InsideYourComp.page

CPU - this is a computer's most important piece of hardware. The more powerful the CPU is, the faster your system will run. today's processors run at 1.7GHz, a number that is continuing to grow rapidly.

Memory (RAM) - The PC's RAM stores several chunks of information unil the system's CPU needs that info to execute some task. It's the PC's "waiting room" Most systems use sCRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM) though many new systems use either RDRAM (Rambus dynamic RAM) or DDR-SDRAM (double-data-rate SDRAM), both of which are faster than SDRAM.

Hard drive - if the RAM is the PC's waiting room, then the hard drive is your PC's file cabinet. this is where the PC stores all your information and files until you need it. Most new hard drives are from 20GB to 80GB in size. Most hard drives use the IDE (Intergrated Drive Electronics) interface, although you can still buy faster (snd more expensive) SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) hard drives.

Graphics card - Today's graphics cards have their own processors, or video chips, that process the PC's graphical information so the CPU doesnt have to. Graphics cards have become so powerful that they can produce stunning 3-D graphics and greatly accelerate 2-D programs.

Sound card - The sond card processes all of the sound data for the PC so you can, for example, listen to MP3s while you're using your computer. the sound card also processes all the audio data for the games and DVD movies that you play on your computer.

Modem - The modem is the traditional way to connect to the internet. A modem dials into an ISP (Internet service provider) using your phone line.

Network adapter - Some people are beginning to use network adapters to connect to the internet or to set up home networks. they process data much more quickly than medems can.

DVD drive - A DVD drive is basically an improved CD-ROM drive. If your computer has a DVD drive, you can watch DVD movies on your PC. CD-ROM's can store about 650MB of data, but DVDs can hold from about 4GB to 17GB of data.

CD-RW (CD-rewriteable) drive - CD-RW drives can record information to CD-Rs (CD-recordable) and CD-RWs. CD-RW drives are excellent for backing up and archiving data and for creating your own audio CDs. New CD-RW drives use Burn-Proof technology to prevent buffer underruns and can record data at speeds up to 16X, with 16X-approved media.

Floppy Diskett drive - Every computer since the 1980s has had a floppy diskett drive of some sort. Some things never change

Ports - Ports on the back (and sometimes on the front) of the PC are used to connect external devices to your PC, such as printers, joysticks, scanners, keyboard, mouse, digicams, etc...

Power Suppy - All the juice your PC needs comes through this box. The wattage of a system's power supply can be from 150w to 300w or more. 250w should be sufficient for most home PC useage.

Motherboard - A PC's motherboard is the main circuit board that all the PC's internal hardware is connected to. Most motherboards are ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) motherboards, which are smaller than previous designs.

USB (Universal Serial Bus) - USB is a popular way to connect external devices to a PC. Most USB devices are slower speed devices such as mice, keyboards, and joysticks, due to USB's rather slow 12 Mbps (megabits per second) data transfer rate. However new versions are coming out all the time. Just now coming out we have USB 2.0, it has a maximum data transfer rate of 480Mbps, which is more practical for high-speed devices such as external hard drives.

IEEE 1394 - Called "FireWire" in the word of Apple computing, IEEE 1394 is similar to USB. IEEE 1394 has a maximum data transfer rate of 400Mbps, and you can connect up to 63 IEEE 1394 devices at one time. Many new systems have both USB and IEEE 1394 ports.

Serial - This is the tried and true port of very low-speed devices such as mice and keyboards. USB will likely make serial ports obsolete at some point.

Parallel - Printers and external drives often use parallel ports because they transfer data more quickly than serial ports. But as USB and IEEE 1394 devices become more popular, the need for parallel ports will diminish.

INSIDE YOUR COMPUTER