The document discusses several components of a computer system: - A network interface card (NIC) allows computers to communicate on a local area network (LAN). - A hard drive stores all programs and files but can be damaged. - The motherboard controls and connects all other components like the processor and RAM. - An optical drive uses lasers to read and write CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. - Random access memory (RAM) temporarily stores active data to improve performance.

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Lewis Blackman

2. Wireless NIC
• A network interface card, more commonly referred to as a NIC, is a device that allows computers to be joined together in a
LAN, or local area network. Networked computers communicate with each other using a given protocol or agreed-upon
language for transmitting data packets between the different machines, known as nodes. The network interface card acts as
the liaison for the machine to both send and receive data on the LAN. NIC stands for ‘Network Interface Card’.
• Using third party NIC cards can also make troubleshooting a bit easier by allowing a suspect network card to be swapped for
another, working network card. Doing this reduces the need to send the whole PC into the manufacturer for repair or a new
motherboard.

3. Hard Drive
• A hard drive, also known as a hard disk drive or HDD, is a fundamental part of modern computers. The hard drive is where all
of your programs and files are stored, so if the drive is damaged for some reason, you will lose everything on your computer.
Just as a head inside of your cassette player or VHS player reads the data on the tape, a head inside your hard disk drive
reads and writes data to the platters. This head is on an arm that is attached next to the platters, so that it can pivot back
and forth over the them.
• Metal plate with magnetic surfaces. It is a component of a disk drive. The hard drive equipment reads from and writes to the
surface of the hard disk. These hard drives are a common part of either Macintosh or PC computers, as well as other large
devices that include data storage.

4. Motherboard
• Motherboards are the prime components inside a computer, the reason for this is that it controls and holds all the
information for the computer too work. If the motherboard was damaged the hole computer would be destroyed, to
physically but inside the computer the OS or other vital pieces of software will not be able to run is they don’t get processor
powers or RAM memory.
• Another important consideration is the amount and type of RAM the motherboard will support. It is always best to buy a
board that supports more RAM than currently needed. If new technology for RAM chips is available, getting a board that
supports the newer chips will help future-proof the investment. Also it can be upgraded inside a desktop to faster and
stronger, but in a laptop they are very difficult to upgrade because of the compact hard-drive and motherboard.

5. Optical Drive
• An optical drive is a piece of equipment that uses a laser to read or write information on a disc. Optical drives are often
associated with computers, but they can be single pieces of hardware. DVD’s, BD and CD’s are all considered to be linked to
Optical drives because they can be read on them, but they are not necessarily apart of a computer. The optical path is
composed of three components: a laser, a lens, and a photodiode. The laser writes and reads the data. An optical drive can
also record media. This type of recording must be done on specific recordable (R) discs like CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, and BD-Rs.
Rewriteable media are able to be write media on rewriteable (RW or RE, in the case of Blu-Ray®) discs, such as CD-RWs,
DVD-RWs, and BD-REs, again and again.

6. RAM
• Random access memory or RAM most commonly refers to computer chips that temporarily store dynamic data to
enhance computer performance. RAMs can be stored on the motherboard, they are not hot-swappable which means they
are not able to be taken out or even touched when the computer is on. RAMs can be upgraded to suit the needs of your
computer, for example if you’re a gamer then you will need a higher RAM to handle all of the frames that are being renders.
By storing frequently used or active files in random access memory, the computer can access the data faster than if it to
retrieve it from the far-larger hard drive.