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CPU
Central Processing Unit. This is known as the "brain" of the computer. Most calculations take place in this part of the computer. CPU power can be expressed as GHz. The higher the number the more powerful the CPU for example a 1GHz processor is less powerful than a 4GHz processor. There are two main components of the CPU the Arithmetic Logic Unit which performs arithmetic and logic calculations. The Control Unit which decodes instructions in memory. This cycle of getting instructions from memory is known as the Fetch Execute Cycle.
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Hard Drive
A hard drive is a very large disk that contains all the data saved on the computer. This is sometimes confused with RAM(memory). The hard drive stores the data even when the computer is turned off. When you save a file it saves to the Hard Drive. There are two categories SATA and IDE.
IDE is older technology and is slower. It connects to the motherboard via an IDE cable which is a ribbon cable
SATA is newer technology and is a lot quicker than IDE for transferring data.
Hard Drives specs will include RPM (revolutions per minute) which is a measure of how fast the hard drive can find its data (seek time) the higher the RPM the faster the hard drive. Hard Drives also have a cache which is where the data is loaded before being passed to memory. The bigger the cache memory the faster the hard drive.
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Motherboard
The motherboard is the main printed circuit board. The motherboard has sockets to allow smaller "daughter boards" to fix into it. For example installing a network interface card onto the motherboard. The motherboard is the heart of the machine and connects all the components together. Motherboards can contain certain regions which assist the CPU and make the instructions make sense.
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RAM
Random Access Memory or Memory is where current data is stored when the computer is running for example: If you load up a program such as Microsoft Word the program will load from the hard drive and be put into RAM. This function enables the CPU to find the data quickly and process anything that needs doing to it. RAM comes in many forms 512MB to 1GB of RAM is standard these days. If you have a small amount of RAM such as 256MB then an upgrade could bring you a performance boost of 20% if you install some extra RAM.
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Graphics Card
The Graphics Card is where the visual output of the computer is generated. A Graphics Card is a printed circuit board that plugs into the motherboard. Graphics Cards have multiple interfaces PCI, AGP or PCI Express.
PCI is the oldest technology for graphics cards and is not widely used any more.
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) is slowly now being phased out. A lot of computers still use AGP graphics cards but there is a push now to use PCI Express
PCI Express is the latest technology and offers a lot faster graphics than any previous technology.
Graphics cards have inbuilt memory for creating output. Generally the bigger the number the better but look out for how fast the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is on the card to ensure you get one that meats your needs.
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Network Interface Card
This is the card that connects the computer to another one. An example of this is an Ethernet card or a wireless adapter. These two cards give the computer the ability to communicate with other computer on a Local Area Network (LAN). A LAN is a collection of computers in close proximity that can share information and peripherals such as printers. See How To Set Up A Wireless Network
for information on how to set one up.
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CD Drive
This is where the CD/DVD goes into the computer. It connects to the motherboard using an IDE connector the same as and IDE hard drive. CD/DVD drives are rated on how fast they can read and write. There are drives that have the ability to write CD/DVD's so that data can be moved from one computer to another on a CD/DVD or home films and photos can be stored on them for safe keeping.
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Power Supply Unit
The Power Supply Unit (PSU) is where the whole computer gets its power from. The kettle lead plugs into it at the back of the computer. The PSU is responsible for ensuring that correct voltages are supplied to various components to ensure they work properly. A high performance computer will need a more powerful power supply than a lower performing computer. PSU's are rated in watts the higher the wattage the more powerful the PSU.
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Ohter Articles of Interest
How To Build a Computer
How To Install and Operating System
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