
v Heat sink: Keeps the processor cool to prevent the overheating of it. It clips into place directly on top of the processor.
v The Random Access Memory (RAM): Determines the speed in which information is transferred throughout the computer. The more RAM, the faster rate of information transfers. RAM comes in 3 forms: SDRAM, DDRAM, RDRAM. It plugs into the RAM slots on the motherboard.
v IDE cables: Cables that stretch to many computer components, allowing the transfer of information between them. Imagine the IDE cables as a highway, and cars traveling them as information.
v Video Card: converts the digital information the computer creates, and turns it into analog information, visible upon the monitor.
v Monitor: The screen, which displays all the tasks, you are asking the computer to undertake. Imagine your television screen, but instead of cable, you have a computer and it’s information.
v Modem: Allows the computer to connect to the Internet through a telephone line. The phone line plugs into the back of the modem. Plugs into a PCI slot.
v Ethernet Card: Allows 2 or more computers to be networked together by the use of CAT 5 cables (resemble phone cables) and a network hub. If not used in a network the Ethernet card can be used to connect to a high-speed Internet connection. It plugs into a PCI slot.
v CD ROM Drives: Read information off of CDs, they also have the capabilities to copy, and create CDs. You can have more than a single CD drive.
v Floppy Drive: Reads and copies information from and onto 3.5” diskettes.
v The Fan: Keeps the inside of the computer case cool, preventing the overheating of the computer components.
v Sound Card: Converts the digital sound the computer produces into an analog form, which we can hear. Newer soundcards can play digital sounds. It plugs into a PCI slot.
v Speakers: Play that analog or digital sound the computer produces.
