Form 1 I.C.P. Module 2 – Computer Hardware
What do I need to build my own computer?
To build your own computer, you will need to decide a few things before you begin. You will need to determine: 1. what brand and speed of processor you want, 2. what kind of motherboard is compatible with the processor, 3. how much RAM you want, 4. what type of video card you want, 5. what style case you want, 6. what kind of soundcard you want, 7. what speed CD drive, DVD ROM drive and optical disk writer you want, 8. how much hard disk space do you need, 9. other peripherals such as keyboard, mouse and 10. how much do you want to pay for it.
The most important thing to decide is what kind of processor to get
CPU It is the most important component on the motherboard It is the brain of a computer Execute the instruction of a computer program CPU of a personal computer (PC) is also known as microprocessor
There are two major CPU manufacturers: Intel and AMD
Activity 1. What is the full name of the term “CPU”?
2. Visit of web site of Intel and explore the following products. Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor Extreme Edition supporting Hyper-Threading Technology Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor Intel® Celeron® D Processor Intel® Celeron® Processor Note: Pay attention to “Processor number”, “Clock speed”, “Chipset” and “Socket.
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3. Visit the web site of AMD and find the four families of CPUs for desktop computers.
4. Visit http://www.hkgolden.com and notice the prices of different CPUs.
5. Some people do not satisfy with the original CPU cooler, can you suggest any alternative products?
Find a motherboard that is compatible with the processor
A motherboard is a liaison among all of your computer hardware. You can put the CPU, RAM on it. Hard disk, floppy disk drive and optical drives can be connected to the motherboard through cables.
The first issue to choose a motherboard is looking at the socket and the chipset on the motherboard. Different sockets and chipsets support different types of CPU.
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The next point is to check the interfaces available on the motherboard. Typical connection interfaces include the followings AGP slot LAN port PCI slot Audio ports Serial ATA ports COM port HDD connector PS/2 ports FDD connector USB ports VGA port LPT port
Activity 1. Can you find the above connection interfaces on a motherboard? 2. Visit http://www.hkgolden.com and write down the names of sockets and the supporting chipsets for any two CPU types. CPU Socket Chipset
RAM is another essential component of a computer
Main memory is a storage device on the motherboard that is linked directly to the CPU
Main Memory It is used to store data and instructions to be executed by the CPU Computers can only manipulate data and instructions that are placed in the main memory Two major types: 1. Read-only memory (ROM) 2. Random-access memory (RAM)
ROM It contains permanent information that cannot be written over or erased by the user It is non-volatile ROM chips are hardwired on the motherboard ROM stores the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) that controls the startup process of a computer
RAM It temporarily holds data and instructions to be processed by the CPU before and after processing It is volatile Data and instruction and be read and written on the RAM
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You will need to buy RAM that fits in your board. Nowadays, DDR-RAM should be most popular. This means you cannot use your existing SD-RAM on your new computer. Some new motherboards even support the newest DDR2-RAM.
How much RAM is enough? The answer depends on your needs. However, a minimum amount of 256 MB RAM is recommended. If you want to do some video editing jobs, 1 GB RAM is preferred.
Activity 1. Visit http://www.google.com and find a picture of DDR-RAM. 2. Visit http://www.corsairmemory.com/xms/xms_modules.html and find the speeds of RAM with the codes such as PC2700, PC3200, PC4000, etc.
Next, consider a video card
You will also need to get a video card. If you only plan on using the machine for business purposes, any video card will do, or even use the built-in video port on the motherboard. But if you intend on gaming, you should get a high-end 3D video card. If your motherboard contains an AGP slot, get an AGP card. Some new motherboards provide the faster PCI-E slot, so you can buy the video card with PCI-E interface.
Activity 1. What is the “Scalable Link Interface” technology?
Now, buy a computer case
You will need to get a case to build the computer in. After you buy your motherboard, pick out a case that the board will fit in. Mini cases support the smaller “microATX” motherboards only. If you buy an “ATX” motherboard, you have to buy a larger computer case.
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Usually, a power supply is bundled with the computer case.
Do you need a sound card?
If you want good sound, I wouldn't suggest getting a cheap sound card. If at all possible, get one from Creative Labs. They are not only compatible with the standard, they are the standard. However, the audio ports on most motherboards can fulfill the needs of most users!
Activity 1. Do you know what are “5.1 channels” and “7.1 channels” audio outputs?
Secondary Storage Devices Secondary storage is used to store data, programs and information for future use It is also called backing storage Non-volatile storage medium Speed measure by access time and data transfer rate Storage capacity usually measured in KB, MB, GB and TB Storage device is the hardware that read/write the data storing on the storage medium Different storage technologies: 1. Optical 2. Magnetic 3. Electronic
Which kind of optical drive will you buy?
There are many different kinds of optical drive. 1. Compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) drive 2. Compact disk recordable (CR-R) drive 3. Compact disk rewritable (CD-RW) drive 4. Digital versatile disk (DVD) drive, there are various formats of storage methods: DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM
Do you know the characteristics of the above hardware?
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Don’t forget to buy a hard disk
One other vital part of your computer system is the hard disk. Hard disk adopts the magnetic storage technology. Hard disk has short access time and very high data transfer rate, it has very large storage capacity, the operating system is stored inside the hard disk.
You should get a large hard disk since most of today's applications take up more space than they used to. You have to realize that the application will get even larger.
Activity 1. Visit http://www.hkgolden.com and find out which hard disk capacity is the most worth to buy.
Any more peripherals?
Now, let’s consider some I/O peripherals for your computer. (“I/O” is short form for Input and Output.)
Activity 1. Here is the list of some common input/output devices. Please categorise them. (Tick the correct boxes.)
Peripherals Input Output devices devices Keyboard Printer Multifunction printer Mouse Plotter Touchpad Visual Display Unit (VDU) Joystick Touch screen Microphone Scanner Speaker Barcode reader Data projector Card reader
2. There are two kinds of VDU. Can you name them?
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3. You can find inkjet and laser printers in the computer shops. Discuss which kind is more suitable for you. 4. Besides using the keyboard and mouse, suggest two other peripherals to enter Chinese characters.
5. Most card readers can read different kinds of memory cards. Can you name three different kinds of memory cards?
ASSIGNMENT
Suppose you want to buy a new computer. Try to collect some information on the Internet and make a plan. In your plan, you have to include the following items: (1) Purposes of using the computer. (2) Your budget. (3) The hardware list. (4) Reasons to choose the hardware. (5) Limitations of the computer.
Submit the plan to the AeroDrive.
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