Basic Computer Hardware Notes
Basic Computer Hardware
Notes – Copy All
AGP
□ The Accelerated Graphics Port is a high speed connection to the motherboard for video cards.
□ Faster than a PCI card and doesn’t use the system memory. BIOS
The Basic Input/Output System controls the computer’s basic operations and is responsible for starting up the computer and hardware.
Bit
□ Short for Binary digit. It is the smallest unit of information handled by a computer. One bit expresses a 1 or a 0 in a binary numeral.
□ Or, it’s a true or false logical condition, and is represented physically by an element such as a high or low voltage at one point in a circuit or a small spot on a disk magnetized one way or another. □ A single bit conveys little information a human would consider meaningful.
□ A group of 8 bits, however, makes up a byte, which can be used to represent many types of information, such as a letter of the alphabet, a decimal digit, or other character.
Bus Speed
Measured in MegaHertz (MHz) and determines how fast the memory and CPU run.
Case
The case holds, cools, and protects the computer; the bigger the better.
CD-ROM and CD-ROM Burner (CD-R/CD-RW)
□ This device reads data, audio, and video files from a CD-ROM disc.
□ A burner can also save and even re-save data to a
CD-ROM.
CPU
The Central Processing Unit is the computer’s control center: the “brain”.
DVD-ROM (DVD and DVD+/-R/DVD+/-RW)
It reads the same as a CD-ROM but is a super compressed format (MPEG) that can store full-length movies. Floppy Drive
□ Magnetic storage medium. Sealed in a hard plastic shell, the actual magnetic disk is flexible plastic coated with a layer of magnetic film.
□ Typical floppy disks hold 1.4 megabytes of data and measure 3.5 inches in diameter.
□ Floppy disk drives connect to the motherboard via a dedicated cable.
□ Old floppy disks were 5 1/4 in.
Hard Drive
This stores all of the computer’s information and retains the information when the computer is turned off. Keyboard
Allows the entry of data and
Notes – Copy All
AGP
□ The Accelerated Graphics Port is a high speed connection to the motherboard for video cards.
□ Faster than a PCI card and doesn’t use the system memory. BIOS
The Basic Input/Output System controls the computer’s basic operations and is responsible for starting up the computer and hardware.
Bit
□ Short for Binary digit. It is the smallest unit of information handled by a computer. One bit expresses a 1 or a 0 in a binary numeral.
□ Or, it’s a true or false logical condition, and is represented physically by an element such as a high or low voltage at one point in a circuit or a small spot on a disk magnetized one way or another. □ A single bit conveys little information a human would consider meaningful.
□ A group of 8 bits, however, makes up a byte, which can be used to represent many types of information, such as a letter of the alphabet, a decimal digit, or other character.
Bus Speed
Measured in MegaHertz (MHz) and determines how fast the memory and CPU run.
Case
The case holds, cools, and protects the computer; the bigger the better.
CD-ROM and CD-ROM Burner (CD-R/CD-RW)
□ This device reads data, audio, and video files from a CD-ROM disc.
□ A burner can also save and even re-save data to a
CD-ROM.
CPU
The Central Processing Unit is the computer’s control center: the “brain”.
DVD-ROM (DVD and DVD+/-R/DVD+/-RW)
It reads the same as a CD-ROM but is a super compressed format (MPEG) that can store full-length movies. Floppy Drive
□ Magnetic storage medium. Sealed in a hard plastic shell, the actual magnetic disk is flexible plastic coated with a layer of magnetic film.
□ Typical floppy disks hold 1.4 megabytes of data and measure 3.5 inches in diameter.
□ Floppy disk drives connect to the motherboard via a dedicated cable.
□ Old floppy disks were 5 1/4 in.
Hard Drive
This stores all of the computer’s information and retains the information when the computer is turned off. Keyboard
Allows the entry of data and