computer hardware

1. IDENTIFYING THE INTERNAL
COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER
 Now, before you go fixing any computers,
there are a couple things you need to
know.
 First , make sure that you are not voiding
the warranty by working on a computer
yourself.

2.  Second , if you're going to purchase new
components or replacement parts, be sure to
take the bad parts with you when you go to the
computer store. There are two types of screws
used in computers and you must know about
both. Coarse thread screws are used to attach
case sides, mount power supplies, mount hard
drives into the drive bays, and similar. Fine
thread screws are used for mounting CD/DVD
and Floppy drives, and occasionally other
components.

3.  Each component in your PC has its own
function and purpose. The main circuit
board in the back with everything plugged
into it is called the motherboard.
Everything connects to that, and the type
of motherboard you have will determine
what type of components like CPUs,
Drives, and RAM you can use.

6. The Processor (CPU, Central
Processing Unit)
 located underneath a
generally square
shaped metal box and
a fan. The fan and
metal box are called
the heatsink and it
goes on top of the
CPU, which is all
clipped to the
motherboard

7. Expansion Slots & Cards
 There are various
cards that you may
see in slots on your
motherboard. These
are either video
cards, network cards,
sound cards, or other
types of cards.

8. Power Supply
 The large metal box at
the top of the computer is
the power supply. It will
have a cooling fan of its
own that will vent out of
the back of the case. It
will also have cables
coming off of it that plug
into each component, and
these are called power
leads.

9. Memory (RAM)
 . RAM is what the computer
uses to help run programs.
The more windows you have
open, the more RAM that is
required. The operating
system also requires a
significant amount of RAM to
run, so keep in mind when you
upgrade your operating
system, chances are you will
need to also do a memory
upgrade.

10. Drives
 Towards the front of the
case, there are slots that
hold various items like
hard drives, floppy drives
and CD/DVD drives – this
is called the drive bay.
The front of your case
where the power button is
likely to be may have
ports like USB ports or
Firewire ports.

11. Hard Drive (HDD)
 With hard drives being so huge,
people have completely forgotten
about some of the other important
issues. One being RPM - the
speed that hard drive rotates -
which directly affects
performance. If you want
programs to load faster, files to
move around quicker, and overall
better performance, make sure
you take a look at your hard
drive's performance. 7200RPM is
generally still better than what
comes with most computers, so if
you like performance and don't
need piles of space, make sure
you go with a fast hard drive

12. Fans
 The case itself is also
likely to have a fan,
called a case fan,
which draws hot air
out of the case.