COMPUTER COMPONENTS

COMPUTER COMPONENTS

A guide to the components inside my computer hello and welcome to video we're going to show you what the major components inside your computer are and tell you a little about what each of them do guiding us on this tour will be Phil Borton of East a technology support in brighton. Step 1 the major components the major components of a computer are the motherboard the CPU or central processing unit ram or the random access memory the graphics card the power supply the hard disk or hard drive the optical drive also known as a CD or DVD drive. Step 2 hardware and software all of these components are usually found with in  the Tower of a desktop computer. They are referred to as hardware can be thought of as the actual physical components that go into the computer software refers to the programs and systems that operate within the hardware. Step 3 the motherboard the motherboard is the heart of the computer it is the largest and most fundamental component of a pc and every other component is attached to it in some way. This is because all the different components used the mother board to communicate and work with each other the motherboard has a series of slots sockets and connectors for attaching the components of a pc in most cases the memory accessory cards and CPU are installed directly onto the motherboard. The drives and peripherals communicate with the motherboard through wired connections there are a wide range of motherboards to choose from they different features speed capacity and the CPU supported. They also different size shape and layout this is commonly referred to as the form factor step for the CPU stands for central processing unit. This is the brain of the computer and is often referred to as the processor or the chip. It is found under a heatsink and fan directly on the motherboard the CPU directs coordinates and communicates with the other components and performs all of the thinking. It is not really thinking what a CPU actually does it perform mathematical calculations it is the software that people write that translates these calculations into useful functions for us. Step 5 RAM stands for random access memory and comes as modules and predefined amounts. It is also found directly on the motherboard and usually in one two or four slots the memory chip store information temporarily for short term used by the CPU.  RAM is used to store information for files that are actually being used by the CPU at any given time the computer.

RAM memory is an entirely different thing from the hard disk memory the hard this stores information permanently for long-term use. Step 6 the graphics card the graphics card or video card translates information into the graphics and tax that appear on the monitor screen most motherboards now include a slot specifically designed for the graphics adapter called the AGP slot. This stands for advanced graphics port modern graphics adapters usually incorporate some memory write on the card to improve their performance. Step 7 the power supply this supplies power to the other components which is why it has so many wires coming out of it is usually positioned at the back top corner of the computer case the power supply has a fan built into it to keep itself and the computer cool. Step 8 the hard disk a hard disk which is also called a hard drive is much like a filing cabinet the programs and data is stored on the hard disk and the computer accesses them as they are needed when the computer accesses the hard drive. It is reading and moving the stored information into the ram memory that memory is the temporary workspace however the original file is still on the hard disk and has left undisturbed until the file is saved when the computer stores or saves information it writes a data to the hard disk that process results in the old file being replaced or modified with the new information if you save data to a new file or install new software. The information is written to the disc in an available unused portion of the disk. Step 9 the optical drive the optical drive is often called a DVD drive or a CD drive it sits at the front of the computer for ease of access and use a laser to read and write information to CDs and DVDs done.